Assignments Due, 7/22

Assignment 1)

1) Drivers: Stop Waving E-Z Passes
Signs Posted at Toll Booths
POSTED: 7:55 am EDT July 22, 2007
UPDATED: 8:02 am EDT July 22, 2007

DERRY, N.H. -- The state Department of Transportation has a message to turnpike drivers: Stop waving those E-ZPass transponders!
After observing a third of E-ZPass users holding and waving their transponders back and forth, toll plaza attendants posted new signs: "Transponder Waving Causes Violations."
Properly used, E-ZPass transponders are attached to car windshields so they can be electronically read. Drivers who treat transponders like hand-held devices, waving them to and fro as they drive through the tolls, cause a couple of problems, said Transportation Department spokesman Bill Boynton.

First, transponder readers often can't recognize transponders that aren't fixed to a stationary point on a windshield, Boynton said. That means transponder wavers sometimes aren't getting charged as they drive through. Although toll evaders in the cash lane face up to a $144 fine, E-ZPass users who get through without paying only are subject to a $25 administrative fee.
But Boynton said there's a more serious reason not to wave those transponders. That's the second problem: If a driver is holding a transponder in one hand, that means there's only one had on the steering wheel, and that's dangerous.
Linda Cate, a supervisor at the Bedford tolls, says she has even seen drivers stop in the E-ZPass lane, get out of their cars and wave their transponders in the air to try to get a reading.
That's not safe, Cate said.
"They could be hit by a car," she said.
Boynton said he doubts most transponder wavers do it to intentionally avoid paying the toll. Some still haven't got the hang of the program that has only been around for two years; some people don't like the look of transponders attached to their windshields and others just forget to attach them when they buy a new car, he said.
"To guarantee the accuracy of transponder activity, we have to be sure that it is done correctly," Boynton said.
New Hampshire's E-ZPass program has grown to 180,000 accounts since the program began; today more than 50 percent of cars passing through the state's tolls use E-ZPass. New Hampshire collected $80 million in cash and electronic toll payments in 2006.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

1) We talked about these things in class and how they save you time and money. But if people are not using them the right way then they are never going to save any time. People need to just put them in the spot that the manual tells them to. If they don't do that then is there is less chance of it working and then people are not paying for their trips through the tolls.

2) Smart Car Comes To Boston
Smart Car Price Starts At $12,000
POSTED: 5:42 pm EDT June 28, 2007
UPDATED: 6:50 pm EDT June 28, 2007

BOSTON -- The Smart car is coming to America. This weekend, Bostonians will have a chance to test-drive the pint-sized mobile.
"The head room is 4 inches above your head. The car sits high so you will be eye-to-eye with the guy next to you," said Ken Kettenbeil of Smart USA.
NewsCenter 5's Kelley Tuthill reported that there is a lot packed into the 104-inch long car -- a six-disc CD player, two cup holders and an iPod connection in the glove box. The car gets an estimated 40 mpg. The door panels are removable, so owners can easily change the colors.

But can something so small be safe?
"The silver outline is the Triden Safety System -- similar to the roll cage in NASCAR," said Kettenbeil "(The car has) electronic stabilizing, four airbags and anti-lock brakes."
People who have driven the car said it drives pretty well.
"It drives like a regular car. Powerful," said Nick Edraos, who took a test drive.
The small car comes with a relatively small price tag -- starting at $12,000.
"I reserved a cabriolet. No wind noise. I could put the top down while driving. I can't wait to get it," said Debbie Edraos, who took a test drive.
The Smart Fortwo makes its American debut in January.

2) This car is energy efficient and is safe. It is an awesome car for 1 person, and will even fit 2 people, comfortably. It has electronic stabilizing, 4 airbags, and anti-lock brakes. These help this extremely small car stay on the road, and "competing" with other small size sedans. This car also has the electronic equipment that for $12,000 it is practically a steal.

3) Ohio Ambulance Crash Kills 5
(AP) VAN WERT, Ohio An ambulance headed to a hospital was broadsided by a semitrailer at a rural intersection and caught fire Friday night, killing three emergency medical technicians and two patients, the State Highway Patrol said. The patients were being treated for injuries from an earlier car wreck when their ambulance was struck in Crane Township, about 65 miles southwest of Toledo. A fourth Antwerp Emergency Medical Services worker, Matt McDougall, 31, of Antwerp, and the driver of the semitrailer, Gerald Chapman Jr., 54, of Bryant, Ind., were taken to a hospital for treatment, the patrol said. Their conditions were not immediately available. The crash remained under investigation. The ambulance was traveling south on a county road that had stop signs posted for north-south traffic, said patrol Lt. Shawn Davis. No stop signs were posted for the semitrailer heading east, Davis said. Authorities have not said whether the ambulance's emergency sirens and lights were turned on. "It's very sad. Very tragic," Antwerp Village Council President Ronald Farnsworth told The (Toledo) Blade. "Right now, we need all the prayers we can get. Right now we're grieving." Several dozen fire and emergency workers gathered at the village's fire hall with a pastor Friday night. "They aren't in very good shape right now," Farnsworth said. The village planned to arrange for counseling, he said. Killed in the accident were EMS workers Sammy Smith, 64; Heidi McDougall, 31; and Kelly Rager, 25. All were from Antwerp. The patients killed were identified as Robert Wells, 64, and Armelda Wells, 60, both of Hicksville.

3) This article is about an accident that happened when a Semi crashed into an ambulance. The ambulance had 4 EMTs and 2 patients. The 2 patients were being treated for injuries resulting from a car crash earlier that evening. The 2 patients, and 3 of the EMTs were killed in the crash. 1 EMT and the driver of the semi were taken to the hospital for treatment, their conditions were unavailable. This Crash is kind of ironic, because the patients had just survived a crash and had to die in one that was not anywhere near their fault they were just in the wrong car crash at the wrong time. It is kind of scary that the Semi did not stop for the Ambulance, with all of the lights and sirens going they are kind of hard to miss.

Assignment 2)

How to time arrival for a green light:
See light in your target area. See red light as a closed front zone. Check rear zone. Alert rear - Tap brakes. Begin constant braking. Time arrival into open zone. at 10 mph, go or stop. Green light, search intersection at 45 degree angles. If its still a red light stop smoothly.

Assignment 3)

The benefits of keeping a 4 second following distance are space to react if the car in front of you slams on their brakes, and a better view of your surroundings to the front. By having time to react to others actions you reduce your risk of crashing into them, you also take pressure off of yourself and other drivers making your driving a little less stressful and making other drivers happier with you. Having a better view of your surroundings makes it so that you can see when someone is going to pull in front of you or the car in front of you, it also helps you see what is coming up, such as an intersection or some other problem.