If cars were more like planes

[SkyHog]

I was thinking on the way to work today how much it would suck if our cars followed the same crap our planes do. Heres a list of what it'd be like:

• If you blow a tire on the road, you are not allowed to replace it
• You need special permission to drive into or through many cities
• Before starting your car, you'd need to inspect it thoroughly
• Making a single, small mistake could mean you lose your license for 30 days or longer
• Making a slightly larger mistake could mean you'll never drive again
• You would need to get medically certified to drive at least ever 3 years
• Every 2 years, you'd have to have a driving instructor show you that you can still drive
• The DMV would randomly check your vehicle for any discrepencies
• You have to drive your car at night before you can carry a passenger at night
• Your engine would only be good for a few years, max.
• You would most likely fill your gas tank before every drive
• People on bicycles would constantly fight to take away your right to drive
• X's on driveways, anyone?
• If you buy a new car and something is recalled, it is your responsibility, not the car manufacturer
• New cars, which costs about $5-7K to make, would suddenly be sold for over $100K, and no one would think its wrong
• You need a special permission to drive cars with big engines
• Highways in Chicago are for Truckers only, don't ask for permission, you're not getting it

Those are off the top of my head.

 

[Bill]

• Before starting your car, you'd need to inspect it thoroughly
• Every 2 years, you'd have to have a driving instructor show you that you can still drive
• The DMV would randomly check your vehicle for any discrepencies

Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing those three applied to driving. I always give my MC a walk around. Once found final drive gear lube leaking out of the drain plug, running down on and around the tire. Would have made for a slippery moment. Idiot dealer service had only tightened the drain plug finger tight. Argh.

 

[wsuffa]

I was thinking on the way to work today how much it would suck if our cars followed the same crap our planes do. Heres a list of what it'd be like:

• If you blow a tire on the road, you are not allowed to replace it
• You need special permission to drive into or through many cities
• Before starting your car, you'd need to inspect it thoroughly
• Making a single, small mistake could mean you lose your license for 30 days or longer
• Making a slightly larger mistake could mean you'll never drive again
• You would need to get medically certified to drive at least ever 3 years
• Every 2 years, you'd have to have a driving instructor show you that you can still drive
• The DMV would randomly check your vehicle for any discrepencies
• You have to drive your car at night before you can carry a passenger at night
• Your engine would only be good for a few years, max.
• You would most likely fill your gas tank before every drive
• People on bicycles would constantly fight to take away your right to drive
• X's on driveways, anyone?
• If you buy a new car and something is recalled, it is your responsibility, not the car manufacturer
• New cars, which costs about $5-7K to make, would suddenly be sold for over $100K, and no one would think its wrong
• You need a special permission to drive cars with big engines
• Highways in Chicago are for Truckers only, don't ask for permission, you're not getting it

Those are off the top of my head.

Several of those things are either 1) already in the "car" world, or 2) not strictly correct. For example, you (as pilot/operator) can change the tire on a plane. Making mistakes can cost your driving licence for 30-days (or revocation for big stuff), although fines are more common. Some states have annual inspections for vehicles, and "random" stops by police officers for obvious mechanical violations (muffler, burnt out lights, etc). And (having just dealt with HOV lanes), in some cities certain roads or lanes are off-limits unless you have a certain number of passengers.

 

[Ken Ibold]

* You could drive most roadways in whatever direction you wanted.
* You could not drive when it was foggy or storming.
* Insurance would not be required.
* Racing would simply be called "formation".

 

[SkyHog]

Several of those things are either 1) already in the "car" world, or 2) not strictly correct. For example, you (as pilot/operator) can change the tire on a plane. Making mistakes can cost your driving licence for 30-days (or revocation for big stuff), although fines are more common. Some states have annual inspections for vehicles, and "random" stops by police officers for obvious mechanical violations (muffler, burnt out lights, etc). And (having just dealt with HOV lanes), in some cities certain roads or lanes are off-limits unless you have a certain number of passengers.

While you clearly missed the point of the thread, correct me if I'm wrong in saying that you can only replace the tire if its preventative maintenance, not after blowing out the tire, right?

