The day was rainy, but I wandered around, looking at the various karts people were prepping for the day. I also took a look at the four Lotuses that were calling out to me.

I also came across the place to buy racing fuel.

Eventually, I grabbed a set of flags and a radio and headed out to be a flagger at corner ten. Normally, this would be a simple corner for flagging; just listen on the radio for any full-course flags because the small kink that they call corner ten rarely sees any accidents. But it was raining and getting worse.

Puddles started to form and standing water became a problem. The first race went by with every single driver twitching a bit through my corner. One of them even did a full 90-degree turn one way, then the other, repeating more times that I would have thought possible, but he straightened it out and kept going. The first race ended without any major accidents, but many drivers slid off the course at other corners. We took a break for lunch and then the second race started. The karts were all lay-downs, so they had a much longer wheel base, giving them more stability. Though more drivers went off course than finished, there were no big accidents. Then the rain started to really come down.

The slipping and sliding was worse than in the first race. There were several times where I had the yellow flag in my hand, waiting to wave it over the barrier, but the drivers just barely kept the karts under control. Not long into the race, I saw the craziest accident I have ever witnessed in person.

Coming through the kink, a driver hit some standing water and spun. I had been at the ready, so I immediately called it in and was waving the yellow flag. He spun 180 degrees and his right rear wheel slammed into the wall hard. It broke his axle and the kart continued its spin, simultaneously coming off the ground. The driver flew out of the kart, hitting his head (helmet) on the ground and skidding toward me. This all happened so fast that I was still on the radio. I found myself saying “Bad, bad accident.” We red-flagged (stopped) the race, and the paramedics checked on the driver who was still on the ground on his back.

The paramedics carefully put him on the stretcher and loaded him into the ambulance, and the track was eerily silent other than the menacing sound of rain. I helped get the kart off the track and took a closer look.

The axle, bumper, and other parts were broken. Trucks came around the track to tow back the other karts that had spun and the track remained silent for quite some time. The rain seemed to let up some, but the drivers of the race all agreed that they would just end it there and continue on with the fourth race of the day. Fortunately, in the time that it took to clear the track and get the next group of racers ready, some of the standing water had drained off. The fourth race went as well as could be expected, but the rain picked up.

Each of the flaggers called over the radio, talking about the lakes and rivers that now made up the track. My corner was not looking quite as bad as it had during the third race, but the rain continued to pound down, and track conditions worsened.

The call was made to begin the fifth race, which was set off at a rolling start. The karts all did one lap around the track under yellow flag, which was set up in advance because of the kart classes, but it gave the drivers a chance to see the conditions on the track. When they got the green flag, the radio became a constant buzz of flaggers calling in spinning karts and karts off the track at nearly every corner. Corner ten was getting worse, evident by the twisting and twitching of the karts that flew through. A driver spun but was okay and got his kart out of the way quickly. Another driver wasn’t as lucky.

His kart spun, making contact with the barrier I was standing behind. The nose of his kart scraped along the wall before the kart slide into the middle of the track. I waved the yellow flag vigorously, reaching as far over the barrier as I could. A big group of karts was coming up on the corner, but they saw my flag, slowed down, and each put a hand up to ensure everyone slowed way down. I kept waving the flag and snuck a peek over my shoulder to see that the driver who had had the accident was out of his kart and making it over the barrier. I had to continue waving the flag as more karts were coming down the straight. I didn’t know if they’d be able to see the kart in the middle of the track just after the kink, so my first concern was making sure they all slowed down and no one hit it.

After some more karts went by, I was able to check on the driver who had made it over the barrier. I kept waving the flag as I made my way over to him, and I asked him if he needed medical attention. His answer came slowly, “I don’t know.” I got back on the radio, reporting that I had checked in with him, and I recommended that he get checked out by the paramedics. Once again, our red flags came out, and the final race of the day was stopped.

Fortunately, I found out the next day that both drivers were okay and were released from the hospital the night of the race.

