Does bad spelling equal bad driving???

OK, now here's a new one....maybe people can't drive because other people can't spell. You are probably asking yourself what does he mean by that? Well take a close look at the automated road signed advising people of road construction ahead. The sign reads "Use Alternet Route"

So does "Alternet" route have any relation to “Internet?” Maybe it is telling people they should change there Internet provider.

These Construction Masterminds decided to change the spelling of the word so it would fit on the sign. Yes, most people will probably get the gist of the message. But why didn't these so called "Traffic Engineers" go with the common abbreviation "ALT."? I have no idea. Either they honestly have no idea how to properly spell the word...which is supposed to be spelled: "Alternate"

What better excuse can these crazy drives have than saying...'well the sign said use Alternet'....so I was trying to call my Internet provided on my Cell phone while driving down the street.

Just thought this was a funny sign and wanted to share it with everyone.

Safe driving!
-Vladimir

Cell phone use when driving: Federal research cover-up

The New York Times reports today that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) withheld research from 2003 indicating that using a hands-free device while driving provided only a “negligible” safety benefit compared with using a hand-held cell phone.

According to interviews with key players, the research was withheld to avoid “antagonizing” Congress and, “to a much smaller degree,” the cell phone industry. You can view the full 266 pages of NHTSA’s report, finally released today, here.

The breaking news story came three days after NYTimes.com hosted a Room for Debate forum, querying panelists, “Should cell phone use by drivers be illegal?” Weighing in was Consumer Reports’ own David Champion. While banning all cell-phone use outright “is probably an impractical solution” he wrote, “the best solution in the near term is to warn drivers with public service announcements of the risks involved with cell phone use and make the punishment for crashes caused by cell phone use extremely high.”

What’s your reaction to the news of the NHTSA report? Do you think talking on a cell phone adversely impairs your ability to drive? —Vladimir M. Lavenko

Do we drive better than the Russian's?

OK...so it's just not us Americans that have forgotten how to drive! Here is a story from the BBC about the spike in recent road deaths in Russia. Take a special not of the reports sitting Cell (Mobile) phone use, as well as speed and alcohol as being attributed to the rise. People need to learn that vehicles are basically weapons, 2 tons of metal moving at high rates of speed. The U.S. Navy compares the firing of its "Big Guns" from the battle ships as shooting a VW Bug at high speed some 20 miles from the ship. Ok...the velocity is less in a car traveling on the roads...but most cars are also much heavier than the old VW Bugs. Please read this story and think to yourself...how much different are we Americans in comparison to our Russia counterparts?

Russian car crash spate kills 100
By Daniel Fisher
BBC News, Moscow

Vladimir Putin treasures his 1956 Volga - but his country's roads are perilous
A spate of serious road accidents across Russia has killed more than 100 people - leading the government to blame "systemic" road problems.

Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev blamed criminal negligence and a road culture lacking basic driving skills.

He admitted Russian roads are bad, infrastructure is weak and drivers often chat on their mobile phones at high speed or drive while drunk.

Over 10,000 people died on Russian roads in 2009 - Europe's highest toll.

In the last week a drunk driver in Perm hit a pregnant woman and child in a car-park, killing them both.

In Novosibirsk, central Russia, a passenger bus overturned, killing eight and injuring 30.

Day of mourning

Police are investigating reports that the driver was either asleep or on his mobile phone.

Meanwhile a day of mourning was declared in Rostov after a bus hit a tanker killing 21 people.

The Russian government has made earnest attempts to combat bad driving - including employing legions of traffic police with stop and search powers.

But Mr Nurgaliev admitted most drivers in Russia still think they can break the law and get away with it.

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