Saturday, April 30, 2011

Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone

I have been receiving some brickbats - some anonymously, over my previous entry.

Some were questioning on the need for me to rush (what's the rush?) and overtook the convoy. I should not have overtaken, and should just stay in line and queue behind the convoy. Most likely they want me to stay behind the zig-zagging van for over 200 km. Another would comment that I should be getting a ticket for over-speeding.

I can only laugh at such insinuation. As if that they had never been in similar situations themselves. 

All I was asking was the protocol of overtaking such convoy, and not whether I should get a ticket or not. I was aware of what I was doing in term of speed, and I have fully stated of the possibility of infringing some (obscure) laws, if we were to follow the law to the letter. If I need to overtake them legally, what do I need to do? That's the question I was asking.

Then again, do you know that none of our measured instruments are 100% accurate. There will always be errors, even in the best of instruments used in the industry. Measuring devices are often checked against 'repeatability' and 'reproducibility'. Repeatability is an inherent precision of the measuring instrument as as the car's speedometer.

Most speedometers have an accuracy of 10% on either side. Sources of error includes nominal tyre diameter, pressure, temperature and vehicle load. Car manufacturers usually calibrate speedometer to read high to ensure that speedometers would never indicate a lower speed that the actual speed of vehicle to ensure that they are not liable for drivers violating speed limits. Read here.

If this is true, it means that our actual speed is actually lower that the speed our speedometer is showing.

Federal Standards in the US only allow 5% inaccuracy of the speedometer. In the UK, it must not show more than 110% of actual speed, plus 10 kmph. Meaning at 110, it should not show more than 131 kmph.

And my speedometer was way below that!

Do you think vehicles in Malaysia have higher specs than those in US and UK?

As for the 'What's the rush?' remark, let me just say that I was driving a Ferrari, and Ferrari is not meant to be driven at 110!
Let just say I was driving this that Wednesday when I decided
to overtake the immigration convoy! ;-)

Is that good enough an explanation? Yeah, stupid answer for stupid questions.

Have they not ever gone beyond 110 to overtake a vehicle, and then only after overtaking reduce their speed to maintain 110? Ever? Not even exceeding by one kmph?

No? You must be a saint. Hahaha, joke joke, funny indeed.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

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