Name one MINOR mistake that can cost your drivers license for 30 days. Name another SLIGHTLY more major mistake that can cost your license for life.

* You could drive most roadways in whatever direction you wanted.
* You could not drive when it was foggy or storming.
* Insurance would not be required.
* Racing would simply be called "formation".

edit: finally, someone willing to play along! I like those!

 

[wsuffa]

While you clearly missed the point of the thread, correct me if I'm wrong in saying that you can only replace the tire if its preventative maintenance, not after blowing out the tire, right?

Wrong. There is nothing that says preventative maintenance cannot replace a defective part (as long as the function is on the list). If I have a bad spark plug, I can replace it. Same with missing safety wire. The rules just say you can replace it, no justification for why.

Name one MINOR mistake that can cost your drivers license for 30 days.

It all hinges on what the meaning of "minor" is. In some small towns, speeding can land you in jail. In some places, driving across somebody's lawn can land you in court, or a possible suspension (think reckless driving). In many states a first DUI can create a 30 day (or longer) suspension - with revocation for repeat offense.

At least with aviation, we have one, uniform set of operating rules regardless of local jurisdiction.

 

[AuntPeggy]

• You can't park in your own driveway.
• You can't drive near certain neighborhoods.
• You can't drive through the park.

 

[The Old Man]

Some states have annual inspections for vehicles,

Which are largely a joke in this context. Pre-flight, pre-start and pre-takeoff are much more comprehensive than the "annual" inspection in Texas (even if you live in/near a metropolitan area and have an emissions test). And they are done, hopefully, by a more knowledgeable person than the kid at your local Jiffy Lube.

I would bet that few if any cars ever get an inspection comparable to any legal annual.

 

[gkainz]

automotice annual inspections, smog inspections, et al - all legislated pork barrel rip off the public to make a contractor who has a brother in law in state government rich schemes ... but hey, that's just my opinion

 

[Matthew]

* open containers of alcohol OK
* 17 yr olds could rent a car and drive away
* black Suburbans would pull you over if you got too close to DC
* they'd need autopilots!
* fiddling with the radio would be encouraged
* for many, the "I Follow Roads" method of navigation wouldn't change

 

[gismo]

Tweaking Kens ideas:

* You could drive most roadways in whatever direction you wanted, and with an approved GPS you could drive "off road".

* You could not drive when it was foggy or storming (without special training).

* Insurance would not be required, but would cost several thousand dollars and would be void if your tabs were expired or the floor mats were missing.

* Tailgating would simply be called "formation".

And to add a few:

* Driving near the nations capital would require that you be fingerprinted and display a discrete code in your rear window.

* Duh Mare would want to eliminate all cars in Chicago except his own.

* Cars would have to be equipped for DIKI (driving in known icing) with special tires and wipers in order to drive when it was near or below freezing and the humidity was high.

* It would be standard practice to crawl under the car and take a fuel sample from several locations. Many states would enact laws making it illegal to dump these samples on the road but the laws wouldn't be enforced except at gas stations and driver training facilities.

* You would be required to carry current AAA maps for cross country trips.

* If you car-pooled you would only be allowed to charge your passengers their pro-rata share of your direct costs for the trip unless you had a "taxi-driver" license.

* Cars would last virtually forever unless they were totaled in a crash and their value would increase once they were at least 10 years old.

* You couldn't add a radar detector without a mechanic's signoff and filing a form.

* You could lose your driving privileges for loading the car with more weight in people and baggage than the MGW sticker allowed.

* It would be legal for an infant to ride in a car while being held in an adult's lap.

 

[Bob Bement]

I content that there is not a " minor" traffic law. They all can get you or someone elese killed. I taught Driver education for 26 years and I tried to make students understand this idea. I saw a little speed contest end in a 14 year old girl getting killed.

 

[Ken Ibold]

If cars were more like planes ...

 

[rmciottijr]

*You would pay 60.00/hr for your mechanic and not 90.00 like you do for current auto mechanics.