A photographer was at the race, taking many shots; quite a few were looking down the straight, so I was in quite a few as a few black pixels, waving some yellow pixels.

And that’s what a day at the track is like.

Recently, my car battery began to experience a significant electric drain. The battery could be in the 12.5V range when I parked the car, but it would be around 9.5V the next day. Fortunately, I keep extremely good care of my car, so it was actually able to start with that little bit of power (I was impressed!).

Of course, I didn’t want to ignore the drain at that point. I ordered a solar panel, thinking that I could wire it in, and it would keep the battery charged after I had taken care of the drain (so I wouldn’t even have to drive it every week or two, if I didn’t want to). I hooked up the adapter near the driver’s side kick panel, which was quite easy. Then, onto the hard part: dealing with the drain.

My turbo timer was acting up (it would work, but the screen sometimes didn’t turn on), so I removed it and also rerouted the boost controller. I took that opportunity to check for any obvious problems. I suspected that one of my butt connectors might have come off, but I found that every single addition/change to the wiring that I have done in my car was still good. That meant I needed a more methodical approach.

My next bet was that a relay was stuck shorted, so I pulled every relay in the car and checked each one. The “flasher” relay is going bad, but it’s not the source of the electric drain (I did order a replacement for it anyway). Without any obvious signs, I decided I would remove every fuse, checking the circuits one by one and leaving all fuses out. I came across the high current fuses and made one mistake: I assumed that they all pulled out just like every other fuse. Wrong! Two of the five are screwed in.

The picture shows the “sub box” that holds these fuses. I had to remove this box from the main fuse box to get to the screws. Well, I guess I should point out that I didn’t do this the first time. I pulled on one of these two fuses and it came out, but the metal broke inside the little plastic box, and it left the two leads behind. The other one actually shattered in my hand. Most of the pieces flew all over the place, but a nice chunk went into my thumb. I pulled it out quickly and went back to work, moving some relays to make room for the fuses.

When the relays start to feel sticky, I noticed that my thumb was bleeding quite a bit. Oops. I took a break for the day, and my buddy Eric played taxi the next day, so I could pick up some fuse replacements. I pulled the extra high current section of the fuse box out and removed the screws to pull out the remaining leads from the two fuses I broke and replace them with the new ones.

Long story short, I’ve found out that the ECU-B circuit is using as much power as all other electronics in the car put together. Unfortunately, that circuit supplies power to both the air bag and ABS, two things I’d rather not mess with, so I put it off until tomorrow. I disconnected the ECU-B fuse and connected the solar panel. I could actually “see” it trickle-charging the batter via my multimeter, which was a good sign. We’ll see how tomorrow goes….

The worst part about walking to work is dealing with all the cars at intersections. People simply don’t pay attention, so you have to have Spiderman-like senses at times. This morning, mine were a little rusty…

I hit the button and waited for the right to cross. The intersection emptied, and the lights changed, giving me the right of way. Just as I was about to step off the sidewalk and start crossing, I saw someone coming up pretty quickly in an SUV on my left. Since I’ve seen plenty of people just rush right (“free right”) through red lights while only looking left, I held my position. Fortunately, he came to a complete stop, so I started to cross about five or six feet in front of his vehicle.

When midway across the front of his SUV, he started moving. I sped up my walking and looked through the windshield. The man was staring to his left. I put up my arms and clapped twice, thinking he would either see the motion out of the corner of his eyes or hear the sound.

He just came straight at me, so I put my arms down quickly, just in time to let my hands and arms absorb the impact from his hood. I’m not sure if I hopped or if the impact was what pushed me into the air, but I landed a few feet away from where I had been (on my feet, fortunately). The airtime moved me out of the SUV’s path, and the sound of the impact between my hands and his hood seemed to catch the driver’s attention. He looked at me for a fraction of a second before speeding off.

