#blinker checkpoint

[cl0nch3d]

blink yo shit ho😛✌️

[everezt777]

blinker checkpoint

[ur-z0mbie-b0yfriend]

using the posts of urs that pop up on my dash as blinker checkpoints btw

FUCK YEAH!!!! Keep doing that!!! That’s so cool and sexy of you anon

[h-halos]

I GOT ANOTHER BLINKER CHECKPOINT PLEASE I CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH

[nappingpaperclip]

blinker checkpoint

[liturgychoir]

Blinker checkpoint

🫶

[whumphoarder]

Grand Entrance

Prompt/Summary: "Would you ever write something in which Peter gets carsick with Tony taking care of him?"

Or, in which Tony and Peter attend a science expo just north of the border and Peter vomits his way into Canada.

Word count: 1,869

Genre: Sickfic, whump, hurt/comfort

A/N: Shout outs to @sallyidss for beta reading and being ever so helpfully Canadian, and to @xxx-cat-xxx for all your edits and ideas!

Link to read on Ao3

“I still can’t believe I’m going to be in a room with Søren Thygesen,” Peter says in awe. He’s scrolling through the conference workshop list on Tony’s Starkpad. “Do you think since you’re a speaker too, we can get backstage and meet him? Will he sign my textbook?”

Tony scoffs as he shifts gears on the Audi to overtake a slow-moving semi truck. Peter grins—he loves the rush of the 532 horsepower V10 engine lurching forward. “You have to be the only teenager in this country excited to see a three-hour lecture by an eighty-two-year-old Danish astrophysicist,” Tony remarks.

“A world-renowned Danish astrophysicist,” Peter corrects, looking up from the tablet. “Plus, he’s like the god of clean energy!” At Tony’s raised eyebrows, he quickly throws in, “Well, besides you, of course.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry kid, I’m not feeling threatened by your Scandinavian grandfather.”

“He’s just so awesome,” Peter gushes. “If anyone is going to figure out how to get humans on Mars, it’s Thygesen.” He lets out a long sigh. “I really want to go to the Q&A panel on Saturday, but I don’t know what questions I would even ask.”

“You know you don’t actually have to ask a question to go to a panel, right?” Tony points out for the second time that day. “You can just sit and listen.”

“I know,” Peter groans, “but I don’t wanna waste what might be my only opportunity to ever speak to him.”

Tony snorts. “That’s a good point—he is eighty-two. Probably doesn’t have a lot of science expos left in him.”

Peter whips his head around to throw his mentor a horrified look. “Mr. Stark!” he gasps.

“I’m just saying ...” Tony chuckles. “Toronto isn’t exactly a stone’s throw from Denmark.”

“He can’t die,” Peter says firmly. “He’s Søren Thygesen.”

“What is he, the new Chuck Norris?”

Peter’s brow furrows in confusion. “Who?”

“Never mind. God, you’re young...” his mentor mutters. Tony shifts over to the right lane to take the next exit. “Alright, alright, what about asking him something related to his biosphere project?” he suggests. “Or the new Mars Land Rover design, now that Oppy’s kicked the bucket?”

Peter sticks his lip out in a pout. “Too soon, Mr. Stark...” he complains.

X

After a brief stop for gas, they pull back onto the highway and Peter spends the next half hour pouring over the tablet, looking up every article he can find related to Thygesen’s Mars exploration research. Most of the journals are written in abstract, theoretical language, but Peter has always been a good reader and he can usually get the gist. Whenever he comes across a term or concept he’s unfamiliar with, he reads the paragraph aloud and Tony helps him work out the meaning.

Peter just forgot one little fact.

He can’t fucking read in the car.

The nausea doesn’t come all at once. It creeps up on Peter—slowly, gradually—until he has no choice but to pay attention. By the time he realizes he’s not feeling well, his stomach is already churning inside of him and a headache is pounding in his temples, leaving him feeling as though his forehead has been stretched too tightly around his skull.

He abandons the Starkpad, shifting his gaze to look out the window and doing his best to take deep, even breaths. Tony flips his blinker on and speeds up to pass another truck. The lurch of the engine is the same, but this time Peter’s expression is more of a grimace.

“Um… Mr. Stark?” he mumbles. “Are we almost there?”

“About ten more miles to the border, and then another eighty or so to the conference center,” Tony replies. “Don’t worry, you’ll see your elderly man crush soon enough.”

“Oh.” Peter swallows hard in an effort to push the queasiness back down. “Like, how many minutes is that?”

“Minutes are not a measure of distance, kid,” Tony retorts.

Peter groans and rolls his eyes, then immediately regrets it as his stomach rolls as well. He quickly locks his gaze back on the horizon. Between carefully measured breaths, he mutters, “I was just wondering if we’re going to stop soon.”

