STOP TALKING AND DRIVE!! Another wrecked Prius tale

Well, nothing left to say except I hope it'll also be a lesson learned by your wife

 

Pat,
I enjoyed reading your list of humorous American English phrases. The point about gas is a good one.

Sorry I came across as rude. I was only intending to have some fun, but it crossed my mind that my comments could be considered rude, so I should have just stopped right there and tried to find a better subject.

I enjoy the variety between all of us around the world. It was interresting to learn you work in law enforcement. I am an engineer, and everyone knows a lot of us cannot spell if our life depended on it. I should have just looked under your Avatar for spelling help.

I am always happy to see your posts in the threads here.
Larry

 

SO the post office require you to do this in chat forums??? now that is strange!!

 

Hey Larry, it's all cool dude.
or an Aussie would say "She'll be right mate."
Sometimes I type out a whole response to someones post, read it for errors (might notice, I often miss this step) then delete the whole thing and post nothing.
Yeah one of the things I like about the internet and forums is the different cultures. When people struggle with english and you need to work to understand them, that's great and often it presents a different perspective on an issue. By the way I only know 3 languages, Australian english, US english, and Lancashire England english. I respect those who (really) speak several languages.

Now, can you tell me, how would you say "police attend an accident"? I still can't work out another way to say it.

Sorry about going off topic people.

Oh, I had to "attend" an accident a while back. I don't go to all that many thankfully but at this particular accident a B Double, that is a 3 axle prime mover(tractor) with a 3 axle semi-trailer and a second 3 axle semi-trailer attached in the same manner as the front trailer is to the prime mover. Total weight about 63 tonnes, had collided with the back of a 4 door sedan which had stopped for some reason, The truck was travelling fast enough to push the back bumper to in front of the rear wheels of the car and push the car about 30 to 35 yards up the road. The 2 year old who was strapped into the child seat in the back seat died at the scene and the adult passenger died a few days later. It is suspected the driver of the truck was on his mobile phone. When I saw the child seat in the car, knowing already the child was killed I really struggled to contain my emotions.

Sorry if I get a bit funny about people who use mobile phones while driving.

 

best description of a double semi i have ever seen...

as far as misunderstandings in a forum go, it is easy. we all write what we speak, and lets face it, the language we speak is not the same. so in any case, i question something that is strange to me, and clarification comes all is good.

as for me, i frequently say misleading things and in many cases, its simply my space-case typing. too many other things going on i guess... my fault and the reason i have so many posts is that 30% are clarifications...

 

"Police are at the scene of an accident".

 

"Someone call the cops, they'll need to write a report"
Investigate an accident, usually.
Responding to an accident.
Yeah, DH says "responding"...

I think "attend" sounds nicer. Of course, I think that the police of a few other countries are more courteous, and are better respected, than in the USA.

Naturally, YMMV.

 

Or police are attending rather than just there although ignoring it as they drive past. You can be there without attending but you cant attend without being there.

BTW if you are driving in Australia feel free to get out of your car uninvited to talk to a police officer who pulls you over, he won't pull his side arm on you. You are not required to sit with both hands on the wheel.

 

Before the post office started requiring 2-letter state codes, people either used the full name of the state, or an abbreviation of 3 or 4 letters. So Wisconsin would be "Wisc." Just as the post office pushed people to use their codes, everything was going computerized, and storage space was at a premium, so addresses tended to be stored as 2-letter postal codes. Before you knew it, everything that used states used postal codes. It's now on every form and basically expected when you give your address. So we don't have to use it in a chat room, but it now seems more normal than spelling out the state (and Americans are very bad at geography and spelling) that most people probably don't even think about it.

 

I usually hear people say "come to the accident" or "Respond to the accident" but "attend" is certainly a more accurate description than "come". Like Pat said, you wouldn't want to have the police show up and just stand there doing nothing. You want them to attend to the investigation and assisting anyone who may be hurt, so what I should have originally said was that I was tickled by the Cleverness of an expression I had not heard often.

PS,
I am so old I remember when California was abbreviated as Cal. for the Post Office instead of CA. I can see how it could be frustrating for anyone wanting to figure out what MA is, Maine, Massatwosits, Maryland?

 

Then wouldn't "tending to" be more accurate than attending?

 

I believe the more common term in the US is "investigating" the scene of the accident.

S.O.P. 16-2: Traffic Investigation

Responding is the act of getting to the scene. It's always a vehicle (never a car).

Are people allowed to purchase hand guns in Australia?

 

