Tag Archives: car

Tinted Windows – The Inside Perspective

I wrote in the past about my dislike for tinted windows. So far I only had the perspective of another driver. Tinted windows don’t allow me to look through the rear of windows of cars driving in front of me, thus preventing me from observing the traffic ahead which can give you additional warning and therefore more time to react, i.e., tinted windows make the road less safe for other drivers.

In the past I argued that they also make it less safe for drivers of such vehicles, but I was only speculating about that.

No more, I had the pleasure of a Jeep Grand Cherokee rental car for the last week and drove it at night several times.

All windows except the driver, passenger, and front are tinted. And not even as dark as some cars you see on the road these days.

Rear vision at night on the street is noticeably impaired. Looking over my shoulder when changing lanes on the highway all I see is black. And trying to backup in a dark parking lot I might as well close my eyes, I’d see not much less.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to have my side windows tinted. I cannot understand why this is legal. Now having driven myself with tinted windows I am shocked that lawmakes allow such a gross impairment to everybody’s road safety.

Little Known facts About On-Ramps

The final straight section of on-ramps, just where or before where you merge with traffic on the highway is also known as the acceleration lane. You can read more about it here at the Federal Highway Administration Website. Continue reading

Saving on Washer Fluid

It’s winter again, we’ve had out first two snow storms, so it’s the time of year when I use plenty of washer fluid. To my dismay, prices have gone up quite a bit recently. Last year I was able to buy a gallon for about 95 cents, this year, the cheapest I can find is $1.4 and many other places over $2.. Not much you might say, but when there’s a lot of salt and dirt on the road, I can run through a whole gallon is less than two weeks. That adds up quickly. What to do? Continue reading

Left Turns Cost Time and Gas

This short NYT article points out a nice piece of optimization at work to save money and at the same be more environmentally friendly. Well done!