Tony frowns at him. “I asked you twice if you needed the bathroom at the gas station, and you said no. It’s been less than an hour and now you need to go?”

Peter feels his cheeks flush slightly. “Never mind, I’m fine,” he mutters. “Just wanted to stretch my legs, but I can wait.”

“Damn right,” Tony scoffs. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he fishes around on the car’s floor with the other for an empty plastic Gatorade bottle and tosses it onto Peter’s lap. “If you have to pee, use this. I’m not stopping because you suddenly remembered you have a bladder.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Peter huffs. He shoves the empty bottle back in the cup holder before twisting in his seat to press his cheek to the cool glass of the window. “I’m fine, Mr. Stark.”

X

Fifteen minutes later, Peter is no longer fine.

“Got your passport ready?” Tony checks as the car rolls to a stop behind a silver SUV.

Peter nods, his lips pressed into a thin line. That’s not entirely accurate—the passport is actually in the front pocket of his backpack, which is currently sitting on the floor beside his feet—but he doesn’t feel quite up to bending down to get it at the moment. Beads of cold sweat are dripping down the back of his neck and it’s all Peter can do to keep his stomach in place as they inch their way towards the border crossing.

“I’m thinking we’ll stop for dinner somewhere around the Falls,” Tony goes on. “Have you ever had poutine?”

Peter chances opening his mouth just long enough to breathe out a quick, “Um, don’t think so.”

Tony hums as he follows the SUV forward another couple meters before braking again. “Gotta admit, I was skeptical the first time Rhodey made me try it, but it’s not nearly as gross as it looks. You’d think it would be soggy, what with the gravy soaking into the fries and the cheese curds sort of half melting, but—”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Peter cuts his mentor off. Saliva’s been pooling in his mouth for the past five minutes, but it’s definitely not from the prospect of eating traditional Canadian food. He swallows hard and breathes carefully through his mouth.

A red minivan ahead of them clears the security checkpoint and each vehicle in their lane rolls another car’s length forward.

“Butter tart isn’t bad either,” Tony remarks, braking again. “And Montreal bagels put New York ones to shame. But if you breathe a word of that to anyone, I’ll deny it.”

With a small grunt of acknowledgment, Peter squeezes his eyes closed, silently praying the man will just shut up.

The border patrol officer waves the next car through.

“Alright, passport time,” Tony announces while the SUV ahead of them moves into the inspection zone. He holds one hand out expectantly over the kid’s lap. “Hit me.”

“It’s in my backpack,” Peter mumbles without making a move for it. His ears are ringing and he’s actually dizzy now. For a brief moment, he wonders if it’s possible to pass out from motion sickness. If only he could be so lucky.

Tony frowns, retrieving his own passport from behind the sun visor. “Well, hurry up. We’re next.”

“Right, right…” Carefully—ever so carefully—Peter bends forward to unzip the backpack. He fishes out the passport, but just as he starts to sit back up, the SUV drives off and the border patrol agent waves Tony forward.

Peter’s stomach lurches along with the car’s movement and he burps, tasting the pickles and ketchup from the hamburger he’d had for lunch. Bile is rising in the back of his throat and instantly Peter knows he has mere seconds to prevent a tragedy. His eyes dart around desperately for a cup, a plastic bag, a tissue box, anything. But there’s nothing. Absolutely nothing.

In pure desperation, he does the only thing he can think of to save Tony’s custom leather interior.

The moment the Audi rolls to a stop at the checkpoint, Peter yanks the collar of his hoodie up over his mouth and pukes all down the inside.

At the sound of the kid’s gag, Tony whips his head around. “Jesus, kid!” he swears in surprise.

Standing just outside, the border patrol agent—a gangly red-haired kid who looks to be fresh out of high school—is staring wide-eyed at the gasping teenager in the passenger seat.

Tony blinks at Peter, his expression morphing as the initial shock is replaced with concern. “Are... Are you okay?”

Peter gives a small nod and blushes, trying not to move any more than necessary. Inside his hoodie, hot, gross vomit is running all down his front, soaking through his t-shirt. “Yeah, sorry,” he rasps out. “Just… got kinda carsick.”

Tony blinks again. With barely concealed disgust, he reaches over and starts trying to wiggle the passport out from the kid’s grip, but the officer intervenes.

“Uh, it’s fine. You can just pull on through,” the redhead instructs, still staring at Peter as he waves the car forward. “There’s, uh, there’s a rest stop not too far from here.”

Peter flashes the other boy a grateful thumbs up as he pulls the sweatshirt back up over his face and heaves again.

X

When Peter emerges from the rest stop bathroom, he’s wearing a completely new set of clothes and carrying a knotted plastic Pharmasave bag containing his vomit-soaked hoodie and jeans. In the other hand, he’s clutching the remaining quarter of a package of baby wipes.

