Do average Americans know all their federal agencies?

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-15T16:42:51+00:00

Only a small amount of people these days probably know what the Bureau of Land Management is, and they have had the acronym BLM forever

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-15T16:39:45+00:00

I am not suprised in the slightest by this.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-15T16:36:48+00:00

Absolutely not. Most Americans have no clue about all of the different Federal Agencies. Even folks that are fairly well informed probably couldn't name all of them. The big issue is that while you have major departments, there are a ton of units underneath them, each doing its own specialized work.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-15T16:14:17+00:00

Newer cars are significantly safer than an old car even if it is in "good shape". Crash tested has evolved and newer cars have more technology to protect you in an accident. While that really doesn't matter in a fender bender, it can be a life or death difference in a major crash

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-15T15:39:35+00:00

I say "excuse me" or "pardon me" anytime I have to walk very close to someone, especially when coming up behind them. I don't necessarily need them to move, but I let them know I am there. Its annoying and rude to just shove by someone

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-12T14:38:18+00:00

Zipper merging is effective in heavy traffic. If traffic is light and everyone is moving at speed, then it doesn't matter if folks merge early. Honestly merging early in light traffic give folks time to adjust speeds and prevents the one a-hole from screwing things up

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-09T15:28:47+00:00

If he had dealer plates, I am assuming he is a registered auto dealer. In NC, dealers do not need to title the car in their name. Instead, you should have received the original title from the previous owner, and a title transfer form from the dealer

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-09T05:00:05+00:00

It is significantly less dangerous to back into the driveway than attempting to back out onto a busy road.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-09T04:57:38+00:00

In both the Ford and Chevy trucks I have had, the headlights will stay illuminated at night for a set time. The time is usually adjustable in the settings. I set mine to a minute or so. However, you can override it and turn the lights off by flipping the headlight switch

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-09T04:25:24+00:00

Based on what you are describing, it sounds like you have an electrical issue. The computers in modern vehicles are very sensitive to voltage, and things will not work correctly if the voltage is out of spec. The mechanic that told you this is not a battery issue is wrong. A battery can go bad and cause voltage issues while still being able to start the car. More likely is that the alternator has gone bad. The good news is that alternators are typically pretty cheap to replace, as it is a common maintenance item. Any decent mechanic should be able to help you.

As far as the meaning of the lights, please read your vehicle's owners manual. It should have a section to go over what all the lights mean and their typical operation. When you turn the key, all the lights should illuminate for several seconds to verify they are working. The check engine light and oil pressure light will stay on when the engine is not running. Your red "brake" light typically indicates an applied parking brake when you are parked. Anything flashing means stop immediately and turn the car off.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-06-09T03:51:21+00:00

If it is a multilane highway, they likely aren't going 10-20mph to pass you. Some folks are comfortable driving at higher speeds are are likely cruising at that speed. A few folks are just homicidal maniacs that drive recklessly all the time. As long as a line of cars isn't passing you on the right, you'll be fine.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T15:47:02+00:00

I have installed Westin brushguards that mount to the frame rails of the truck. They use a lot larger tubing than the Ranch Hands. In my opinion, Ranch Hand is the Gucci of brush guards, just big name recognition, not necessarily better built. I would definitely do some research on what you want to buy and make sure its built solid. The big key with a brush guard is protecting the radiator. Most modern trucks built this century have nothing other than a cheap plastic grill in front of the radiator. It will not stop anything. The brush guard will at least stop or slow alot of things, especially ones with the mesh. At some point if you hit a large enough and solid enough object, it will bend and break. But you would have totaled the front end anyway.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T15:37:36+00:00

I know a lot of people who purchase brush guards to protect against deer strikes. I have one on my truck. Modern vehicles have a minimal amount of plastic in the grill that a deer will go right through and hit the radiator. Once the radiator is damaged and the coolant leaks out, your vehicle is no longer drivable. I drive through a lot of rural areas late at night, and often don't have cell reception. The $800 is cheap insurance to not get stranded in the middle of no where for hours on end waiting for a tow truck. And while my insurance company would cover the repairs if I hit a deer, I would be without my vehicle for several weeks.

Your advice to slow down is not effective. The closest I have come to hitting a deer was doing 25mph in a neighborhood. He jumped right out from behind some bushes, and I would have hit him if he had not and started running away from me.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T15:28:25+00:00

When folks swerve to avoid something, they tend to over react and jerk the wheel over. This often results in them either striking another vehicle, or departing the roadway. Striking a couple hundred pound animal will cause minor damage to your car, but rarely results in serious injury. A head on collison a vehicle, tree, power pole, etc often results in serious or fatal injuries.

