On the highway, I typically leave at least 5 car lengths in front of me when driving, I rarely drive next to another car except in passing or in heavy traffic, and speeding does NOT necessarily imply driving aggressively. I am not the kind of person that cuts other off. I signal 3-4 seconds before I act on it and always look over my shoulder before acting on my blinker to make sure it's safe. If someone is 2 lanes over from me, I typically refrain from changing lanes until I'm sufficiently ahead so that I can avoid a collision with them (since most people don't bother looking 2 lanes over). I pay very close attention to the other drivers on the road around me, and because I have been the passenger in so many accidents, I know that assuming others will drive properly or be able to react is what gets people into accidents.

As long as you are paying attention to the road and the others on it, and are not driving faster than you and your car can handle given the weather conditions (this includes reacting to potential accident-causing situations), you will not get into an accident and you wont' get a speeding ticket. Do you know why speed traps are speed traps? It's because you can't see around that bend. Do you know what else could be around that bend? There could be a 10 car pile up that you're about to make an 11 car pile up. Unfortunately, a lot of people just think that speeding means driving faster. Believe it or not, there is a smart way to speed.

A bad speeder will merely drive faster. A smart speeder will take precautions and adjust their driving strategy to take into account that there is less time per distance traveled to react, as well as the car handles differently at different speeds. However, the biggest difference between a smart speeder and a bad speeder is the fact that a smart speeder won't try to speed when it's not safe, particularly in traffic or low-speed zones such as residential areas.

For instance, if you are driving more than 5 miles above the speed limit, you should typically leave at least 5-10 cars of distance between you and the car in front of you. You should look up to 30 seconds ahead of you on the road very frequently (this should really be done anyway, regardless of speeding), you should not be driving next to another car unless you are passing them (again, you should attempt this even when not speeding, but it is more crucial when you are driving faster than others), you should slow down on blind turns, and avoid weaving through traffic if you do not have at least around 4 car lengths of leeway from behind and at least 10 (or more based on speed difference) in front of you in the lane you'll be changing (also obviously pay attention to other people that may be changing into the same lane). The only time I 'weave through traffic' is in very light traffic, where one of the only other drivers on the road is directly in front of me and no one is in the lane next to me for at least 100 yards. While it's possible to weave through heavier traffic, you're really just tempting fate and it'll catch up to you sooner of later.

I personally dislike cruise control. People who use it are more likely to fall asleep or space out as they have less to focus on while driving. They are also almost always slower to react to situations which require changing your speed because their feet tend to be away from pedals in a more comfortable sitting position. Then again, my sample size of people who use cruise control is pretty small, but I did notice that they were consistently slower at reacting to things and would often be staring off at scenery while driving on the highway as opposed to when driving on city streets where they actually used the pedals. I have used Cruise Control a few times on some long car rides when my leg cramps and there isn't a rest spot nearby (so I'm definitely not comfortable using it since my experience is limited), but I definitely prefer having control over the speed I'm going.



Also, I forget who posted about stopping at yellow lights, but I have some info to share about that, as well. Down in San Diego, there were quite a few car accidents that happened from people stopping at yellow lights when I lived down there. A lot of drivers assume that the person in front of them will go through the light, and end up rear ending the person who stopped, which usually results in a 3-4 car pileup. Yellow lights typically last right around 5 seconds, but I've seen some that last different amounts of time, so I'm pretty sure it's specific to what region you live in. What I do for ANY intersection I cross through (even green lights, unless it just turned green), is I begin counting about 100 yards before I get to the intersection. If the light turns yellow before I can count 5 more numbers (which I judge based on how much distance I'm covering each time I count a number) then I will brake, otherwise I go through the intersection. In about 4 of the accidents I have been a passenger in, the cause was someone who slammed on their brakes in at an unexpected time (funnily enough we were able to always stop in time, but we would get rear ended by the people behind us, who were too close).

CO2 has been declared a toxic pollutant?? Well then, we should all try to put an end to the production CO2. I'm going to do my part by holding my breath.
Seriously, I wonder how many well intentioned people are confusing carbon dioxide, CO2, with carbon monoxide, CO.

What is carbon dioxide?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, noncombustible gas that is soluble in water.
Carbon dioxide is found in nature. We exhale CO2 with every breath. Green plants convert carbon dioxide back to oxygen and other components. It is commonly used to carbonate beverages and in the manufacturing of 'dry' ice and fire extinguishers.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a non-irritating, colorless, tasteless, odorless gas only partially soluble in water. It is a flammable gas that is somewhat lighter than air.

Carbon monoxide is a waste product of incomplete combustion of coal, wood, charcoal, natural gas, fuel oil, kerosene, gasoline, fabrics and plastics. It is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the United States.
Carbon monoxide interferes with the blood's ability to carry oxygen. It combines with the hemoglobin of blood 250 times better than oxygen does, thus denying body tissues a sufficient supply of oxygen.

So this is a new one, not even a flake falling yet, and I get the call to leave my bus parked today. Must be one heck of a storm coming. Guess I'll finish the tree today, and wonder all day if I should go buy a generator. I swear I remember walking to school as a kid through as much as, at the very least, 6"-8" of snow. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that about 90% of the kids take the bus to school, and the teachers live all over the place, and not in the convent next door to the school.

Okay never-mind I started this post at 0500, it is now 0900, and we have 6", and it is supposed to snow till at least 4 or 5 oclock this afternoon.

Does every theist believe that God is almighty? Because the paradox 'if God is almighty, can He create a stone that He cannot lift himself?' disproves it.

I still have one rather powerful issue that I am having trouble working through on my own and with friends and it may well require some actual therapy. It is an option for me if I can't do it myself, though I still dislike the idea.

Why does your first post have a button (upper right corner) that is marked "mark as spam"?

What exactly is the definition of god? I searched TFD and this scary-looking page came up.

Is there any fixed definition of god on which theists and atheists both agree?