I have driven cars since I turned 16, roughly (*cough* *cough*) years ago and I’ve driven everything from subcompacts to 2-ton delivery vans. (Interesting note – as a temp worker with the US Postal Service years ago, I’ve even driven cars from the “wrong” side of the car!) I’ve had brake failures, blown tires, transmission failures, tie rod breakages, electrical failures, overheats, blown fuses, etc., etc, etc. And yes, I had a carburetor failure that stuck open the gas flow in an old postal vehicle that made it impossible to “let up off the gas.”
I have never had the gas, the brake, and the transmission fail at the same time. And that’s what would have to happen for a car to go runaway with you and you be unable to stop it for miles.
In the 1 case of gas pedal stickage (and it was actually the linkage in the carb that was sticking, truth be told) I stomped on the crappy brakes that those postal jeeps had and they stopped the little beast immediately. I then turned the engine off and put it in park. The grand total time of the event was 15 seconds. In fact, it was probably less since I’m sure it seemed longer than it was.
There have been people die from these events getting a lot of press time, of that I have no doubts, and those deaths are tragic. But every test performed by every agency that has allowed the results to be independently verified has shown that the braking system on virtually every car being sold today can more than easily out-muscle the engine in the car and can bring the vehicle to a stop under the driver’s control. That is assuming, of course, that the driver actually retains the presence of mind to do these things.
Or that the driver actually wants to do these things.
Witness the story of James Sikes of California who, he says, was the victim of a runaway 2008 Toyota Prius. The Prius managed to get up to 90 miles per hour over the course of the event, zipping down I-8 near San Diego, and would not stop with Sikes stomping on the brakes the whole time.
Only, apparently, he didn’t, according to investigators. The brake pads in the car would show it if a 90-mph stop were attempted over that period of time and they don’t. Ergo, he didn’t. In spite of the pleas of the 911-operators to shift the car into neutral so he could make a controlled stop on the side of the road, he didn’t. In spite of the pleas of those same operators to turn off the car, he didn’t. He didn’t shift the car into neutral because, he said, he was afraid it might flip the car over. (Ludicrous.) He also says he didn’t want to take his hands off the wheel. (You know, like he was already doing while he was talking on the phone to the operators.) Micheal Fumento at Forbes goes into far more detail on this and explores the actions of the press who ate up every nugget of this ridiculous spew.
The investigations thus far have shown that the victims of these “runaways” are all older drivers – 55 and up with the vast majority being over 60. Now, if this were really an issue with the cars and not the drivers, the ages of the drivers would be all over the map. They’re not. This isn’t a problem with the vehicle. It’s pilot error. And the press isn’t being very informative about that. The stories do not pass the smell test and I’m suspicious of the press’ lack of interest in getting at the truth.
March 14th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Crime & Punishment, Economy, Human Interest, Politics, Technology, The Media |
no comments
Just a reminder that you should have set your clocks forward an hour today. (Assuming you live in the US and aren’t in just a couple of locations that don’t do this whole Daylight Savings Time thing.)
March 14th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Human Interest |
no comments
Loudoun’s own former Delegate and Senator Bill Mims has been appointed and affirmed as Virgina’s newest Justice of the state’s Supreme Court.
The House of Delegates and Senate today appointed Mims to replace Justice Barbara Keenan, who was appointed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals by the U.S. Senate last week. Mims had been tapped as the leading candidate to take Keenan’s seat before the vote Wednesday.
Mims is only the second Virginian to serve in the General Assembly, as Attorney General and on the Supreme Court. Mims served as Attorney General until January, filling the seat when Bob McDonnell resigned the office to campaign full time for governor. He had served as deputy attorney general under McDonnell and represented Loudoun in the House of Delegates from 1992 to 1997 and the Senate from 1998 to 2005. He became the Deputy Attorney General in January 2006.
Bill Mims lived just 4 doors down from me right here in Sterling while he was our Senator to the General Assembly and a nicer guy you can’t find. He followed his good friend Bob McDonnell down to Richmond in 2006 after McDonnell was elected Attorney General and served as AG himself, as stated above, when McDonnell resigned to pursue the governorship. It’s such a pleasant surprise to see that he was appointed to Virginia’s high court and I’m 100% confident that he’ll do a fantastic job.
Congrats, Bill! I’m looking forward to hearing more about you over these next 12 years that you’ll be on the bench.
(Thanks, much, to The Loudoun Scoop for keeping we Loudouners informed!)
March 11th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Human Interest, Law, Politics, Virginia Politics |
one comment
Gun ownership in the United States is on the rise and that trend has been particularly steep in the past 18 months or so. A large component of that rise consists of women who recognize that the right to self defense requires the knowledge and proper equipment to actually do so when required. Our friends at G3Security Group, Inc. understand that and they want to help make that effort straightforward, focused – and fun! So coming up on Sunday, April 11th they’re offering a Ladies Only Basic Gun Class, as noted over at Ask Miss A.com:
More and more women want to protect themselves. G3Security Group in Sterling, Virginia is having a Ladies Only Basic Gun Class on Sunday, April 11th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. ”The Basics” are classes for beginners, people who have shot before but never received any training, and others who just need a refresher. These classes have around 4-8 people and have alot of personal time with student and instructor. The courses cost $160.00, but mention “Miss A” and only pay $135. Range time and fees are extra and booked at a later date.