Tony is standing in the parking lot beside the car, his arms crossed casually over his chest and a mildly amused look on his face. “Feeling better now?”

Peter gives a half-hearted shrug and deposits the bag and baby wipes in the backseat. Tony passes him the bottle of PC lemon-lime soda he just purchased from the vending machine.

“I’ll rephrase,” Tony tries again. “Feeling better enough to get back in the car? We’re about seventy minutes out from the hotel.”

“Minutes are not a measure of distance, Mr. Stark,” Peter deadpans.

Tony rolls his eyes. “Just answer the question.”

Peter hesitates, opening the soda to take a cautious sip. He’s feeling less sick now that he’s on solid ground and his stomach is blissfully empty, but the thought of getting back in the car still makes him queasy. “Um, maybe in another five minutes?” he mumbles. “If that’s alright…?”

“Sure,” Tony agrees easily. “We can go take a walk by the Falls or something. Maybe pick you up some Dramamine.” His brow furrows in thought. “Although that might knock you out, and your buddy is giving the keynote tonight.”

“I’ll be okay,” Peter assures. “Just need a few minutes.”

Tony huffs out a quick laugh. “Yeah, can’t risk missing Thygesen. Even if you just vomited your way into Canada.”

In spite of everything, Peter grins. “May always said I liked a grand entrance.”

Click here for chapter 2!

A/N: Additional shoutout to @awesomesockes for for helping to invent the exceedingly awesome character of Søren Thygesen, for whom we now hold so many dumb irrelevant headcanons (such as that he holds the Guinness world record for the longest nose hair and can play the didgeridoo).

Fic Masterlist

[opedguy]

ISIS and Al-Qaeda Seek Revenge in Kabul

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Aug. 21, 2021.--As the evacuation of U.S. and Afghan citizens slogs on, reports of Al-Qaeda and ISIS seeking to retaliate complicates an already abysmal situation for 78-year-old President Joe Biden who finds himself a victim of his own procrastination.  Biden announced April 17 that he would exit Afghanistan Sept. 1, pushing the exit date set by former President Donald Trump from May 1 to Sept. 1.  Biden had four months to evacuate U.S. and Afghan citizens but chose to procrastinate, waiting until U.S. puppet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to Doha, Qatar Aug. 16 with oodles of cash, marking an end to the U.S.-backed Afghan government.  Once the Taliban circled Kabul and the Hamid Karzai airport, Biden finally noticed that it was time to evacuate U.S. citizens and others.  Caught in the stampede to get out, U.S. citizens can’t get through Taliban checkpoints to the airport.

News that al-Qaeda and ISIS were lurking around Kabul adds a new complication to the evacuation currently underway.  U.S. embassy personnel announced the new ISIS and al-Qaeda warning today, especially as the U.S. approaches the 20-year-anniversary of Sept. 11.  Sept. 11 is celebrated in Islamic radical circles as the strike on the Great Satan, as Bin Laden used to call the United States.  Al-Qaeda and ISIS are still seeking revenge for the May 2, 2011 death of Bin Lande and the, Oct. 27, 2019 death of al-Baghdadi.  Former President Donald Trump was relentless in his pursuit of al-Baghdadi, eventually killing him in his hideout in Syria’s, Idlib province. No one knows the extent to which al-Qaeda and ISIS run wild in Afghanistan, Bin Laden’s former safe haven. U.S. officials hope they can get the Taliban’s expected Supreme Leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to keep al-Qaeda and ISIS out.

Baradar, widely expected to succeed the late Mullah Mohammed Omar to lead the Taliban, has traveled from Qatar to Kabul to assume his leadership post. Baradar negotiated the end of U.S. occupation of Afghanistan Feb. 29, 2020 with Trump’s 70-yar-old Special Envoy Zalmay Kahilizad.  Trump’s 56-year-old former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had no problems with the U.S. exit timetable, only questioned why Biden waited until the 11th hour to start the evacuation.  Huge crowds around the Kabul airport present an easy target to ISIS or al-Qaeda suicide bombers.  Taliban officials assure the White House that they’re patrolling areas around Kabul and the airport, preventing ISIS or al-Qaeda from striking.  Once Baradar assumes leadership, he’ll no doubt seek to keep terrorists out of Kabul and the airport.  Baradar ;understands that he must provide security in Kabul.

Senior Afghan official Abdulah Abdulah said ex-president Hamid Karzai met with Taliban’s Kabul governor who “assured us that he would od everything possible for the security of people” in the city.  Evacuations continue with a German flight ferrying out 205 German nationals looking to get out.  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.K. was evacuating about 1,000 people a day. Johnson’s rosy picture was contradicted by former Royal Marine-turned NGO Director in Kabul Paul Farthing.  “We can’t leave the country because we can’t get into the airport without putting our lives at risk,” Farthing said, showing that the noose is tightening around Kabul.  Army. Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor estimated that about 15,000 Americans live in Afghanistan.  Taylor doesn’t know the exact numbers but knows he’s removed about 2,500 Americans out of 17,000 already evacuated.

Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said that the Hamid Karzai airport remains open, not sure how many Americans are making it through Taliban checkpoints to the airport.  “We know that we’re fighting against both time and space,” Kirby said. “That’s the race were in right now,” referring to the closing window of meeting the Aug. 31 deadline. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinker said there arer 13 countries taking Afghan refugees, including the United States.  “We are tired.  We are happy. Were are now in a safe country,” said an Afghan man who arrived in Italy with 79 other former Afghan citizens. Afghan citizens fears reprisals for the ultra-conservative Taliban, who’s sympathies for Western values are limited. European Union countries have limited interest in taking Afghan refugees, especially countries like the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary

Battered by immigration quotas largely from Syria and Iraq have grown weary to taking Mideast refuges, especially after witnessing growing terrorism in Europe. Taliban officials have said they would grant amnesty for Afghan citizens who worked for the U.S.-backed government. But having tasted life under a more progressive Afghan government, many Afghans fear they can’t live under Taliban’[s sharia law.  Afghan citizens find life under the repressive Taliban regime intolerable, seeking any chance to get out.  Already, the son of the late mujahedeen warrior Ahmad Shah Massoud, 42-year-old Ahmad Massoud, said he wants to lead the resistance against the Taliban.  Massound was Assassinate Sept. 9, 2001 by a Taliban suicide bomber two days before Sept. 11.  Biden can’[t think now of backing rebel groups to fight Taliban occupation. Time for the U.S. to get out in one piece.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

[dystovian]

4 13 28 31 70 75 for Lance

Thanks! Enjoy my fellow friend

“How long do we have?” You asked, getting back into the passenger side of the blue truck and placing some snacks at your feet.

“Uhhhhmmmmm.” Lance watched as you rolled up the window directly in his face, he then gave a straight face and ran around to the other side.

“Thanks!” He said, you both smiled sarcastically at each other, while Lance pointed to the GPS.

34 more hours.

-

An hour or two passed by, when you noticed that the GPS was changing routes every few minutes.

“Lance.”

“Uh yeah.”

“What the hell.”

“It was an accident! I swear!”

“Do you ever follow directions?” You sighed and placed your forehead against your palms.

Lance had pulled over by now, his face covered with his large hands as he groaned.

“Look, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it. I should’ve known this would’ve happened. I’m such an idiot.” He hissed the last part out, in hopes you wouldn’t hear it, but you did.

“You may be an idiot, but you’re my idiot.” You smiled at him and tried your best to hug him without bumping into anything.

“How about I drive? I know this car is important to you but I promise I won’t crash it. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah I do.” He got out of the car and so did you, switching spots in the front and smiling at Lance who reached in the back for some candy, occasionally feeding it to you.

-

Later on, Lance had insisted you take a left rather than a right, you insisted on taking a right rather than a left. A problem.

“Look! That sign says that this checkpoint is that way! To the left, Y/n! So we go to the left!” He groaned, getting frustrated.

“Bleh bleh go to the left wah wah! I say we go right, it’ll make it more adventurous!” You grinned.

“Did you just mock me, Y/n?” Lance placed his hand against his chest and leaned back, pretending to be shocked and hurt that you’d do that.

“My hobby is making fun of you when you talk, so yes Lance, yes I did.” You smiled as wide as you could and turned on the blinker to turn right.

“Don’t you dare, Y/n, or so help me I will-”

“Is, is that a threat I hear coming on? Oh no it can’t be, my Lance would never.” You ended up turning anyway and pulling into the nearest gas station.

“Why didn’t you just say we were getting gas I was losing my mind.”

“Eh, I like to push your buttons.” You shrugged, leaned over and kissed his cheek, getting out of the car and going to get some waters in the store.

[ash-travels-peru]

Day 1: Arrival in Lima

After 28hours, or something fun like that, I’m in Lima! The customs and immigration checkpoints at the airport were not difficult at all. I got my bags scanned and there was clearly nothing suspicious that came up on the scanners...so I pretty much walked straight out of the airport!

I had a hotel transfer arranged to take me from the airport to my accommodation. But I did laps of the arrival area but couldn’t see anyone standing there and holding a sign with my name on it. It was also super humid (at about 19degrees celcius) and I was wearing my super warm jacket. I was starting to feel the heat and so I decided that rather than standing there stressing, I’ll go back inside the airport and book a green (and legit) taxi. As I walked to the taxi stand and made the purchase, I thought to myself that (murphey’s law), I’ll now find a driver standing at arrivals with my name on the sign. Alas I was right! I took the hotel transfer because it was pre-arranged and therefore safer in my mind and ended up paying for the same trip twice! The other green taxi driver must have been stoked at such a generous tip he ended up receiving. I also didn’t want to get to the hotel and make the concierge realise that I’d left their driver stranded at international arrivals.

