We can help keep gas prices low

Gas prices are going up, no surprise. We all complain about having to pay more at the pump, but how many of us are actually doing something to cut down on our gas consumption?

Do you know how much gas your car uses when accelerating from standing still? If you accelerate slowly you will use far less than if you accelerate quickly.
When you drive at 80 miles an hour you are using more gas per mile than if you drive at 70 miles per hour.

If we teach ourselves to cut back a little on gas consumption then we won’t have to buy gas as often. Then we could at least eliminate this as the reason for high gas prices.

Whenever I see someone practicing bad driving habits resulting in higher gas consumption I see a person who is taking more than their fair share of gasoline. If we all conserve we all will have gasoline for a longer period of time. To those people: are you really so selfish that you can use up more than your share of gasoline to get someplace a little bit faster?

Try this experiment. Time yourself in getting from one place to another using your usual driving habits and then travel the same route following all posted speed limit signs. How much time do you really save? Now do this same experiment starting with a full tank of gas for each driving habit and see how much less gas you use by driving the speed limit. I am certain everyone would be amazed at the difference.
We can all help each other and still help ourselves. If we cut back on gas consumption then gas stations will feel the pinch and begin lowering prices in order to get us into the gas pumps.

There has been talk of boycotting certain gas stations or boycotting at certain times (mostly only when prices take a huge jump), but more conservative driving practices would be the ultimate boycott, by not using as much. Lets all give it a try.

Some people will say that their change in habits will not have an effect but let me tell you, there are so many people driving that if everyone saved a little it will have a tremendous effect. Think about this, if there are 150 million drivers (with the U.S. population, this is a conservative estimate) and every one of those drivers saved one gallon of gas a month that would be 150 million gallons of gas that the oil companies would not sell. Do you think they would take notice in this drop in sales? Of course they would. And if it happened every month, do you think they might decide to lower prices to try to encourage people to buy more? Yes they would. Then we would see how they truly care about gas conservation.

Mandatory Driving Instruction

How many people do you know would know what to do if an ambulance or police car comes up behind them while driving? I have seen many people do nothing. They don’t pull over. They don’t give the right of way to the emergency vehicle.

How many people know that when the sunlight fades, at dusk, or when you drive through a tunnel you are supposed to turn on your lights? Turning on the lights is not so you can see it is so others can see you, which basically helps you too so oncoming traffic knows you are there.

How many people know you are not supposed to block a pedestrian crosswalk? Very few because I see it done a lot. Someone will pull up to a red light, viewing it as an inconvenience that they have to stop, and block the crosswalk forcing pedestrians to walk outside of the protection of the crosswalk and into the drive lanes of oncoming traffic. The person in the car doesn’t give a damn.

How many people know you are supposed to obey speed limit signs? Sounds like a foolish question, right? A question with an obvious answer? So let me rephrase it. How many people actually obey speed limit signs? Very few. Why is this? Do these people think they know better than the experts who are paid to determine the safe speed for a given neighborhood or traffic zone? Do they not realize that these are the same experts that are paid for by our tax dollars? So, to sum this up, we pay the experts to determine the safest speed, we pay them to post that speed, and then we ignore them. Where are we going that we have to get there as fast as possible? Do these people think that if the ‘coast is clear’ they can travel at any speed they want? Those speed limit signs aren’t posted just so a policeman has a guideline by which to give you a ticket for speeding.

How many people know the safe traveling distance behind the vehicle in front of you? Very few. Does anyone out there understand what a ‘cushion of safety’ is? If the person in front of you has to stop quickly and you cannot stop in time to prevent running into that person then you did not have a ‘cushion of safety’ between the two of you and you are the only one who can create that safety zone. Does anyone realize that by tailgating someone you are actually committing an act of terror? Yes, terror! Again if that person in front has to stop quickly you are endangering the safety of the occupants of that vehicle in front of you because you will not be able to stop in time. Nobody knows when someone else may have to stop quickly, why do you drive so fast that you take away the safety zone from people around you? Maybe a tire blows out, maybe something happens to the car in front of the car in front of you that you cannot see, maybe the brake lights don’t work on the vehicle in front of you and you don’t know until it is too late.

How many people know that turn signals are placed on vehicles to give other people warning about your intensions? Using a turn signal when you are already making the turn is really pretty useless. Not using your turn signal until after you apply your brakes is really inconsiderate to those people behind you. How about turning on your turn signal before you put on your brakes so people know why you are applying your brakes and so that they can go around you on the other side? When you put on your brakes the person behind you has to slow down because something might be happening in front of you that means it is best for them to slow down too. When you put on your turn signal first, only then is it a true warning signal, then the person behind you can begin shifting to the other side of you in order to pass you. Why make everyone slow down just because you want to turn?

