Tag Archives: automoblies

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Speeding Tickets

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Speed radar cameras are used in the city of Edmonton, in fact throughout the Province of Alberta.  This is a very efficient method of collecting money for goverment coffers in the form of fines.

The ticket is issued to the vehicle owner, not the driver, usually at least 2 weeks after the occurance.  Not surprisingly the camera locations are typically at the bottom of hills or zones where speed is reduced (construction, school ,etc).

My Interpretation

This very efficient method for identifying and billing speeders targeted at relatively safe locations, but good places to catch people, and is nothing more than a tax grab.  A way to raise revenue.

For me the fact it does not target the driver, nor dangerous areas are the key clues in my analysis.  Most telling though is the fact it comes weeks after the occurance at which point you just grumble, pay the tarrif and get on with life.

The Safety Argument

Dangerous driving results from throwing caution to the wind, not paying attention and believing it can never happen to me.

Being aware of your surrondings at all time, ready to take defensive manuvers and driving at a speed conmensurate with weather, road and traffic conditions constitutes save driving.

If you want to collect money efficiently, radar cameras are definitely the way to go.  If you want to make the roads safer you need to target dangerous driving practices.

Weaving in and out of traffic lanes, tailgating, not paying attention to your surroundings are the key contributors to accidents.  Even where speed was a factor, most often the ultimate cause is the drivers skill.

An interesting fact.

I have been driving for 44 years.  Of these 37 years were in jurisdictions other than Alberta.  I had one speeding ticket and one traffic accident (not related) in all that time.

Driving in Alberta for 7 years My vehicles have had 10 photo radar tickets (no accidents), remember anyone could have been driving.  Alberta’s system is not about road safety, it is just a tax.

Frankly I would rather pay Provincial sales tax for the revenue (like they do in other Provinces) and target traffic enforcement on the real dangerous drivers.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

The success formula

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Building on yesterday’s post I had a few interesting conversations today about achieving fame and fortune.

Yesterday’s topic focused on a very talented musical artist named Rodriquez who had little to no recognition in his home country – America – but achieved great renown in South Africa and Australia, without really trying.

Whether the achievement is in the field of business (seeking the CEO job) ,  entertainment (stardom) , sports (winning consistently) or some other endeavor the key variables to success are probably some mix of the following:

  • Talent/ skill –  I think this should be the price of entry although I can think of some who are highly recognized but I personally would question their skill/talent.
  • Right place/ right time – Opportunity is not always of your making although seizing it probably is to some extent.  I am reminded of the story of musician Mick Taylor whom had a long and prosperous career including a stint as lead guitarist with the Rolling Stones.  His start in music is said to have been initiated at a John Mayall and the Blues Breakers concert Mick attended when he was sixteen.   Well known guitarist Eric Clapton did not show up and at the break Mick asked John Mayall if he could sit in for Eric.  He did and this led to a stint with John Mayall’s band and subsequently he replaced Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones (John’s recommendation helped with this).   Mick left the Rolling Stones after five years, he quit, they wanted him to stay.  If Mick had not seized the opportunity that presented itself at the Blues Breakers concert who knows if any of his subsequent fame would have been achieved.
  • Luck – For me this variable is out of your control.  Sometimes you win the lottery, sometimes you don’t.
  • Ambition – if you don’t want to succeed, you probably won’t  (actually I think this was the issue for the musician Rodriguez based on what I read about him).

And so the Witches brew is Set

With the right combination of talent, opportunity, luck and motivation the world is your oyster.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Tesla Electric Vehicles (EV)

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One of the largest markets for refined oil is automobile gasoline.  Electric cars will reduce that market.  I do note that some electricity is produced using oil products, so more electricity use could increase oil demand somewhat.

All in all though, it’s obvious electric cars will have a strong impact on demand for refined oil.  For me, the key question is when will  electric vehicles (EV) fully replace those based on internal combustion?  Will this occur before oil supplies are exhausted, or just around the time they are running out or will the drive to electric be linked to the depletion of oil supplies.  That is, when there is no more gas will people flock to EV’s.  Or, will people flock to EV’s before gas supplies are an issue.

Of course, planes, ships, trains, power plants and a number of other things use gas so even if automobiles completely switch to electricity there will continue to be a demand for fossil fuels (just very reduced).

Overtime replacements for these other uses of oil will appear (e.g., methods to produce heat and power through renewable energy sources are already being promoted as replacements for fossil fuels)

Is past behavior a predictor of the future?

The opportunity to switch from internal combustion automobiles to electric vehicles has both existed and been practical and viable since the nineteen seventies.  Yet, on the whole, the populations of the earth have chosen not to switch.  This behavior predicts that switching will neither be fast nor occur without some strong motivation (e.g., no more oil or refined oil products are no longer affordable).

Ecology or Supply

It is quite interesting that the fact that using fossil fuels is proven to damage our environments has not caused us to stop using them.   I postulate one of the key reasons for this is immediate impact.  The reality is the boiling frog analogy is quite accurate.   In this example,  if you put a frog in a pot of water and start to boil it, the frog will remain in boiling water until it is unable to escape.  When  the danger is realized, it is too late.

In the case of the human race, the capability to adapt and recover (human resiliency) has been proven throughout the past centuries to be very real.   That is, a flood or earthquake or volcanic eruption are taken in stride, the populations react, recover and move on.   Will this be true for the overall ecology of the planet remains to be seen.  I will probably be dead before then and so it’s hard to get motivated.

The Economic Dilema

I will close this post with the other key factor around the switch to electric vehicles.  Much of our current economies (world wide) are dependent on acquisition and refining of fossil fuels and building and maintaining of internal combustion vehicles.   Can we switch to electric vehicles without a massive economic turmoil?