|
Post by hermoine on Jun 5, 2005 5:47:57 GMT -5
Here you have to be 18 to start driving a car, although there are people who aren't 18 yet and drive anyway. They can explain that to the police when they're caught though.
I they also said something here, that those people who were born in my year or later can drive a car only when they're 21! Which sucks really. I mean, they leave the drinking age to 18, and they increase the driving age? Stupid!
I'm 16 and happy that I don't drive a car. Seriously, if I drive the way I do when I play video games, half of Malta's population will be dead in one week and I'd be in jail for life.
|
|
[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
|
Post by [ Wiz ] on Jun 5, 2005 5:57:16 GMT -5
[glow=white,2,300]LOL Herm . It's slightly different when you actually start driving. I spent a couple of hours playing Grand Theft Auto (basically you drive around really fast and squash people into bloody blobs) yesterday and then I get into my car to go to a friend's house and I'm driving my car like crazy, it was only when 2/3 cars beeped at me and I saw the "speed camera" sign that I actually started driving in a civilised way...... [/glow]
|
|
|
Post by hermoine on Jun 5, 2005 9:04:00 GMT -5
Aww..I love that game!! I just run around the streets like mad, running after taxis, kicking people out of their cars and making taxi routes. Right now I'm practising trying to keep my car alive for more than 5 taxi rounds. That way I'll also reduce the amount of unemployed Indians around(they always seem to be the ones driving taxis).
Hem...hem...right back on topic then.
|
|
|
Post by En on Jun 5, 2005 9:05:37 GMT -5
What's wrong with Chevys? I've never seen one in Australia... Chevys are legendary for low performance and high maintenance. For some reason a lot of people around here buy the trucks anyway, but I think there's some sort of macho image involved. Maybe if I wore a feed cap a notch too tight and got a rifle and a bottle of rotgut whisky, it would make more sense to me, but there are some things I won't do in my continuing mission to explore strange new worlds.
Me, I've got a silver 2001 Corolla. No frills, no spiffy paint job, just good fuel economy. I am so boring.
Lumers is taking driver training this summer, and she's 16, which was old enough to get a full license when I was that age, but I think they've changed the laws - I'm not sure what to, but I think she can only get a limited license until she's 18.
Iowa is mad about limiting and revoking licenses. If you don't pay your state income tax - license revoked. If you are a divorced, non-custodial parent and you miss a child support payment - license revoked. There are about twenty minor crimes, none related to motor vehicles in the slightest, that can get your license limited. It's crazy.
What the state legislators don't seem to realise is that people drive when they think they need to drive, license or no. I've never had mine suspended, limited or revoked, but if they revoked mine for - I dunno - failure to mow my lawn (and yes, that is something they've talked about) - and my mum needed a ride to an important doctor's appointment, I'd drive anyway.
Anyway, [/rant]. There are loads of cars I'd like to have, for different reasons, but some of them would be really expensive and high-maintenance, and the rest are like DVDRW drives - I'm waiting for the engineering AND the price tag to improve before I buy, say, a hybrid or one of those cars that runs on fry grease or salad oil.
|
|
|
Post by KoNeko on Jun 6, 2005 4:56:22 GMT -5
|
|
[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
|
Post by [ Wiz ] on Jun 6, 2005 9:43:48 GMT -5
We have buses here that run on ethanol and cane sugar, so I guess that's a start.[glow=white,2,300]YOU WHAT??!?!?!? You have buses that run on ethanol and cane sugar?...please explain.....[/glow]
|
|
|
Post by hermoine on Jun 7, 2005 6:02:31 GMT -5
Um, Wiz, I didn't write that. It was Ko.
I was watching the news, it was some time ago I guess, but they were showing how you can run your car on a type of oil or something, but it emits the smell of fish from your silencer.
I was looking for an article on the fish-smelling-car and instead I found this. The article's quite old I'm afraid.
Edit: I found the bit about the fish-smelling-car. It runs on vegetable oil.
|
|
|
Post by KoNeko on Jun 7, 2005 7:40:20 GMT -5
[glow=white,2,300]YOU WHAT??!?!?!? You have buses that run on ethanol and cane sugar?...please explain.....[/glow] Yes. Some of the buses we have here are run on ethanol and sugar cane. Why is that so weird? They're just old public transport buses, and the ethanol can normally just be put in the ordinary petrol engines. It basically reduces the amount of fumes that are emitted (as opposed to ordinary petrol) and therefore gives you cleaner air and a cleaner environment. The buses are more expensive that conventional buses, but there are quite a few of them around in Melbourne.
|
|
|
Post by hermoine on Jun 7, 2005 7:55:39 GMT -5
I know they use sugar cane as fuel in Brazil too. And I once read that they use methane gas from cow manure for fuel as well.
|
|
[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
|
Post by [ Wiz ] on Jun 7, 2005 12:41:05 GMT -5
[glow=white,2,300]Weird......we don't see anything like that here. The current government doesn't exactly care much for the environment .[/glow]
|
|
|
Post by hermoine on Jun 7, 2005 12:50:08 GMT -5
Hehe, some politicians here go around in electric cars, for the promotion of caring for the environment and such.
I know some cars go on hydrogen, but I think that's impossible to get here. I recall they did a concept Prius car once which ran on hydrogen. The coolest part was that it parked on its own.
|
|
[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
|
Post by [ Wiz ] on Jun 11, 2005 5:04:21 GMT -5
[glow=white,2,300]Well there's a lot of research going into concept cars like that, we can only sit and hope that one day our kids may be driving cars that run on grass......[/glow]
|
|
Jon
Slytherin House Member
Posts: 398
|
Post by Jon on Jun 13, 2005 16:14:17 GMT -5
it may be my computer, but i can't see it, Isbister. I'm also fifteen, and having just received the papers to apply for my permit, i obviously can't dry legally just yet. I don't have a car, either. Lucky you, Jake. And, needless to say, i don't care what kind of car i get, as long as its a truck, and its NOT a chevrolet. Whats wrong with chevy?Oh i have my permit not my license.I have these cars because my family is .......(i hate to admit this but) were wealthy.I dont like it though.my dad very rarely has any time for me.And we're always moving.It sucks mates.
|
|
|
Post by Fluffy on Jun 15, 2005 9:34:00 GMT -5
I know a guy who got paid half a mil not to tell anyone that he'd made a car that ran on salad oil. But then someone made a documentary about him, and now he's getting sued by the company that paid him the hush money.
On the good news front, I have seen a couple of cars now that run on used french-fry grease, though they smell like a Mickey D's on the freeway
Lumers got to drive a Corvette Sunday last. Lucky
|
|
Jon
Slytherin House Member
Posts: 398
|
Post by Jon on Jun 15, 2005 9:59:54 GMT -5
Mcdonalds on the freeway? I prefer subway.My dad has a corvette. its cool.I think its on the first page of this subject.
|
|