While I’m talking about turning, how about getting into the turn lane before you begin slowing down? That is what it is there for, to maintain an steady flow of traffic. So many people begin slowing down in the travel lane forcing everyone else to slow down too. Get out of the travel lane without slowing anyone else down and then begin slowing down. This way there is less danger of you being rear-ended. So you see it is really better off for everyone concerned to slow down properly.
And when turning in a double turn lane situation, why do people get in the left most lane to turn left knowing damn good and well that as soon as they make the turn they are going to turn right? Why not just stay in the right lane to begin with. This is just rude to people you now have to cut in front of (because nobody goes the extra block to turn around if they miss their turn, oh no, that would be too much trouble) and it is also rude to the people behind you that now are forced to slow down while you wait for an opening so you can make your turn.

I think we should have mandatory drivers safety and education courses and we should have to pass our drivers test every 4-6 years. Maybe the frequency could be based on how many traffic tickets a person gets. Some people might think that lower insurance rates might result from this, but realistically, insurance companies will only raise their rates so they don’t miss out on any income.

The reason I support mandatory safety education is because everyone has horror stories to tell of rude drivers or of near collisions. If everyone was made aware of their own bad driving habits I believe our roadways would be safer.

I am one of those lucky few who does not have to drive very often. When I do drive I try to maintain the speed limit and I am almost constantly terrorized by other drivers who come up on my tail, too quickly, and stay there as if I am not moving fast enough for them. I see improper use of turn signals, making them meaningless. I have had people pull in front of me to turn left from the opposite direction after a traffic light turns green and they just can’t wait for me to cross the intersection.
I have had people turn in front of me when they are on their cell phone.

Bad habits and just plain rude behavior need to be eliminated and education is the best method to do so.

Car Advertisements add to the problem

I saw a car commercial last night that just summed up a major problem with the way drivers view their automobiles and the way in which they drive them.

The ad was for something called an Odyssey, I don’t know who makes this thing but they really should be more responsible then to allow this to be a selling point of their vehicle. I had the sound muted, as I always do with car commercials (they seem to dominate the commercial airwaves and are usually BS anyway), but what I saw was a woman passenger holding onto a handle that was hung from the ceiling while smiling with anticipation as if she was on an amusement ride. The male driver was gripping the steering wheel and accelerating around a mountain curve, also smiling. Now with the sound muted it was very easy to see what the advertiser wanted to get across to the buying public, and that is that you can now drive even faster around curves. Now, I wonder, why do we have to drive faster around curves? I also noticed that there were no other vehicles on the road. There never is in car commercials (unless the advertiser wants to show how easy it is to pass everyone else) and sometimes they tell you in very small print and very briefly that the driver is a professional on a closed course. Of course the general public does not remember this part of the commercial. The general public sees this commercial with these people having a good ole time racing around a curve without a thought to what might be driving a little bit slower than they are around that curve or what might be passing another vehicle in their lane heading for them around that curve. But, hey, let’s go faster and have fun.

Another car commercial that never ceases to amaze me uses zoom, zoom, zoom as its mantra. As if they are selling race cars. Let’s all drive faster.

Then still another commercial that I only saw once, thank goodness, (they must have pulled it) was of a young boy having a vision of racing a car and the father telling his son that when he grows up he too can drive fast like that race car driver.

Have you ever seen a young child get behind the steering wheel of a car sitting in a driveway or parking lot pretending to drive? What does the child emulate while picturing himself driving? Twisting the steering wheel and going fast while making racing car sounds. Why are we teaching our children this behavior? Why are we teaching them that behind the wheel they can go as fast they want? Why not teach them about driving safely? The vehicle is merely a tool to take us from one place to the next not a means of getting there fast.

By the time these children grow up and get behind the wheel of an automobile after seeing all these car commercials the only thing on their minds is how fast can they go. They have these images of how fun it is to drive, to be free to go anywhere they want. They think of this as a sign of growing up, and it is. But how many are truly safety conscious? How many are told that they should be safety conscious? How many are aware of their responsibility to the safety of everyone else on the road? How many are picking up bad driving habits from their parents?

Safety consciousness is certainly not coming from the DMV. The DMV is only viewed as an obstacle to most people that must be overcome in order to drive. How many people actually take what they have learned in getting their drivers license to the road with them? How many people driving today would not have had their drivers license if they had missed one more question?

Cars are not amusement rides people. Safety should be foremost with every driver of every vehicle every time they get behind the wheel regardless of what car commercials tell or show you.