*Carb heat installed on older cars.

*Approved GPS with current database (The way construction is around here the update would cost more then the unit installed)

*SMOH 1800 hr

 

[tonycondon]

- teenage kids would be the driving instructors
- many many many people would be walking
- bicycles would have weight limits and maximum speeds, but still be generally looked upon as fun but dangerous. many would be illegally modified.

 

[Bill]

Most older non-injected cars DID have carb heat. Remember that old black pleated hose that ran from the exhaust manifold to the air intake snorkel on the air cleaner on old V-8's? THAT was the carb heat. It was automatically controlled by a temp sensor and a vacuum actuated flapper valve.

 

[rmciottijr]

Most older non-injected cars DID have carb heat. Remember that old black pleated hose that ran from the exhaust manifold to the air intake snorkel on the air cleaner on old V-8's? THAT was the carb heat. It was automatically controlled by a temp sensor and a vacuum actuated flapper valve.

Oh yea the cheap hose that ripped all the time.

 

[Chache]

Oh yea the cheap hose that ripped all the time.

*But it wouldn't be cheap anymore....
*It would have to meet Federal standards for High operating temperature enclosure...... STC compliant now...

*You couldn't use eBay, or your buddies old junker car for a parts source

*The local junk yard would go out of business... except those selling parts labelled "Collectors only--- NOT FOR DRIVING"

*After a crunch, the body shop would charge you $7,375.37 for a fender repaint.

*Fenders would have a life limit, and need to be replaced because of it...

*All car interiors compartments would have to be corrosion protected

*Gas tanks would have to be "sealed"

*You'd need to file a form and have a licensed mechanic install that spiffy new "Chain " steering wheel that's all the rage, then sign the cars logbook that it had been changed.... ( as if no one could tell)

* You'd have to put the heavy people in the front seat whether or not they preferred it to balance the usable load.

*Tow trucks would have to have made at least 3 tows in the past 90 days before they could tow you from the highway, and if at night, those tows would have to be made to a full stop...

*Drivers, and owners, would be encouraged to join " A. O. D. A "
Automobile Owners and Drivers Assoc, and take safety lessons online...
i.e.
_ _ Highway incursions, and avoiding them
_ _ Driving in Ice, and snow
_ _ Map reading
_ _ Advanced map reading
_ _ Advanced map reading at night
_ _ Talking like a pro to RTC (Road Traffic Control)

* have to keep a 2 mile separation between cars in fog and get "Drive Shadowing" .....if they aren't too busy...

* They'd need to call before Leaving their driveway,

*Have to be IR and file a "Drive plan" if venturing out into IMC

* They'd get to participate in the "Wheels" program, and with enough earned points,
avoid going to a safety seminar, for their BDR ( Biennial Drivers Review )

* A minor collision that damaged your radiator, would require a tear down of the engine, if the fan was damaged

* You'd pay the drivers testing examiner $400.00 (in advance) for riding along with you..

This is such fun!!!

 

[Richard]

*Tow trucks would have to have made at least 3 tows in the past 90 days before they could tow you from the highway, and if at night, those tows would have to be made to a full stop...

That right there is funny.


A driver may not hold out or make offer to give a ride to another person, unless giving the ride is incidental to the furtherance of business and/or the ride is to a place of the driver's original destination. The driver may not pick up a rider or drop off the rider except at the points of original debarkation or destination.

 

[woodstock]

Ken, did you say insurance isn't required? did I miss something? how did they get that by? cars are more likely to sustain accidents but a plane accident could be spectacular. do they expect the estate of the person or the plane manufacturer to shoulder the costs?

 

[SkyHog]

Ken, did you say insurance isn't required? did I miss something? how did they get that by? cars are more likely to sustain accidents but a plane accident could be spectacular. do they expect the estate of the person or the plane manufacturer to shoulder the costs?

This is one big thing that aviation does right that automobiles do not. I spend more money in insurance every year than I would ever spend on one accident, so why should the government require that I continue to spend money on a losing endeavor? I'd rather just pay for the damages that occur should they be my fault.