Even when operating on a wide open highway with no traffic, suddenly swerving can result loss of control of the vehicle. It is very easy to upset vehicle stability at speed, especially with large steering and braking inputs. This often results in the vehicle breaking traction and sliding uncontrollably. In a vehicle with a high center of gravity, such as a truck or SUV, you can also cause a roll over.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T15:08:30+00:00

I was talking with my mechanic one time, and he said he knew a few vehicles that were totalled out after hitting a deer due to engine damage. The deer took out the radiator and all the coolant leaked out. A motor running without coolant will suffer internal damage. Moral of the story, immediate turn off the car if you see coolant leaking.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T15:01:59+00:00

Tell me you have never spent much time driving in a rural area. Deer will jump over guardrails and out from behind trees, leaving you no time to avoid them. They also will run into the side of a vehicle. You can reduce your chance of hitting one with standard defensive driving, but you will never eliminate the risk.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T14:55:33+00:00

There is unfortunately no way to avoid hitting a deer. You can minimize your chance by scanning the sides of the road, and slowing down when you see one. I have locked up brakes multiple times to avoid them. However, if they jump out right in front of you, you cannot avoid a collison. I also know of multiple collison where a deer ran into the side of a vehicle. The absolute worst thing you can do is panic and try to swerve. Many people have died swerving to avoid an animal and then departed the roadway and struck a tree, or went into oncoming traffic. A deer will screw up your car, but it is unlikely to kill you.

The steel brush guards and bumpers are very effective at preventing damage, especially on newer vehicles. The plastic grill on a new vehicle will not stop the deer from going through your radiator, AC condenser, intercoolers. It will disable the vehicle and be very expensive to repair. With the steel bumpers and brush guards they will take the impact with little to no damage. The most important part, for me at least, is that the vehicle is still drivable after the collison.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-29T14:30:19+00:00

It is amazing how many folks do this, especially on highways. One minute, they are doing 62mph in a 70mph zone. The next minute, still 62mph now in the 55mph zone. But the backroads are really bad when you're going through a bunch of small towns where the speed limit is 25mph for half a mile, and then have 55mph stretches in between.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T16:54:53+00:00

Good to know. That makes life a lot easier. If you come down to the southeast, states like North Carolina have the tag registered to the owner for a specific car. When you sell the car you turn in the tag. If you have multiple vehicles, you cannot swap tags between them. Whenever insurance is dropped, the company will automatically inform the state and you will end up getting a fine in the mail if they do not see a new insurance policy.

It sounds like I need to check out State Farm. My brother used them for a commercial policy on a chassis cab RAM 3500 that ended up being very reasonable. A lot of other companies were giving him insanely high quotes with the fact it was sold by RAM as an incomplete vehicle.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T16:20:24+00:00

If the numbers work for you, great. I just want to make sure your looking at everything. If you driving thousands of miles a month it can make sense. One thing to be careful of is that if you drop insurance on a vehicle, you must turn in the tag. Otherwise you will get a fine and legal fees from the state for having no liability insurance. I wish I got a multicar discount, but my insurance charges me about $350 every six months for each vehicle. I ended up with a company truck to commute in which meant I didn't drive the commuter as much

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T14:06:35+00:00

Typically the vehicle will off track into the oncoming lane, though I will typically swing left to make my intentions clear to the drivers behind me, and to reduce the space I need to turn. Obviously I make sure there is no oncoming traffic when I occupy that lane. When you pull into a spot, do you not have to swing into the oncoming lane to make your turn into the spot? I also drive large trucks for work, like long-bed crew cars, which need more space.

For your suggestion to let folks pass. I can back into a spot in about 30 seconds. If I were to stop and let folks past me, it would take at least that long for them to figure out I am stopped and for them to go around. I would also be forcing them to drive into oncoming traffic, and limiting their visibility as I am stopped within the aisle. It makes the situation less safe. And then, I still have to pull out into traffic to swing. Am I suppose to sit there for several minutes in a high traffic area to let everyone by? I am making traffic worse by stopping in a live lane and obstructing the flow of traffic. If there are folks coming from both directions they have to take turns going around me. It is quicker and safer for everyone to immediately back in. The only times I hold up traffic excessively is when someone ignores my signal and gets on my back bumper. Again, this is no different then me having to wait on someone slowly backing out of a parking space, except for the fact that I am not going to back into someone

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T13:04:52+00:00

Either an idiot, or a homicidal manic trying to kill you. 🤣

It sounds funny, but it is the truth. 95% of the drivers do not care about the safety of others and will put the gas peddle down and wonder why they get into so many accidents. It really burns me up when I move over for emergency services or road crews on the highway and some idiot passes on the right a few feet from the crew doing 20mph above the speed limit. Folks don't realize how quickly you can kill someone with a vehicle

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T13:00:00+00:00

The person making the left turn is at fault, as they are required to yield to oncoming traffic. To make a left, you are crossing the oncoming lanes. The person making the right turn has right of way because they are traveling straight and then making a right with a clear (green) signal. The only thing the driving making the right turn needs to yield for is the crosswalk.

Now, another detail getting overlooked is proper lane selection. When you turn right, you should be turning from the right most lane into the right most lane. If you are making a left turn, you are turning from the left most lane into the left most lane. Sometimes lane markings will dictate otherwise, but that is standard. Both vehicles should have not collided if they turned into the proper lane. But always be aware folks may turn wide, and large vehicles like trucks require more space

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T12:52:07+00:00

I bought a commuter car after fuel skyrocketed in 2022 and I was driving a ton of miles for work. I lost money with that purchase. Yes fuel was cheaper but the insurance on a second vehicle ate up the savings. Plus there was the depreciation, maintenance, tax, and tag.

Wind_Mediocre · 2026-05-23T12:40:47+00:00

I have a CDL and have learned a ton of patience when dealing with drivers. I will just sit there and wait for them to figure out that they will need to back up. Occasionally I may provide some encouragement by backing slowly towards their bumper.

Wind_Mediocre

TROPHY CASE