If you see a red small-to-mid-sized SUV (maybe a RAV4?) with a Washington license plate of 521SXN, being driven by an Asian man possibly around 45-50 years of age, watch out. He might run you over.

The snow sure looks beautiful… but it sucks to drive in. If you can avoid I-5 in Whatcom County, I recommend doing so. If not, get some chains and bring a lot of patience. Hopefully the Department of Transportation has cleared up some of it by now, but it was extremely bad last night.

Yesterday, I was driving back from Ocean Shores, Washington with my girlfriend and two cats in the MR2. It’s normally a four hour drive, but it ended up taking close to twelve hours. Around Everett, the snow was coming down strong, but traffic was still moving reasonably well. Once we made it just short of mile marker 240 on I-5 northbound, traffic was completely stopped. It was another 45 minutes before we moved a few feet and then stayed still again.

Eventually, we made it back just a bit before midnight (we had left at noon). The conditions were definitely the worst I have ever seen. Most people were smart, but there were a few idiots. The snow plow came up along the shoulder on the right and moved into the lane just a few cars ahead of us and some guy pulling his 20-30ft trailer was following the plow. When he saw it pull into traffic, he thought he could cut in front of me, so he tried to just force his way into a half-car space… I kept honking and flashing my lights. Everyone else waited patiently in the actual lanes like they should, but this guy thought he could pass by everyone and force his way in. He came an inch or less from hitting my passenger-side mirror.

Pulling into my parking spot was the only point where I actually got stuck. I ended up having to dump a bunch of cat litter on the ground and have my girlfriend attempt to sweep it under the tires as I nudged the car forward. After a few minutes, I made it into the spot, albeit a little crooked.

Around the apartment complex, the snow is 8-15 inches deep depending on where you look. I’m amazed that no large-area power outages have plagued the county. I’m definitely going to avoid driving for a while, especially if the snow continues. Weather forecasts are showing some snow today/tonight and more later this week.

Use the appropriate lane
Unless otherwise noted, the right lane is for the slowest people and the left lane is for the fastest people. You should be as far right as you can be as often as you can be. Before pulling out to pass someone, make sure that you are moving at least as fast as anyone you’ll be pulling out in front of.

Use turn signals
Ever come to an intersection, waiting to take a right but someone is coming from the left… so you wait… and wait… and then they turn down the road you are on? It’s annoying when someone wastes your time, because he or she is too lazy to click on the car’s blinkers. Use your turn signals as a courtesy and as a safety device. You may think it is obvious that you are changing lanes so you don’t need to signal, but other people might not think so. To them, you could be drunk, sleepy, or simply unsafe.

Merge safely and efficiently
Unless it is unsafe to do so, you should be trying to get your car up to highway speed on an onramp. In most cases, you should be merging at the speed everyone else is already traveling. When the roads are fairly busy, merging should be a one-by-one process (the “zipper effect”). Each person in the merging lane should let one person in front.

Don’t be selfish
If your lane ends ahead, change lanes as soon as you are able. Don’t try to wait as long as possible so you can pass a bunch of people, because that often results in dangerous merging and the slowing of traffic. Never change into a closing lane, merging lane, or on/offramp to speed past someone because you think your time is more valuable than everyone who is actually showing patience. Yeah, you’re special, but so is everyone else.

Safe distance
At highway speed, you need at least two or three seconds to safely stop. If you are driving a larger vehicle (e.g., an SUV) or you know you’re a little slow to respond (such as when you are a bit tired), you need more room. Tailgating irritates the person in front of you, which won’t make the highway any safer. The time you lose from having to go slower than you’d like is less than you’d lose for being in an accident, even a minor one.

When it all comes down to it, you basically need to be courteous, be aware, and be patient.

This myth is tied to two others: 1) “If you have a fast car, you’ll drive it too fast” and 2) “Smaller cars are less safe.” Although speed is only one factor in an accident, it seems to be the one cited the most, especially with speed limits. We don’t have “eyes off the road for too long” limits or “paying too much attention to a conversation and not the road” limits. People want to be able to blame accidents on easy things like speed, not on real problems like attention spans, focus, tiredness, or intellect.