Car manufacturers need to endorse driving these vehicles safely, not how you can get from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds or how you can pass everyone on the road. Subliminal advertising is a well known fact in the advertising world and is used by every advertiser, please be responsible in its use.

It’s the people vs. The government, new poll suggests.

Really!? I hope this does not come as a surprise to anyone.

A recent poll asked the American public how they think the Democratic Congress is doing after six months? Lousy. But better than the alternative.

The democrats only took control because we were fed up with how the republicans were doing. In the future we will be fed up with how the democrats are doing and vote republicans back in. This is, once again, the lesser of two evils and the ongoing theme of every election.

It's midyear, and the Democratic Congress is taking a break. Well-deserved? No, say Republicans. No, say I. Taking a break! From what? The American public can’t take a break like these guys do! The working public can take one or two weeks of a break, it’s called a vacation, sometimes without pay, but congress takes much longer vacations than the general public is allowed to and they still get paid a hell of a lot more than we do. Does anyone besides the democrats think they deserve it? Recently, it was shown that many Americans don’t even take their vacation time.

"We are now halfway through the first year of the 110th Congress," Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, said. "And there is no question that the failure on the part of the Democrats in terms of their midterm exam is really a letdown to the expectations of the American people.'' Truthfully, we don’t have expectations of congress anymore. This way we can’t be let down so hard. The old axiom applies here, If you lower your expectations you won’t be disappointed.

"I'm not happy with Congress, either," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said.

And the American people? Look at the grades. President Bush is doing terribly -- an average of 30 percent job approval in six recent polls. Congress is doing worse -- 25 percent on the average in five polls. And he has been doing terribly for a terribly long time.

"Why the low marks?’ We all know the answer to this question. The democrats point to the war in Iraq and the republicans point to the immigration bill. Let me clue you in, guys, it goes a lot deeper than these issues.

How about a vice-president who still believes there is a link between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein although it has never been shown to exist.

How about George W. Bush’s long list of lies and inconsistencies in stories of his past. See Bush Jr’s Skeleton Closet.

How about George W. Bush’s controversies surrounding nepotism and cronyism (Michael D. Brown, Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination, Uncle “Bucky”, Sam Fox).

How about George W. Bush’s controversies surrounding the growth of executive power.

How about the long list of controversies surrounding preIraq war intelligence, criminal acts of Administration officials, spying, human rights, propaganda, obstruction, poor response to national crisis (Hurricane Katrina and Walter Reed Medical Center), secrecy and censorship, the dismissal of U.S. attorneys. And the list still goes on.

How about an ineffective, under-qualified U.S. Attorney General who has the job only because he is ‘buds’ with the president and refuses to quit even when everyone around him has lost confidence in him?

How about the fact that, once again, Bush pardoned one of his cronies. This time it was Scooter Libby. Everyone saw this coming.

How about the fact that this is, in my opinion, the most corrupt and contemptible administration ever. Jimmy Carter may back down from this statement, I won’t.

As if this long list wasn’t enough reason not to trust politicians, just keep in mind that this list all belongs to the latest president. Previous presidents have their own list.

Do you still wonder why voter turnout is so lousy? It’s because the American public knows their vote doesn’t count. We know it is a waste of our time to vote. The only people who do vote are those who still believe that by some miracle a person of actual ‘leadership quality’ will take office. Don’t hold your breath. Politicians are not responsive to our needs, they are only in it for themselves, much as the rest of this society is only looking out for themselves. And who can blame them? This political system has been broken for a long time now. Only the millionaires can afford to play the game. And the only reason they do is to feed their own bloated egos.

There is no feeling that we are being ‘looked out for’. There is no one with our best interest at heart. We are a society that places way too much value on ‘me first’ instead of ‘the country first’ knowing it will then trickle down to all of us.
Sure, we are a nation of givers when disasters strike. But this is the only time Americans pull together.

So Democrats blame Republicans: "The fact is that the Republicans aren't allowing us to proceed," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, and Republicans blame Democrats. And the beat goes on. And here is where the problem lies. Republicans blame democrats, democrats blame republicans so no one believes in either one. Any parent who has ever faced the task of determining which of two children created a particular problem has heard this from each child “I didn’t do, he did”. So, if the parent can’t get the truth out of them then they both get punished. Meanwhile the problem still exists and no one does anything about it.

What has happened to compromise, to giving in a little on both sides, to not being so bull-headed to get what you want that nobody gets what they want. The American people are fed up with this garbage. This is why we have such low opinion of both sides.