My hotel driver was really nice, but he had as much english as I do spanish. I don’t think I was very successful in explaining that he should be careful of his back lifting my bag into the boot of his car because they were so heavy. 

It was very muggy, and the constant cloud cover was a slight brown or copper colour, which I think was the combination of both pollution and light pollution. We had the windows rolled down in the car to get some ‘fresh air’. The air constantly smelt of petrol and car fumes and the noises of a very busy city, particularly for 10:45pm on a Monday night! We drove past some construction work and the RMS would have totally gone to town on it if it were in Australia. there was only a cyclone fence separating the freeway from the building site and the sand being moved by machinery filled the surrounding air so it was all you could smell, taste and breathe! 

But oh dear, driving was an experience in itself and it did take a good 45minutes to get to my hotel! Driving in Sydney is, comparatively, very structured, predictable and regulated. In Lima, collisions are narrowly avoided every minute. Here, there is no conception of personal space or a safe stopping distance between cars. The roads we drove on were usually about three lanes each way. At traffic lights, drivers are close enough to high five or shake hands with the passengers in other vehicles without either leaving their seats. Often drivers (and mine included!) would drive straight down the middle of two lanes. Only the bad drivers ever used blinkers. There was one moment where there were three cars coming from different directions all trying to enter the same two lane road. I hope my driver didn’t mind when I winced because we were the car in the middle and I thought my passenger side door was about to be re-moulded like clay. There was also a lot of stray dogs on the road, as in sleeping on the road. They only moved out of the way to let cars pass when they were honked at. Many cars and most of the buses I saw were looked as though they should have been retired about 10 years ago and by the sounds of their engine, were also a few years overdue for a service. There was a ute I saw that had the flap to the tray half hanging off! Quite a few vehicles also had flashing brake lights to communicate to other drivers when they were slowing down, as opposed to the block lights we have on our cars! 

We arrived at our hotel (in one piece and without even a scratch). My hotel is lovely. I have a small single room which is perfect and a reliable source of wifi! Huzzah!

[phgq]

Motorist nabbed for using bogus front-liner quarantine pass

#PHnews: Motorist nabbed for using bogus front-liner quarantine pass

MANILA – Authorities apprehended a motorist for using a falsified document purportedly issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to be able to pass through a quarantine control point (QCP) on Monday.

Joint Task Force Corona Virus Shield (JTF CV Shield) commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, identified the driver as Roy del Rosario, who was flagged by members of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) along Edsa northbound lane near Camp Aguinaldo.

Del Rosario showed a certification bearing the signature of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año for him to be exempted from being checked at the police-manned QCPs.

Upon verification with DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, Eleazar said the document was fake and the attached signature was not that of Año.

“I immediately checked with an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) who told me that the document was fake. That’s why he was arrested,” Eleazar told reporters.

He said that the documents stated that del Rosario is a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) engaged in transporting important equipment and medical supplies.

The document also instructs the PNP to allow del Rosario to pass through all QCPs and use sirens and blinkers.

He said del Rosario will also be facing charges and his vehicle was impounded for illegal use of siren, blinkers and commemorative license plates.

The vehicle does not have a license plate issued by the Land Transportation Office LTO) but it was bearing a commemorative plate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) logo at the time of apprehension.

“He was using a siren and was so arrogant when confronted. When we found out that the signature in the document is not the signature of Secretary Año, we impounded his vehicle and we will file criminal charges against him that include falsification of public documents,” said Eleazar.

Eleazar said the mobile checkpoints inside Metro Manila are being manned and supervised by personnel of the PNP-HPG, who were tasked to check if private vehicle owners are complying with quarantine guidelines.

The HPG will issue a Land Transportation Office-Temporary Operator’s Permit (TOP) or Metropolitan Manila Development Authority-Ordinance Violation Receipt (OVR) tickets against motorists who are not allowed to go outside of their homes.

Following the incident, Brig. Gen. Eliseo Cruz, HPG director, instructed his men to be alert against fake documents being shown by motorists just to be exempted from the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

More than 100 motorists have been apprehended for violation of the ECQ since Wednesday.

Cruz said they will be conducting daily operations against private vehicles to ensure that the ECQ guideline is strictly observed.

“We will continuously do this to send a message that we are serious in the implementation of home quarantine and social distancing. So, we are warning private car owners and drivers of non-cargo vehicles not to engage in non-essential travels because they will certainly be apprehended,” Cruz said. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Motorist nabbed for using bogus front-liner quarantine pass." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100437 (accessed April 21, 2020 at 02:38AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Motorist nabbed for using bogus front-liner quarantine pass." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100437 (archived).