Too Fast
Though many owners of sports cars don’t drive at excessive speeds, many do. “Too fast” is relative and we have speed limits that vary for that reason. Too bad they are set at the same level for everyone. If you have had 30 accidents, you’re allowed to travel at the same speed as someone with a pristine record. If you’ve had a DUI and recently recovered your license, you do not have to drive any more carefully than the next person. Personally, I travel extremely slowly in parking lots. I don’t mind stopping and letting someone cross, but there are plenty of people who feel they have the need to do 30 mph in a place that has a visibility of 20 feet, while dashing back and forth through each row of cars hoping to find a close spot (despite that taking a farther spot is often faster and saves fuel).

What if we had license plates with giant borders of certain colors? Green would mean low-risk driver who can do 10 mph above current speed limits. Yellow could be medium-risk and red could mean extreme-risk. Not only would we know who to pay more attention to, but it would place a stigma on DUI’s and bad driving, rather than just ignoring the issue. Nah, can’t do that. People would actually feel bad for risky behavior…

Small Cars
Small cars are less likely to roll over, but the occupants are far more likely to be killed by tank-like SUV’s. Does that sound like too extreme of a word to use to describe SUV’s? Maybe you should consider that a 1996 Lotus Elise weighs 1,500 pounds (720 kg), which is 17% of an H2’s 8,600 pounds (3,900 kg). An M22 Locust weighs 16,000 pounds (7,400 kg). For an H2 to be 17% of the weight of another vehicle, that vehicle would have to be something like an M41 Walker Bulldog tank.

Of course if an M41 and an H2 collided, the H2 would become more of a piece of junk than it already is. The real consideration is accident avoidance. Unless you are a terrible driver, you probably avoid dozens of accidents (if not hundreds or thousands) for every one accident you are in. That means accident avoidance needs to be emphasized, so you have to pay attention to acceleration, handling, and braking.

Compare the car I drive (1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo) to a Ford Explorer or a totally safe H2. The SUV’s tend to have braking distances 50% longer than the MR2 (if the SUV’s were so safe, wouldn’t manufacturers like Hummer make it really easy to find the braking distance ratings?). The acceleration of the SUV’s also tends to be 20-40% slower. I’m sure I don’t have to explain the handling differences.

Ultimately, this just means that an SUV is more likely to hit another vehicle, because it could not stop in time or handle well enough to avoid the accident. Fortunately for the SUV owner, that just means the person who the SUV hits will probably sustain extreme injury, if not die. You don’t have to trust me, just listen to the NHTSA’s evidence that says car occupants hit by an SUV are six times more likely to die than if hit by another car.

Conclusion
Sports cars are not inherently unsafe. Drivers who are unaware of the limits of their vehicles are unsafe. At 60 mph (96.6 kph) you are traveling at 88 feet per second (26.8 meters per second). Many people (especially those in SUV’s, from what I’ve noticed) don’t pay attention to the already inadequate “2-second rule.” It’s generally assumed that a distance of two seconds is safe, but it isn’t. Two seconds would be 176 feet (53.6 meters), but most SUV’s take more than 150 feet (45.7 meters) to stop from 60 mph. If you subtract half of a second for reaction time, you end up with 132 feet (40 meters). That’s enough distance for an MR2 to stop, but not for an SUV (especially if you are hauling anything, your brakes aren’t in perfect condition, or if the road is wet).

Sports cars are far more able to avoid accidents than SUV’s, which tend to be considered safe (despite high roll-over frequency). Saying that a sports car is unsafe is really telling people you are either uneducated or you are doubting the ability of the sports car’s driver. It’s probably a good idea to specify which of those you really mean to say.

These calculations are going to be based on a vehicle undergoing regular maintenance for 120K miles (including the maintenance that would be “due” at 120K) over eight years. This will not include any mechanical problems (i.e., something breaks and has to be fixed).

