Good stuff from 0:19 through 0:31, keying on the concepts of ‘safety zone’ and ‘escape route’. Also, stay S.O.B.E.R. = ‘SLOW ON the BOTTLE, ENJOY the ROAD’. S.O.B.E.R.
Defensive driving, is that even taught in the developing-driver academies anymore? It was a big thing back in the day, lots of videos and diagrams about proper following distances, increasing same when conditions so warranted, such as at night or during inclement weather, etc.
Also, that cone of safety was the overarching idea. You needed to have that one-car-space bubble between your car and any other objects on as many sides as possible. Obviously, this meant no tailgating of the car in front; but it also meant not riding the brake to annoy the tailgaters behind you. You might not necessarily speed-up to get away from the harasser in the back, but you definitely did not want to test their reflexes by trying to goad them into a sudden stop — hopefully they would just do the correct thing and pass you on the left. (Allah forbid you should clog-up the speed lane on the left by obeying the posted speed limit; that seems noncommunal and irresponsible too!) Basically, defensive driving was to protect not just yourself and your car, but to keep all the reckless mopes from hurting themselves, too. It was a SOCIALISTIC & CITIZEN-ORIENTED way of operating an automobile! SOCIALISTIC & CITIZEN-ORIENTED driving.
But now, especially here in La-La Land on both the freeways and the surface streets, common courtesy on the roadways seems to have gone bye-bye. The speed-demons are always riding the rear bumpers of the cars in front of them; they clearly are offensive drivers in all senses of that term. Worse still, stopping at a stop-sign at any intersection seems to be optional, especially on the steep and winding canyon roads — precisely where care and safety are most required!
Perhaps all this extra caution is just middle-age expressing its creeping self. Or maybe it’s been only in the last two years with the lease of the hybrid vehicle and mild bouts of semi-hypermiling. Of course, La-La Land is a known southern extension of the Bonneville Salt Flats, anyway. Nevertheless, all these threats — real or imagined — on the highways and byways here is both alarming and irritating. Can we have a bit of the polite and thoughtful motoring that takes place on the pavements and asphalts of, say, Santa Fe, N.M., or Victoria, B.C., in Canada? IT WOULD BE EASIER TO DRIVE IN A LOCATION IN WHICH SOCIALISTIC & CITIZEN-ORIENTED DRIVING are a way of life and not something to be spit on by the talking heads on the Fox Newses or the shrinking ONAN Channel or the NewSmaXXX. Thank you!
BestLine Racing Society Recap:
Gulf, Laurel & Santa Anita from earlier.
In the Gulf finale it was #1 Miss M M (.155 Win Prob / 5.45-1 Fair Odds / 8.03-1 Premium Odds) getting the W at $33-even.
Race 4 at Santa Anita found #8 Crimson Rose (.220 / 3.55 / 5.36) getting the green at $15-even.
BestLine Racing Society Nightcap:
Delta now, down near the bayous where the cold weather is merely a rumor.
Strongshots
Race 5
#1 Shelley’s Money / #1A Lillie Dell (.420 / 1.38 / 1.86)
Race 6
#4 My Sweet Sophia (.301 / 2.32 / 2.99)
Longshots
Race 4
#6 Gotmy Mo Jo Workin (.355 / 1.82 / 2.38)
#2 Salute Now (.190 / 4.26 / 6.37)
Race 8
#6 Little E (.204 / 3.90 / 4.88)
#4 Girls Count (.198 / 4.05 / 5.06)
#3 Angela’s Celerity (.159 / 5.29 / 7.81)
#1 Zeatrical (.139 / 6.19 / 9.07)
