Waste not, crash a lot
Police in West Yarmouth, Mass., were a little suspicious when Ann Biglin blamed her car accident on some old coffee cups. After all, how do a few paper cups cause your car to jump a sidewalk, knock over a light post and ram another car?
Well, it’s possible if by “a few cups” you mean “thousands.” Two responding officers discovered mountains of old food bags, cups and other pieces of trash filling the car from top to bottom.
It seems that as Biglin tried to back out of her parking spot at the post office, a trash avalanche came tumbling down on her from the passenger and back seats. With her brake pedal buried, Biglin was sent careening across the street in reverse, hitting a light post and a Ford Explorer, before finally coming to rest against a flower planter in a gas station parking lot.
Though Biglin caused some property damage and was charged on three counts of negligent driving, she was relieved that none of her garbage was damaged during the accident.
Making dirty pictures
The inside of Scott Wade’s car is quite clean. It’s the outside that’s the problem.
Wade lives on a dirt road in San Marcos, Texas. Driving through the blend of limestone dust, gravel and clay each day kicks up a fine white dust that settles on his car.
One day four years ago, Wade decided to channel his artistic talents into elaborate variations of the traditional “wash me” finger writing. Using brushes, Wade began painting portraits in the dust on his rear windshield.
And these portraits aren’t just doodles. Wade is able to create strikingly realistic likenesses of the Mona Lisa, Albert Einstein and even The Last Supper.
Wade’s windshield is now a glorified Etch-a-Sketch. Once a new work of art is finished, he allows time, nature and the occasional rain storm to wipe it away. Then he starts over from scratch once a new canvas of dust has formed.
Wade photographs all of his masterpieces, which can be seen at www.dirtycarart.com.
Not taking a backseat
What do you get someone for his or her 101st birthday? All Alden Couch wanted was a new driver’s license, so he got it himself.
Couch kicked off his birthday festivities with a trip down to the DMV in Langley, Wash., to take his driver’s test. A state examiner gave him a passing grade, which renewed his license until 2012.
Couch now plans to celebrate his big day with a drive down to the local senior center, where all his younger friends have a party planned.
Couch estimates that he still drives about 7,500 miles per year. But he does have his limits. Couch doesn’t drive outside of his own neighborhood, he avoids heavy traffic and he has cut way back on drag racing.
A dramatic entrance
We all know how dangerous driver distraction can be, but what happens when the distraction is the birth of your own child?
This was the dilemma facing Jereme Tauer as he raced his wife, Lisa, to the hospital. The couple thought they had plenty of time, but just minutes into their drive, Lisa’s water broke and the baby was on its way.
With her husband driving the couple’s Dodge Neon at nearly 100 mph down the highway, Lisa reclined the passenger seat and began pushing. With one hand on the wheel and one hand guiding the baby’s head, Jereme was able to assist with the birth without even slowing the car.
Once safely checked into the hospital, the couple were able to reflect on the miracle they had just been a part of. An act of God is truly the only explanation for a Dodge Neon doing 100 mph.