Fuel
Even this calculation is a bit tough. Prices here are far higher than in other states, so I am using the current US Average of $2.22 per gallon. The EPA estimates the average fuel economy for light duty vehicles is 21 mpg this year. Using this data, the total fuel cost for 120K miles is $12,685.71.

Maintenance
Regular maintenance for a vehicle includes oil, filters, spark plugs, fluids, etc. Based on normal manufacturer recommendations, I took the number of times each type of maintenance would be required during the 120K miles and multiplied that by an average cost for that maintenance. For instance, oil changes (including filter) can vary from $20-75, so I took $35 as the average and assumed a 3K mile interval. That means oil changes alone cost $1400.

Some maintenance is specific (like the 60K interval), but other types are not (such as wear components like brakes). For components that are replaced based on wear, I tried to make reasonable assumptions (for instance, with the brakes I assumed front and rear pads were replaced at 60K and the rotors didn’t need replacement or machining). When in doubt, I went with the smaller dollar figures. The total (including the oil changes) came to $4500.

Initial Cost
Just like the other costs, there’s no easy answer to this one. I’ll show the calculations without the cost of the car itself and with the purchase of a $25,000 car. Since you still own the car at 120K, I figure it makes sense to subtract what it could be worth at that time ($5,500) from the initial cost. That results in a loss of $19,500 from the vehicle itself.

Other Costs
The only other cost I added was insurance, assuming a $100 monthly policy ($9600 total). Of course, that varies wildly depending on your record, type of car, etc. Other costs that I didn’t add but might be worth considering are tolls, parking fees, car washes, tickets, accidents (deductibles), towing, and modifications (performance, speakers, etc.).

Results
$12,685.71 + $4500 + $19,500 + $9600 = $46,285.71 or $0.39 per mile.
Without the car cost, that comes to $26,785.71 or $0.22 per mile.

If you drive 60 miles per hour, that’s a cost of $23.4 (or $13.2) for one hour of driving.
If you really want to scare yourself, figure this from age 18 to age 66 and you have six times the previous results ($277,714.26 and $160,714.26 respectively for a lifetime of driving expenses). This really illustrates the need for quality public transportation and the need to move away from oil/gas (not just from fuel expenses, but because of the underlying costs for infrastructure).

For a nation of 300 million, the first figure gives a cost of 83,314,278,000,000 for the lifetime expense of driving. That’s right, driving will cost the United States 83 trillion dollars. I really wonder how people can argue that the government shouldn’t be concerned with providing public transportation or regulating vehicles (such as fuel economy requirements)…

Saving Money
The best way to save money is to avoid driving when possible and perform your own maintenance. It’s actually a lot easier than it looks. Some modifications will actually improve your fuel economy (such as larger, lightweight wheels that allow tires with a thinner sidewall, reducing drag), but the best improvement is a good driving habit. Don’t gun it from light to light. Don’t wait until the last second to stop. Shift when appropriate. If you can avoid a short trip, do so. Short trips cause more wear per mile than longer trips because of the time it takes for the engine to warm up. If you can avoid buying a new car, do so. It will save you a lot in terms of interest and depreciation.

Dear Mr. SUV driver:

Please accept my apologies for not letting you merge into my lane this morning after you tried to get around a line of cars by using the blocked off construction lane. I know your gigantic Suburban is better than my little girly car and can handle that bumpy, stripped road, and that you could have taken off the front end of my MR2 for not letting you in, but see, here’s my theory: you already take up too much.