Contact Greg Stone at G3Security Group for more details.
March 11th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
2nd Amendment, Human Interest |
one comment
One of our local hospitals has just achieved something pretty spectacular. Reston Hospital Center has been recognized as the top hospital in Virginia by Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Based on select quality of care measures, Reston Hospital Center has earned the highest ranking in the state of Virginia, according to the most recent results from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Quality-In-Sights®: Hospital Incentive Program (Q-HIPSM).
“As the nation’s healthcare system remains under the magnifying glass, Reston Hospital Center is exceeding national standards for quality care and being rewarded for our efforts,” said William Adams, CEO of RHC. “This ranking doesn’t just reflect excellent patient outcomes, but also the cost-savings that come from providing better patient care. This couldn’t have been achieved without the constant commitment of our nurses, physicians and staff to put patients first.”
Excellent work, folks.
March 10th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Human Interest, Medicine |
no comments
The man who was at the controls of US Airways 1549 when both engines failed due to damage from a bird strike, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, has brought his commercial pilot career in for a final landing. Sullenberger flew his final leg yesterday, bringing a 30-year career to a close. It was a routine flight with First Officer Jeff Skiles in the right seat, the same team that brought 1549 to a miraculously safe landing on the waters of the Hudson River over a year ago.
I wish Sully well in his retirement. Thirty years is a long time keeping the shiny side up and the pointy end forward and it’s a matter of public record that no other commercial passenger jet pilot has ever pulled that off landing on water with both engines gone. I’d say that makes this retirement a definite “going out on top” moment. Blue skies and gentle breezes, Captain. Enjoy.
March 4th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Aviation, Human Interest |
no comments
This morning was a little different for me, owing to an event I’m attending tonight. I didn’t head to the computer as soon as I fired up the coffee maker, and that’s why I missed the news this morning of an 8.8 scale earthquake in Chile early this morning.
I believe that’s stronger than the one in Haiti so you’ve got to think the devastation is going to be that much worse. However, Chile’s position along the coast of South America added the possibility of tsunamis in the Pacific. I’m seeing stories of tsunami alerts in Hawaii and evacuation orders for all coastal areas on all of the Hawaiian islands. Based on projections, a tsunami generated by the earthquake will impact Honolulu, Oahu at 4:19 pm eastern time (11:19 am local).
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the citizens of Chile and to those in Hawaii and elsewhere still in danger’s path.
February 27th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Environment, Human Interest |
no comments
I just downloaded the Wordpress On The Go app from the Blackberry App World and I’m giving it a go. Keep the fingers crossed.
February 19th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Blogging, Human Interest, Internet |
no comments
Dr. Phil Jones is one of the leading lights of the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) believers and is a central figure in the Climategate scandal. (Head over to Watts Up With That? and read the copious coverage on the matter over there. Anthony Watts’ work in this area has been invaluable.) In what should be considered a world-shaking event, Dr. Jones has finally admitted what many, many AGW skeptics have been saying for years. Via Instapundit, let’s head over to SonicFrog for some details:
Dr. Phil Jones, the man at the center of the Climategate scandal, has for the first time admitted that the Medieval Warm Period could have been warmer than the present day, flying directly in the face of the stupid Hocleystick Graph that caused so much of the Climate panic in the first place. From the BBC report, titled “Climate data ‘not well organised“:
Read up on the details over there but the crux is that Dr. Jones has admitted that the (ahem) science is not settled on whether or not the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was actually warmer than we are experiencing today. Now, why is that important? The MWP is a time period between roughly 950 AD and 1400 AD where the temperatures were above the 20th century average temp. More importantly, there’s a section of that time period – roughly 1100 AD through 1350 AD – where the temperatures might have been significantly higher than we have experienced over this past couple of decades when people were telling us we’re roasting the planet into oblivion.
This brings up 2 very important and, for AGW believers, uncomfortable questions. If Man’s industrial activity and CO2 emissions are what’s causing global warming to run out of control, then how did the temperatures get higher 600-1000 years ago when no such industry existed? And why is it of absolutely critical importance that we execute economy-crippling changes to reduce the global temperature when we have evidence that the planet not only survived higher temperatures just fine, but that civilization overall benefited greatly?
The premise for these questions rests entirely on a factual assessment of whether the MWP was warmer than we are today. What Dr. Jones is now, belatedly, admitting is that his teams’ fervent assertions that they had settled that debate years ago were wrong. The debate isn’t settled. The science isn’t settled. And, as a result, the 2 questions above remain open, remain legitimate, and remain critical to answer before we go wrecking our economic capacity. Of course, Dr. Jones and his colleagues have made it incredibly difficult to go back and apply actual science to the question of the MWP. They’ve already admitted to having destroyed pertinent data in this debate so I’m a bit skeptical of anything they now assert without some independent corroboration. But the honesty with which Dr. Jones, at least, is returning to the table is encouraging. He needs to understand that his actions over the past decade or so will take time to overcome but it’s moves like this that will help him out. And the rest of us along with him.
February 13th, 2010
Posted by
ricjames |
Environment, Human Interest, Politics, Science |
5 comments
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