[andylocksmithtipsntricks]

Winter Driving Safety Tips

Winter is the perfect time to build crackling fires, hit the slopes, and snuggle up with a nice cup of cocoa. It also creates some of the most treacherous road conditions. Because it’s not possible for most of us to hibernate until spring, here are the winter driving tips you need to stay safe and sane on wet, icy, and snowy roads.

Winter Driving Guidelines

Don’t drive if you don’t have to

Prioritize vehicle maintenance

Practice defensive driving

Don’t Drive If You Don’t Have To

The best way to stay safe during winter driving conditions is to avoid them altogether. If it’s possible for you to avoid driving in the snow and ice, stay put. But hunkering down isn’t always an option. If you have to hit the road when it’s snowy, icy, or wet, make sure both you and your car are prepared for safe winter driving.

Pro Tip: Check for Icy Mirrors

Here’s something professional truck drivers check for during the winter season: if ice starts to form on your car’s outside mirrors, that’s a good indicator that ice is also forming on roadways. Take extra precautions or wait until it warms up to drive.

Prioritize Vehicle Maintenance

Whether you’re prepping for a road trip or your daily commute, get ahead of your car maintenance tasks to stay safe. 

Start with simple checkpoints like oil and antifreeze levels. And make it a habit to top off your gas every time you reach halfway. This way you won’t get caught near empty when bad weather causes delays.

  Check Your Tires

Check the tread on your tires. Worn tires are more likely to slip and slide in slushy and icy winter conditions. Invest in all-season tires or winter tires for maximum traction. The softer rubber on winter tires allows them to maintain a better grip in slippery situations.

Also check your tire pressure regularly, as tire pressure drops by 1 to 2 lbs. for every 10°F that the temperature declines. Inflate your tires to the recommended level for your vehicle.

  Check Your Brakes

Request a brake check every time you get an oil change. If you hear a squeak when you hit the brake pedal, take your car in as soon as possible. 

Your brakes need more than maintenance upkeep—using them correctly on the road is crucial to retaining control on wet, icy, or snowy roads. Practice slow, steady braking that allows you plenty of time to come to a stop before a light or stop sign. 

If you hit a slippery patch of road, the best way to slow down is to ease off the accelerator and downshift before applying the brakes. When you do step on the brakes, slowly apply firm, steady pressure to keep your wheels from locking up.

If you feel the brake pedal drop and hear grinding as the pedal pumps on its own, your anti-lock brakes (ABS) are likely kicking in. Keep your foot firmly on the pedal and focus on steering.

  Clear Snow and Ice from Your Car 

Make sure your windshield wipers are in proper working order for clearing rain, snow, and ice. Check fluids and top them off if needed. But remember that windshield wipers can’t do all the work for you. 

It’s tempting to do the minimum when clearing off your car before winter driving. However, lingering snow and ice pose a hazard to you and other drivers. Before driving, brush snow off the roof, hood, windows, mirrors, and trunk of your vehicle.

On the flip side, watch for snow spray from other vehicles. If the roads are wet, there will be some amount of spray from all vehicles; however, if it’s starting to ice, you’ll no longer see spray.

  Stock Emergency Supplies 

Safe winter driving can’t always save you from trouble. Be prepared for the worst, and make sure your car is outfitted with supplies in case of an emergency. 

Your car emergency kit should include a blanket, a first aid kit, flashlight or flare, jumper cables, ice scraper, shovel, sand or kitty litter to give you traction, warm clothes, and snow chains. You should also carry some water, food supplies—like energy bars or trail mix—and a phone charger.

Practice Defensive Driving

When combating winter weather, preemptive vehicle maintenance will get you only so far. Practice defensive driving to stay alert and engaged with your surroundings.

  Slow Down

Take things nice and easy when you’re driving on winter roads. Quick, jerky movements are more likely to cause you to slip, slide, and lose control of your vehicle. Don’t be tempted to step on it because someone in a truck speeds by.

Accelerate slowly to make sure you gain traction. Also go slowly when you change lanes, turn, and pull out when driving in the snow or ice. 

Notice the speed of other drivers on the road. Going too slowly can cause as much risk as driving too fast. For safe winter driving, find a speed at which you feel comfortable, have control, and stay in the main flow of traffic. 

Pro Tip: Keep Your Distance

It may take ten times longer to come to a stop on ice. On winter roads, increase the standard “two-second following distance” behind other cars to about eight seconds.¹ This leaves you enough time to properly respond if the car in front of you suddenly stops or a crash occurs up ahead.

Listen to the Road 

Tires make different sounds when driving on snow and ice, which is another reason to keep your radio volume down for winter driving safety. Snowy road noise should be relatively loud because snow is kicked up. 

If loud noise suddenly stops, you might have moved from snow to ice. Stay tuned in to the sound of your tires on the road to keep on top of road conditions that often change quickly, especially during or right after a storm.

  Watch Out for Bridges, Overpasses, and Ramps 

Pay attention to the features of the road during winter driving. Areas like bridges, ramps, and overpasses tend to freeze first and stay frozen longer than other stretches of road. 

Slow down as you approach these areas—as they are prime spots for black ice—and pay extra attention to the sound and feel of the road.

  Minimize Distractions 

Although this is a good safe driving tip for all driving conditions, it’s particularly important when you’re facing wet, snowy, or icy roads. Keep your phone turned off or connected to your car’s Bluetooth—and never take your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road to check it. 

Turn down the radio or turn it off completely. Make sure you’re fully focused on the road and other drivers.

FAQ

How can I protect my car in the winter? 

Invest in all-season tires that are properly inflated. 

Maintain your antifreeze levels. 

Get your brakes checked and refill your gas tank often. 

Inspect outer car mirrors for ice to anticipate icy roads. 

Don’t use cruise control on slippery surfaces. 

Stay eight seconds behind other cars and keep your headlights on even in the daytime.

Practice defensive driving. Drive slowly in snowy weather, and when coming to a stop, apply firm, steady pressure on the brakes to keep your wheels from locking up. 

Always keep an emergency kit in your car.

  What do you do if your car is sliding on ice? 

If you start to skid or slide, the most important thing is regaining control of the car. Let off the gas to help the car naturally decelerate. Gently steer into the direction of the slide or skid to stabilize the car and regain control. Keeping your wheel turned into the direction of the slide helps avoid overcorrection or a car flip.

  How do I use my headlights for winter driving? 

Keep headlights on when driving in winter conditions, including during the day. This ensures you’re visible to other cars when snow or storms hit. If you have fog lights, limit their use to foggy and low-visibility conditions. Using your blinker as a turning signal is especially crucial in snowy conditions, so always indicate upcoming turns.

Conclusion

Whether you’re road-tripping for the holidays or commuting around town, remember to keep on top of vehicle maintenance, practice defensive driving, and avoid driving if the conditions are too extreme. Want some more insight? Check out our list for the best and worst states to drive in bad weather.  

  Related Pages on SafeWise

The Best and Worst States for Driving in Bad Weather

Safety Guide for Winter

Best Portable Home Generators Buyers Guide

Car Safety FAQs

  Sources

Driving Tests, “How to Drive Safely in Snow and Ice”

The post Winter Driving Safety Tips appeared first on SafeWise.

Article source here: Winter Driving Safety Tips

[clubofinfo]

Expert: A Guardian essay on a new Israeli open-rooftops project in Jerusalem, part of a Season of Culture, sadly falls into a standard trap for feelgood articles of this kind. It fails to provide the main context for Jerusalem: that the native Palestinians live under a belligerent Israeli occupation that is ultimately trying to evict them from the city. Ignoring that context when reporting on life for Jews and Palestinians in Jerusalem is gravely irresponsible journalism. Does this misrepresentation simply reflect author Hannah Ellis-Petersen’s ignorance? Or is it a consequence of who is footing the bill: the Rockefeller Foundation sponsored the article. Note these infuriatingly misleading introductory paragraphs: For its Season of Culture, the ancient capital has thrown open its rooftops to encourage residents to see beyond their blinkered boundaries. But the reality is a city where the divides are growing deeper. The standfirst sets the mendacious “balanced” tone, as though Palestinians could ever afford the luxury of choosing to be “blinkered” in a city where the Israeli-run, occupation municipality is openly hostile to them, and where their homes can be demolished for the smallest infraction of opaque, Israeli-imposed planning rules. The city’s divides are not “growing deeper”. They were always deep in a city where the occupying power has sought for five decades to colonise Palestinian East Jerusalem with Jewish settlers. There are now more than 200,000 of these settlers gradually displacing the native Palestinian population. Living side by side in Jerusalem are communities who exist with no interaction with one another – kept apart by fear, nationalism and religion. No, that is not what keeps them apart. Just imagine an article on apartheid South Africa stating that whites and blacks had no interaction because they were “kept apart by fear, nationalism and religion”. In reality, the two populations were kept apart by the colour of their skin. For blacks under apartheid, and today for Palestinians under occupation, their inferior status is dictated to them. They have no say in the matter. Palestinians and Israelis are kept apart by the structural violence of occupation, which confers on them entirely different rights and life choices. Jews in Jerusalem have Israeli citizenship; Palestinians have a residency that Israel can easily revoke. Potentially, Jews can live almost anywhere in the city; Palestinians are confined to ghettoes, where they are being suffocated of space and services to encourage them to leave. Israel has even built a wall cutting some Palestinian neighbourhoods off from the rest of East Jerusalem and the services they pay for through their municipal taxes. They do not live apart because of fear, nationalism or religion. They have been cut off from family, friends and services by concrete walls and armed checkpoints. While Israelis typically live in the west and Palestinians in the east of Jerusalem, mixed neighbourhoods do exist. In the winding alleys of the old city and the streets of downtown, the diverse inhabitants peacefully cross paths every day. “Mixed neighbourhoods”? Is the author referring to Jewish settlers who have forcibly taken over Palestinian properties in areas of occupied East Jerusalem like the Old City, Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah in violation of international law and have then turned their apartment blocs into armed compounds? Is that her idea of “paths crossing peacefully” – that Palestinians must live submissively, in terror of armed Jewish interlopers? What’s more, the only rooftops of Palestinians that were made accessible are in the old city; there are none in east Jerusalem. … The project traces a line across a divided city via its rooftops. And the stories of the volunteers who have opened their homes to strangers, regardless of ethnicity or creed, speak to a multi-layered Jerusalem, one rarely seen in a conflict-obsessed news cycle: a colourful, fractious and potent city. Is it really a failure of the news cycle that it wishes to highlight “conflict” rather than accentuate the supposed rough-and-tumble co-existence proposed by this article, and achieved after Israel illegally annexed East Jerusalem? Israel professes to have created an “eternal, united capital” of Jerusalem, but nothing could be further from the truth. We don’t need from the media less of an obsession with “conflict”. We need greater honesty from them about Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and the harsh reality of a Jewish settler colonial society slowly disappearing the natives. Only the gullible or dishonest could believe that opening rooftops in the privileged, Jewish side of the city challenges or mitigates the ugliness of what is going on on the other side of Jerusalem, for Palestinians. http://clubof.info/