I think some states do require airplane insurance, but I don't know for sure which ones do.

 

[woodstock]

Nick, the problem is, not everyone can pay for the damages they cause. If someone in a beater hits a guy in an S600 - da ya think the beater-guy is going to be able to afford to buy Benz-guy a new car? nupe. (actually beater-guy likely has the absolute mins on insurance anyway - 25K property damage, in which case it's not going to help much anyway).

insurance unfortunately is a necessary evil. and evil it is...

let's even swap places here. beater guy could care less, he's judgment proof either way.

but let's say someone is worth a million plus. for whatever reason they don't have insurance and they cause the same damage as above. they don't get to walk away, they have deep pockets and you can bet they will be emptied. (another reason why folks with more money insure themselves up the wazoo).

the poor bloke could care less and in fact it's to his benefit not to spend what little money he has on insurance. he might NOT get into an accident so why spend 1000 bucks a year on something that may never happen - especially if it were to happen, he still isn't going to have to pay for it. because he cannot.

this only contemplates property damage, not injuries, too.

 

[woodstock]

though I agree with one point - I have spent far far more on insurance over the years than any accident I've ever been in. I could easily buy a whole new car on what I've spent on insurance.

 

[SkyHog]

Nick, the problem is, not everyone can pay for the damages they cause.

Those people would be the ones that would opt for insurance. Those people also include myself.[/QUOTE]

 

[woodstock]

Those people would be the ones that would opt for insurance. Those people also include myself.

[/QUOTE]

actually I think rich folks have much more of a reason to want to be heavily insured. far far far more to lose. and insurance is a tiny fraction of their salary/net worth.

 

[silver-eagle]

Nick, the problem is, not everyone can pay for the damages they cause. If someone in a beater hits a guy in an S600 - da ya think the beater-guy is going to be able to afford to buy Benz-guy a new car? nupe. .... S N I P ...

For years, Rhode Island did not require auto insurance and I was the guy who got clocked by the beater. I carried MAX coverage on what was a near new auto. All told, the repair bill for my car was $11,000, not much less than a brand new car. Beater guys laywer had the audacity to call me challenging the facts which included the other driver losing control and crossing 3 lanes of highway.
My insurance covered me completely BUT... they sued the other guy for recovery of costs including my visit to the ER. Eventually, the case was settled for $4,000.
Is this a great country or what!?!
If you got nothing to lose, it isn't worth carrying more than the minimum insurance. The problem, I'd suggest, is you might want to have more than nothing (a good job, house, plane, property, basically a life). Insurance is the blanket that saves your future earnings also.

 

[woodstock]

For years, Rhode Island did not require auto insurance and I was the guy who got clocked by the beater. I carried MAX coverage on what was a near new auto. All told, the repair bill for my car was $11,000, not much less than a brand new car. Beater guys laywer had the audacity to call me challenging the facts which included the other driver losing control and crossing 3 lanes of highway.
My insurance covered me completely BUT... they sued the other guy for recovery of costs including my visit to the ER. Eventually, the case was settled for $4,000.
Is this a great country or what!?!
If you got nothing to lose, it isn't worth carrying more than the minimum insurance. The problem, I'd suggest, is you might want to have more than nothing (a good job, house, plane, property, basically a life). Insurance is the blanket that saves your future earnings also.

you got it John. folks with money already know it's in their best interest to cover themselves to the hilt and aren't the ones the laws are written for. if you are broke, what do you have to lose.

did you end up paying anything out of pocket at all?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I was thinking on the way to work today how much it would suck if our cars followed the same crap our planes do. Heres a list of what it'd be like:

• If you blow a tire on the road, you are not allowed to replace it
• You need special permission to drive into or through many cities
• Before starting your car, you'd need to inspect it thoroughly
• Making a single, small mistake could mean you lose your license for 30 days or longer
• Making a slightly larger mistake could mean you'll never drive again
• You would need to get medically certified to drive at least ever 3 years
• Every 2 years, you'd have to have a driving instructor show you that you can still drive
• The DMV would randomly check your vehicle for any discrepencies
• You have to drive your car at night before you can carry a passenger at night
• You would most likely fill your gas tank before every drive
• You need a special permission to drive cars with big engines
• Highways in Chicago are for Truckers only, don't ask for permission, you're not getting it

Well... Can you imagine how much safer driving would be if the above were actually true? Can you imagine how much more dangerous flying would be if they weren't?