I am no expert on this but,
Yes they are.
Steps you need to take to legally obtain a handgun
The sport of competitive handgun shooting exists only within a framework of police-approved clubs, which coordinate events on police-approved ranges across the nation. Gun laws are a state-based issue, so each of the scenarios that control the pistol shooting sports may vary slightly, but in essence the following may be taken as the general rule across our nation.
The Prime Minister announced an agreement between states and the Federal Government on December 6, 2002, which covered 28 resolutions tightening handgun controls for the legitimate sporting shooter. A person should attend at a club and make it known that they are interested in joining. The details of clubs can usually be located within firearm publications or by searching the internet. The person then has to undertake formalised safety training in the safe use of firearms. In some states this is done within the club framework or the course is completed in an external agency. The safety training is a mandated requirement for police to start the licence issue process. Some states state in legislation that safety training is to be undertaken, whilst others regulate that the registrar may require completion of a satisfactory course before issuing a licence.
The candidate then must complete six months probation within the club, during which time they are not allowed to purchase a handgun. Ongoing instruction about the club rules and firearm safety occurs within this time frame, after which the person may then, with club consent, apply to the registrar of firearms for a handgun licence.
Recent changes to firearm laws as a result of the COAG December 2006 agreement (http://www.coag.gov.au/meetings/061202/index.htm#handguns) now restricts the new member to an initial purchase of a small calibre target pistol. The applicant must also have applied for and been granted a firearm licence, which is dependent upon a nation-wide criminal record check, looking for a history of violence, warrants and domestic violence orders. The applicant must also submit proof of successfully completing the firearms safety training course at the time of licence application.
Once the person receives a firearm licence with personal photograph attached, they can then attend at a licenced firearm dealer and select a handgun which is suitable for the competition in which they intend to take part. This firearm may be a single-shot air pistol, a single-shot .22-calibre pistol or a .22-calibre revolver or self-loading pistol.
When the details of the selected firearm are known, they are submitted back to the police on an Approval to Purchase form, which is checked by police as to the correct details of the firearm, the current owner (seller) and that the person submitting the approval request is, in fact, in possession of a current firearm licence.
The applicant has to wait 28 days for this process to take place. If the police approve the purchase, the applicant is notified in writing and they can then collect the handgun from the dealer upon producing their current photographic firearm licence and the Approval to Purchase form approved by the police.
The applicant then has 14 days to take the firearm to the nearest police station to where they live and register the firearm in their own name. (This is a SA policy and may vary in different states.) After payment of the fee, the applicant can then only use the handgun at an approved range for an approved event within the approved club. This means that the handgun cannot be used for any other purpose other than target shooting at the pistol club. Breaching this purpose of use will result in punishment as defined by the Act.
The club member must attend at least four to six club events a year to retain club membership and endorsement for a handgun category of their firearm licence. The clubs are bound to advise the registry if a member has not completed those events.
The handgun owner is under a legal requirement to store the firearm under security arrangements defined under the Act and regulations. Gun safes usually cost about $400 to $800.
If the club member wishes to purchase another handgun, then they must go through the same process of approval to purchase, club endorsement, registration and secure storage regime. If the club member wishes to sell a handgun, then it can only be sold to another licenced person (after the purchaser obtains an approval to purchase) or to a licenced firearm dealer.

 

. . . and, knowing that, you probably feel safer approaching a vehicle during a traffic stop. Amazing how different our countries are. Gun laws differ depending on state and municipality. Here is a snapshot of steps that are taken to purchase a gun in the Chicago area:
Buying a gun in Illinois -- chicagotribune.com
And problems with this approach:
Summary of Illinois Gun Laws

When I have been pulled over I keep my hands at 10 and 2 and wait to rummage around for my licence and insurance card until the officer has come to the window. This usually helps make the stop a little friendlier. No sudden moves (esp. reaching under the seat or putting a hand under/in your jacket) is a good policy. Be aware that adding tint on the windows may heighten an officer's concern and scrutiny.

 

Keeping a 2 second gap (or 1 car length per 10 mph) is good advice. But rarely possible where OP was driving.

His problem was trying to answer the phone in those conditions.

 

Isn't it funny that in the land of the free you have the freedom to own and carry a gun you rarely use but that freedom means you live trapped by fear, so much so that you must follow correct procedure just for being stopped by a police officer you could be shot? In my life of 46 years so far I have never feared being shot by a police officer or a criminal or my neighbour nor have I had to follow a special procedure to prevent being shot.

If you visit Australia and are stopped by police, get out of the car and try to meet the police officer between your cars, this puts you on neutral ground and makes it more likely you will get off. If the police officer talks to you while you sit in your car it puts the police officer in a position of looking down on you which dis-empowers you. From the officer's point of view it feels like you are being arrogant when you remain in the vehicle therefore less likely to receive any favours from the officer. Unless you threaten the officer there is no chance he will pull his weapon from its holster.
Do not call the police officer sir, that makes him/her think you are nervous and trying too hard. Mate is normally OK as long as you say it with a smile, if you refer to a person at mate in harsh tones it is seen as aggressive. So get out of the car and say "G'day, what's up mate?" Or if you know you were speeding, "G'day, I was going a little fast, sorry." Makes it a little harder to be hard on you when you disarm the officer with an apology. This can sometimes result in a reduction of reported speed.

 

It is always possible, it may result in a 2 minute longer commute but it is always possible. Why bother counting "car lengths" just count, and one and two. Easy. If someone cuts in, let them and reopen the gap by slowing a little.

 

I heard this a couple of years ago, but I can't find the source. The number of cars on US roads has been climbing but the commuting time is not raising as fast because the interval between cars has been shortened. People are relying on technology (i.e., ABS) to save them from crashing into each other. Since I drive the I55, I can tell you at least two out of five days a week that the ABS is not going to save you. I get to sit in jammed traffic because someone has managed to hit another person in rush hour. How does this happens when we are all packed like sardines and going under the speed limit?

The tide of political opinion will have to turn against guns (in particular, handguns and assault weapons) the same way it has turned against secondhand smoke. No politician far enough up the food chain has stood up to the gun lobby. So officers will have continue to act like their next traffic stop will be their last. It happens often enough that my job offers training to sworn personnel how to handle being shot. Getting out of the car without being instructed to do so is seen as a very aggressive move. I wouldn't suggest anyone try it here.

 

My biggest hazard is I might accidentally be hit by the door of a truck if I get to the door before the driver gets out.