The National Republican Congressional Committee was quick to release a video which highlights what it calls "the Democrat majority's broken promises, abysmal record and rock-bottom approval rating." The release of this video serves only to illustrate how petty the republicans are behaving. This video does nothing to restore faith from the American people. It only further exasperates us with this typical childish behavior. Again, it is nothing more than “I didn’t do it, he did.” It reminds me of the sayings “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”, and “Look who is calling the kettle black”.

But Americans are not convinced that changing parties will make much difference. The new dynamic in American politics right now isn't Democrat versus Republican. It's really us vs. ourselves. Since we are so much into everything for ourselves and we don't have any sense of national unity, we have become our own worst enemies.

"It is a sad commentary in America today that many Americans have lost faith in their government," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, said. He added, "Americans don't believe that their government is representing them, is acting on their behalf. The polls show it."

Why does this senselessness continue?

I am appalled to hear that this behavior continues. That this ‘stupid’, irresponsible ‘adult’ was put in charge of the safety of other people just blows me away.

A driver of a van full of children died Sunday in a vehicle rollover on I-15 while on the way to church.

The 35-year-old woman, identified as Delta Arellano Moreno, was the only one among the van's 10 occupants wearing a seat belt, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. The criminality of this single act needs to be broadcast far and wide. She belted herself in but not the nine children. Six of the nine children in the van with her were ejected when it rolled. My heart is breaking as I write this. What the hell was this woman doing behind the wheel of a vehicle?

Some fool out there is going to say “Oh look, duh, the only person who died was the one wearing the seat belt, ha, ha, ha.” Look fool, the children were thrown from the van. Sure seat belts do not always save lives, obviously, their effectiveness depends on several factors such as the severity of the accident or where the impact occurs, etc. But the fact remains that these passengers should have been belted in and not thrown from the vehicle, They could have possibly been run over by another vehicle.

People need to be punished with more than a financial threat because that threat is not working. Does anyone think it is working? If the threat was working then people would be taking the simple act of buckling up seriously. How much time does it take to buckle a damn belt? People cannot possibly be foolish enough to think that seat belts don’t save lives. Or, maybe I am wrong.

Far too many drivers don’t think about safety on our roads. This is why people drive recklessly, this is why people speed past others over the limit, this is why people swerve in front of others to make a turn, this is why people tailgate, and generally terrorize everyone else on the road.

There was a 15-year-old girl in this vehicle, why didn’t she see to it that these other children were buckled in. Is there any responsibility being taught in this family? She was taken to Primary Children's Medical Center in critical condition. Three others, ranging in age from 10 to 13, were taken to local hospitals in serious condition. An infant and four other children were hospitalized in fair condition.
I-15 was shut down for about three hours Sunday afternoon to allow a medical helicopter to land and to allow crews to clean up after the accident.

Are these adults not watching the news, do they not hear how easily and unexpectedly accidents happen, are they not aware of the danger of not wearing seatbelts, are they just stupid? My God, seatbelts come as standard equipment, people don’t even have to spend extra money to get them.

Let’s look at all the costs incurred by this accident. First, and foremost was the senseless death of this woman, the loss of future care-giving to the members of her family and the loss of possible future income she could have brought to this family. Next, is the unnecessary suffering of those victims laying in hospital beds right now and the medical expenses now facing this family’s surviving members. Investigators don’t know yet the cause of this accident, maybe, possibly, it was the fault of some other careless driver. There is the financial cost of the emergency responders (police and ambulance), the cleanup crew afterwards, the wasted time to all the other drivers caught in the resulting traffic backup, the use of policemen and ambulance crews that could be somewhere else, the medical personnel at the hospitals who could have been helping other people who were not so stupid.

I chose this story to vent my rage because it involved children under the care of yet another stupid, irresponsible adult. But there are, sadly, so many others.

A few minutes before midnight on Saturday, two Utah County residents died on State Route 189 near Wallsburg in Wasatch County after their SUV slid off the road, hit a signpost and rolled. Martin Gonzalez Sanchez, 24, of Orem, and April Lynn Torres, 15, of Provo, were ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Neither was wearing a seat belt, officials said.

On Saturday in Spanish Fork Canyon, Alice May Olsen, 65, was killed after her car and a semi-trailer truck collided head on. The West Jordan woman had been weaving in and out of traffic before she hit a produce truck from Texas, according to the Utah

Highway Patrol. Authorities believe fatigue was the cause of the 4 p.m. accident. This accident highlights another major problem on our roads. Driving while fatigued. Why did she not just pull into a parking lot and take a nap? Why didn’t she think of this little life saver action? Now she cost her family her presence, she cost the owner of that produce truck part of their livelihood.

How many times are these stories to be repeated across this country? Every day?