The rest, though, would definitely suck.

• Your engine would only be good for a few years, max.
• People on bicycles would constantly fight to take away your right to drive
• X's on driveways, anyone?
• If you buy a new car and something is recalled, it is your responsibility, not the car manufacturer
• New cars, which costs about $5-7K to make, would suddenly be sold for over $100K, and no one would think its wrong
  
  Those are off the top of my head.

 

[AuntPeggy]

I just love this thread. Here is another dissimilarity I haven't noticed mentioned yet.

• There are those amazing go-cart drivers who manage to make every place a downhill after they get an initial shove.

Would there be any objection if I combine these contributions, weed out the commentary, and put it on my website? As noted, this is the best thread.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Ken, did you say insurance isn't required? did I miss something? how did they get that by? cars are more likely to sustain accidents but a plane accident could be spectacular. do they expect the estate of the person or the plane manufacturer to shoulder the costs?

If you have a loan, the lender will require at least hull insurance. But if you own your airplane outright I don't know of any state that requires insurance.

 

[slwool]

The speed limit would be faster than most cars can even go.

 

[AuntPeggy]

• Nearly every car would have dual controls.
• Passengers would be encouraged to watch for merging traffic.
• Driver would be required to carry batteries and fuses if there are passengers.
• Driver would instruct every passenger in the use of seatbelts, doors, and windows.
• No smoking anytime, anywhere.
• Driver would be expected by friends, relatives, and co-workers to be able to explain (or defend) in detail every auto crash or bone-headed driver activity that has recently occurred or has ever occurred to a celebrity.

 

[wbarnhill]

Private Driver - Sedan Single Engine Unleaded
Private Driver - Truck Single Engine Unleaded

And for those former Helicopter pilots...
Private Driver - Hybrid

As for IR...
Hmm... Driving by instruments... should be interesting

Does this mean I can't have friends pay for my gasoline since I'm not a Commercial Driver?

 

[inav8r]

• Driver would be expected by friends, relatives, and co-workers to be able to explain (or defend) in detail every auto crash or bone-headed driver activity that has recently occurred or has ever occurred to a celebrity.

Ok, this explains why my co-workers and friends always ask me about these!

I even had a co-worker who had a distant relative killed in a "suspicious" crash come ask me if it coulda been done by the mob... (Had me read the NTSB report and everything).

 

[flyingcheesehead]

As for IR...
Hmm... Driving by instruments... should be interesting

People try it all the time. The two worst highway accidents in history were both due to fog and resulted in dozens of deaths.

Does this mean I can't have friends pay for my gasoline since I'm not a Commercial Driver?

Does it mean I can, because I am?

 

[SkyHog]

I just love this thread. Here is another dissimilarity I haven't noticed mentioned yet.

• There are those amazing go-cart drivers who manage to make every place a downhill after they get an initial shove.

Would there be any objection if I combine these contributions, weed out the commentary, and put it on my website? As noted, this is the best thread.

Missed this request Peggy - yes you can.

Another scary similarity: Driving into Canada would result in fees for talking to the border patrolmen.

 

[wbarnhill]

Simply stopping in the middle of the road to enjoy the view wouldn't be a problem, but your car must be specially equipped for this task

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Another scary similarity: Driving into Canada would result in fees for talking to the border patrolmen.

Nick,

You tried to drive through Canada lately? It ain't free.

Actually, it's a lot worse coming back into the US.

 

[msmspilot]

Does it mean I can, because I am?

Only if you're specially approved for it, or your friends supply the car.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Only if you're specially approved for it, or your friends supply the car.

Ouch! You've got me there.

However, I do have a lot of hours, and I did take a "135 ride" when I was hired...