What’s Left?

As a boy growing up in Ohio, I can still remember Dad being able to do 85 in Indiana, in that two-tone blue Pontiac. I seem to recall it had tail fins. Ah, the good old days ...

There are two things most people don't know about the Interstate Highway System. One is that it was designed to evacuate large populations, and carry vast caravans of troops and defense materiel, in the event of a national emergency. The other is that it was designed, as were the autobahns of Germany after which they were modeled, to handle minimum speeds of 70 miles per hour, and maximum speeds of up to 80 or 90 miles per hour, if not higher.

And speaking of driving in Germany, according to automotive columnist Eric Peters ...

If a Porsche turbo doing 140 comes up on a Fiat doing 80, the Porsche either better have excellent brakes (and its driver superior reflexes) or the Fiat driver had better notice the headlights getting much larger, much faster in his rearview – and get the hell out of the way in time.

Peters goes on to make a case for using the left lane ONLY for passing, as they do over there. My current record for the 500 mile trip from Arlington to Cincinnati is eight and three-quarter hours with a good tail wind.

I could do better, if only ... if only ...