Monday, October 12, 2009

If This Surprises You...

...well, then, you obviously haven't been paying attention (or are a first-time reader to this blog...)

Driver reform officials have spotty records
Top state officials who will steer Massachusetts’ complex transportation reform and ensure driver safety have racked up lengthy road rap sheets with speeding tickets and car crashes - including two collisions at the very toll booths their new department will oversee.

A Herald review found:
Registry of Motor Vehicles czar Rachel Kaprielian, 41, of Watertown, was slapped with seven violations including a speeding ticket in Palmer in 1999, five years after she was elected as a state representative in Watertown.

The article goes on to list the driving records of other figures associated with the MA state system of managing drivers. Suffice to say, none are perfect; most have multiple infractions involving speeding or traffic accidents. While no one is perfect (including your humble host, who went through a period in his teen years where he appeared incapable of stopping without hitting someone...), it seems somewhat odd for there to be so many poor drivers in positions dealing with the MA traffic system...

Or, then again, maybe these folks are perfectly indicative of MA drivers...

That is all.

4 comments:

libertyman said...

Jay, the grammarian says"Suffice to say, none are perfect;" Libertyman, the professor, says "none is perfect"

notDilbert said...

.....and just imagine what thier records would be without the "Do You Know Who I am" Factor.

Atom Smasher said...

Ahhh, Boston/Mass driving... Growing up in CT I had seena dn done my share of a-hole driving, but Boston has it all beat. I remember coming off the Mass Pike late one night as me & my college roomie were driving in from Ann Arbor - the guy 2 cars in front of us was going pretty slow around the ramp (whichever one you'd take to get to Brookline), caught the yellow at the end and kept going. My roomie nudges me and says "now watch - the guy in front of us is going to go through the red."

Which he proceeeded to do, blatantly and with no hesitation. My roomie explained "He deserved the light, woulda gotten it if the guy in front of him hadn't been so slow, so he went."

He deserved the light.

Boston drivers...

Jim said...

Jay, in the mid '90s, I made three rides (Gold Wing 1500) from San Antionio to Baahhhstin. Believe it or not, I got paid for these rides, as I had to be at two-week corporate conferences in Wilmington.

So, I exchanged a bit of vacation time for the road trip(s), and was authorized to use what would have been airfare to pay for fuel, fare and rooms en-route.

I also had made dozens and dozens of flights there, renting cars of all descriptions upon arrival.

Point is, having spent no small time staying and commuting from the Burlington Marriot to HQ in Wilmington, along with several jaunts to Davios and other fine eateries on Newbury St., I got a good taste of Massachussetts drivers.

(Enjoyed some side trips to Kennebunk, Glouster and the Cape. Gorgeous rides!)

With 39 states and nearly 300k miles logged on two wheels, I can honestly say that Mass has the most awe inspiringly dangerous drivers I've ever crossed lanes with. Their aggression level made riding alongside NYC cabbies downright calming by comparison.

Given the evolution of the road network there, from colonial days to the present; you've got a helluva challenge just getting somewhere to begin with! I don't envy you that on a daily basis.


Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX