safety | Ain't Complicated

Tips: Back Seat Driving

How to be the good kind of back seat driver

Ever pressed that imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side? Do you often feel your blood pressure rising as you sit powerless at the mercy of an inferior driver? How come, when you point out an obvious error, drivers always repay you with annoyance?

Believe it or not, no matter how frustrated you feel, your driver feels equally frustrated, if not more. Here are some ways to become a better backseat driver.

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There’s nothing wrong with vigilance as a passenger. In fact, keeping an eye on the road makes the road a safer place. “Back seat driver” is a generally negative label these days, but you can turn those negatives into positives by offering constructive advice at proper times, in a way that also conveys some appreciation.

The author makes some good points. Be sure to check out the full article.

At Work: For the People

Here’s “proof” that some CongressFolks are still doing stuff:

Brand new push in Congress to prevent Shariah invasion

Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., introduced a bill to the House of Representatives that seeks to prevent Islam’s radical Shariah law from gaining a foothold in the U.S. legal system, as it has in other countries.

Tancredo introduced HR 6975, the Jihad Prevention Act, last week. If made into law, the bill would allow American authorities to prevent advocates of Shariah law from entering the country, revoke the visa of any foreigners that did champion Shariah law and revoke naturalization for citizens that seek to implement Shariah law in the U.S.

The radical form of Islam’s Shariah religious law includes several statutes often objectionable to Western minds, including stoning for adulterous women, amputation for thieves and the death sentence for converting from Islam.

That one has no chance of becoming law.

And the chances for this one are somewhat better, though not by much:

Another Bright Idea

An act sponsored by 25 representatives asking the government to reconsider its ban on incandescent light bulbs has been stalled in committee – and the leading sponsor is faulting Democratic leadership.

The Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act highlights growing concerns over the safety and environmental impact of compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs. Before the sale of incandescent bulbs is banned, the representatives are asking the comptroller general to prove replacement with CFLs will be cost-effective, reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent in the United States by 2025 and that the bulbs will not pose a health risk to the general public.

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As WND reported, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was signed into law in December, phasing out the use of traditional, incandescent light bulbs in favor of CFLs beginning in 2012 and culminating in a ban on incandescent bulbs in 2014.

Concerns about mercury in the bulbs and mercury vapor released when a CFL is broken led Bachmann and a group of legislators in the House to second-guess the government’s choice.

Is Your Pilot Sleeping?

These two weren’t!

A pair of commercial pilots fell asleep in the cockpit on their way to Denver in 2004 and sped toward the airport at twice the speed allowed, according to an anonymous report by the captain on a federal safety Web site.

The unnamed pilot of the “red eye” flight said he woke up to frantic calls from air traffic controllers and landed without a problem.

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The pilot said his schedule had been switched to three nights in a row of flying “red eye” flights. The eight-hour Denver- Baltimore round trip returned to Denver after 6 a.m.

On his third overnight flight, the pilot and first officer were sound asleep as they approached Denver International Airport. At 60 miles out, their jet was rushing toward the crowded skies surrounding the airport at Mach .82, or 608 mph, instead of the 287-mph speed required at that point.

The pilot also reported the plane was flying at 35,000 feet, above the restriction of 19,000 feet at that particular crossing point.

“Last 45 mins of flt I fell asleep and so did the FO,” or first officer, according to a one-paragraph report on the incident found on the federal Aviation Safety Reporting System.

“Missed all calls from ATC” (air traffic control) asking why he was ignoring the standards for approaching DIA.

“I woke up, why I don’t know, and heard frantic calls from ATC. . . . I answered ATC and abided by all instructions to get down. Woke FO up.”

He spiraled the jet down to a lower altitude as ordered, then landed “with no further incidents.”