• You take up too much of the road. I know, the lanes should be wider to accommodate you, but they aren’t yet. You take up the entire lane from left to right, and if that isn’t enough, you usually don’t pay attention to your driving, so you take up even more by drifting over at me. Or, you are tailgating me at 80 MPH on the highway to make you move out of your way. So you pretty much already get the majority of the road.
• You take up too much parking space. Your long ass car hangs out into the driving lane. You take forever to park because you can’t maneuver your battleship into the space, even if you are conscientious enough to care that you are parked between the lines, or close to the curb, which isn’t the norm. So, you usually take up more than your share of parking spaces by parking like ____. But hey, you are special, and you’ll “only be a minute”. I should be more patient.
• You take up too much of my line of vision. I can’t see around you to see if I can make a left turn; I can’t see around you to see if I should pull into traffic. I can’t see the road ahead of me for your big ass. I’m usually stuck reading the stupid stickers you put on that gaudy monstrosity to announce your alliances. I know I should care about New Trier, or the fact that you are proud of your University of Dayton alumni status, but I really don’t.
• You take up too much gas. I know it’s your right if you can afford to pay for it, but I can’t help feeling sorry for those mothers who are paying for your gas addiction with their sons. I’ll try harder to get over it.
• You take up too much air. I know your SUV is officially categorized by the government as a truck so you don’t have to adhere to regular emissions standards, but it’s my ozone too. And I’d like a few days of summer to be less than 100 degrees, I still like snow in the winter, but hey, I’m selfish that way.
• You take up too much velocity. When you hit me doing your 50 mph, there is no doubt I will die because your two tons of metal will not be slowed significantly by my two-seater. I guess I should be grateful that I will go quickly, if not painlessly.
• You take up too many cell phone minutes. Is there some secret SUV club that I am not aware of? Because you are all, always, on your cell phones.

So, Mr. or Ms. SUV driver, if you see me in my little MR2, know that I’m sorry that I don’t let you cut into traffic after driving around those waiting in line. I’m sorry I don’t give you the option at a 4 way stop. I’m sorry if I don’t move out of your way immediately on the highway when you tailgate. I’m sorry I’m not more courteous, because, to me, just the fact that you are driving that thing without a legitimate reason makes you a selfish bastard.

Your first car is a status symbol and a marker showing that you are heading toward being completely self-reliant. Cars mean a lot in the U.S. and that’s why so many people are unwilling to give them up. Unfortunately, that means many people ignore the true cost of driving and head straight toward the biggest vehicle they can afford. Never mind that it is terrible for the environment. Never mind that it is less fuel-efficient than many vehicles were 30 years ago. Never mind that it isn’t practical. And sure-as-hell never mind that you are more likely to kill another driver when driving a larger vehicle. Besides, that person didn’t spend an extra $10,000 to look more important.

People are so focused on their sense of individualism that they don’t see the big picture. They want to be somewhere and they want to be there now! That means hopping in a vehicle and heading that way, not waiting five minutes for a bus. Unfortunately, that means there are a lot more people on the roads, creating worse traffic conditions and ultimately slowing everyone down. Consider that a 40′ bus can generally hold around 50 people (and often many more). Since the Cadillac Escalade site is terrible, I decided to go with the Ford Explorer (Exploder) as a comparison. The Exploder is approximately 16′ long and can carry a maximum of seven passengers. That means if you fit them bumper to bumper for the length of the bus, they could carry about 17 people and that’s assuming that the drivers need absolutely no space between vehicles when driving. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t think busses are the best answer to public transportation, just the easiest comparison.

All that being said, I should finally proceed to the real reason that people don’t like public transportation: people. That’s right, people don’t like to ride the bus because that puts them right next to a drunk, homeless man who rambles the entire time or next to a person for whom hygiene-challenged would be an understatement. It not only makes you feel less classy because you aren’t pimpin’ your SUV, but you’re being bombarded by stench and slurs.

Until our country can come up with a way to clean these people, large-scale public transportation just isn’t going to happen. Fortunately, our hard-working government is already taking care of this. The thought is that by letting companies pollute huge amounts we will create more acid rain, which will eventually be strong enough and continuous enough to ensure we never smell these people again! Melt the dirt (and faces) away! It will be like bleach from the heavens and proof that God wants us to be clean.