Monthly Archives: June 2014

We have come a long way, or have we?

These are some of the funniest road rules floating about the internet. When the first horseless carriages hit the roads these were the driving etiquette they were obliged to follow:

  1. Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes.
  2. Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
  3. Motorized vehicles are not to be sold on Sundays.

Traffic fine

This Saturday whilst trying to do all the tasks that keeps a normal household going, I copped a parking fine. Ok, not happy, but given the fact that I was in the wrong there is not much I can do about that. However this sent me on a quest to find out some firsts and funniest motoring misdemeanours over the years. This is my pick:

  1. The first man convicted of speeding was Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, who on 28 January 1896 was fined for speeding at 8 mph in a 2 mph zone. He was fined 1 shilling plus costs. Five years later, a New York City cab driver named Jacob German was arrested for speeding on May 20, 1899 for driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. He got jail time. But the first man to get an actual paper ticket was Harry Myers for going 12 mph on West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio in 1904.
  2. In May of 2003 in Texas, during the Gumball3000 rally from San Francisco to Miami, a Swedish built Koenigsegg was ticketed for going 272 mph in a 75 mph zone.
  3. Traffic cops in Bergamo in northern Italy pulled a Fiat Punto over after watching it veer from side to side down a busy road. Inside they found a partially naked 70-year-old man behind the wheel and his 59-year-old bride sitting astride him. Ciampini was arrested for dangerous driving

Car stickers

The proliferation of cars I see on the road with the My Family Stickers is my pet hate. However the following are some of the wittiest stickers I had seen over the years.

  1. I saw it. I wanted it. I cried. I got it. (seen on back of Porsche)
  2. Yes it’s fast and no you can’t borrow it
  3. This car is like my husband; if it ain’t yours don’t touch it!
  4. Only milk and juice come in 2 litres (found on a V8)
  5. YES this is my Ute, NO I won’t help you move!
  6. 98% of all Fords are still on the road, the other 2% made it home
  7. FIAT – Fix It Again Tony
  8. LOTUS – Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious
  9. Lord of the Rings (found on an Audi)
  10. Do not over take over turning vehicle