[phgq]

200 arrested in 12-day police ops in Nueva Ecija

#PHnews: 200 arrested in 12-day police ops in Nueva Ecija

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija -- More than 200 persons, including 16 on the police watch list, were arrested as various firearms and deadly weapons and illegal drugs were seized in operations in Nueva Ecija for the first 12 days of the year.

Brig. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, director of the Police Regional Office-3 (Central Luzon said on Monday the string of operations is in line with the marching order of PNP Officer- in-Charge, Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa to intensify, reinvigorate and focus the drive against criminality and insurgency.

Sermonia led the presentation to the media of the recovered items at the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office (NEPPO).

The operations were stepped up with the launch of Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) which involved the arrest of wanted persons in illegal drugs, terrorism and street crimes.

Sermonia lauded the support of stakeholders, particularly local governments, Armed Forces of the Philippines(AFP) and members of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC 3), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

For the same period, 63 suspects were arrested for illegal drugs and 10 confiscated loose firearms.

Of arrested wanted persons, 16 belonged to the top 10 in the city/municipal level; eight were Sibat targets; four were recalibrated Sibat targets; and 16 were ordinary wanted persons.

On the aspect of loose firearms, 38 firearms and seven explosives were confiscated.

On the campaign on other special laws, four anti-illegal gambling operations netted 14 violators.

Three operations for anti-illegal logging, on the other hand, resulted in the arrest of three violators, with a total confiscation of 8,500 board feet worth more or less PHP375,000.

A total of 4,915 motorcycles were impounded/undocumented but were released upon presenting required documents and payment of traffic citation tickets (TCT).

On the other hand, a total of 820 pieces of evidence composed of sirens, blinkers, fog lights, mufflers, and LED lamps were seized.

A total of 759 Oplan Bakal/Sita and Galugad and 1,596 checkpoint operations for police intervention were also initiated all over the province.

Meanwhile, a total of 67 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have surrendered to PNP and local government units in Nueva Ecija and availed of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program(E-CLIP) for the same period, with four surrendered firearms and 22 recovered firearms.

Also, as a result of the vigorous effort to neutralize criminal gangs, one suspect surrendered with one firearm yielded.

For Ligtas Paskuhan, the 2019 accomplishment covering the period from December 21-31, 2019, showed at least 39 anti-illegal drugs operations were done wherein 44 were arrested and three were killed in police operations. At the same time, three loose firearms were confiscated.

On the other hand, 15 top 10 city/municipal level wanted persons were arrested, of whom four were Sibat targets and 28 were ordinary wanted persons.

With these accomplishments, Sermonia congratulated the entire force of NEPPO led by its provincial director, Col. Leon Victor Rosete for fighting all forms of lawlessness in the province.

“All that we have achieved last year were done with capabilities that still reside within our organization and this year, we will aim for greater heights in our accomplishment as we approach it together as a stronger force making sure our communities are safer and feeling safer throughout 2020,” he said. (PNA)

   ***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "200 arrested in 12-day police ops in Nueva Ecija." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1090831 (accessed January 15, 2020 at 11:46PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "200 arrested in 12-day police ops in Nueva Ecija." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1090831 (archived).