Boston Crazy Driving: March 2006

3.31.2006

The Logan Express

I am now officially an expert on Logan Airport!

Just ask how to get to any of the terminals, or how to get out of there, and I will tell you, because I spent 30 minutes there yesterday circumnavigating the airport waiting for my sister-in-law to "deplane."

Mrs. Boston Crazy Driving's sister flew in yesterday, and I insisted on picking her up because it would be easiest for me to get there. I work north of the city and live south, so it would *more or less* be on the way home. I used a handy flight tracking Web site, flightview.com, which gave me her real-time location imposed over a map of the U.S., her approximate arrival time and interesting details like altitude and weather.

About 15 minutes before she was due to arrive, I hopped in the car and headed in on Route 93 South. I was at the airport in 11 minutes. I'm not joking. I used the Callahan (I think, because I can never which one goes to or from the airport) from 93. The old tunnel now almost seems primitive in compared to the Ted and the Tip. I suddenly realized I overestimated the time I would need to get there. I also used the airline's notification system to have a message sent to my cell phone when she landed (isn't technology wonderful?).

A bit of backstory: We rarely went to the airport when I was a kid. We went on plenty of vacations, but not many that involved flying anywhere. So, going into the airport, and using those amazing underwater tunnels was almost as exhilarating as going anywhere on a plane. It's more mundane now, but because of my limited experience with the airport I hadn't really learned the airport. It was always this nebulous place of snarled roads, and it never really seemed any different as an adult until yesterday. It is now much better planned than ever, though the signs could be a bit better, especially for people who don't wish to leave right away.

Back to yesterday: I circled Terminal B once to be sure she wasn't standing on the platform in case my cell phone didn't receive the message. It came in about five minutes later, and a minute before she called me to say she sat in the back and would be awhile "deplaning." This was on my second pass around the airport roadway. I went once through Terminal B just to kill time, and then started circling the airport roadway. Using my hands-free, I made a few calls to Mrs. Boston Crazy Driving her 'rents to say that I was just awaiting her arrival on the platform.

I ended up circling the airport about five more times, and I wasn't the only one doing it. There was a guy in a burgundy Mercedes going around with me a couple of times. I began to wonder if people actually do what I was doing, just circling until the person I was awaiting was ready for pickup.

As I was about to start my sixth circuit, my sister-in-law called to say she was about to step onto the platform. It was perfect timing. I wedged in at the curb between double parked commuter buses and we were soon off.

By now, some may be asking, why I didn't just park in short-term at Terminal B and wait. The fact is, I hate paying to park anywhere. I'm a cheap bastard.

Anyway, by having two of us in the car, we were able to use the HOV lane coming from the Ted. It was a great thing to be able to zip by all the traffic on the main stretch of the Southeast Distressway as it emerged from the Tip. But there was no joy in Muddville as our forward progress was stymied by a minivan. Yep. A minivan. Big surprise. The driver was going impossibly slow (about 25). We couldn't figure out why. It seemed like she was looking for an exit from the HOV lane. Or it could have been because she had a car full of kids that was packed to the gills with a bookcase strapped to the top.

Well, Mrs. Minivan putted along holding up a whole line of eager HOV-users (one of whom was stopped by a statie waiting at the exit for people who didn't have the minimum two passengers). We got onto the Distressway near South Bay and putted along with the rest of traffic, until I noticed drivers going around us and Mrs. Minivan. I did the same. You know why? Because she was doing 30 as the rest of the traffic around her was driving 40, and because there was a gap nearly a quarter mile long in the left lane.

We then took the HOV lane from Savin Hill to the Braintree split and continued heading south on 93 (and simultaneously north on 128). All told, it took us 35 minutes to go from airport to the 'burbs. At rush hour. Everyone was supremely impressed, not in me, but in the fact that it seems like maybe the Big Dig might have been worth it after all. Or, as my sister-in-law wryly pointed out, our traffic is getting better because everyone is leaving.

3.28.2006

Changing the driving rules

Earlier, I wrote that the proposals to strengthen the junior operator law didn't go far enough, and in the days since that post, three teenagers and a 10-year-old have been killed in just two car accidents on Massachusetts roads. In both accidents, teenagers were behind the wheel. I point it out as a matter of fact, not to lay blame on anyone. That's not my place. These are tragedies and no amount of hyperbole about better driving laws could have prevented the accidents.

A former schoolmate of mine died in a car crash right at the end of my street. He was a chum before we went to different high schools and lost touch. I had my learner's permit for a month and I had barely figured out how to turn on the windshield wipers without taking my eyes off the road. In that accident, where speed and weather were factors, I learned how easily a car can be deadly. It was a well-timed example. Sadly, four others paid with their lives this month to send a message to new and future drivers. Hopefully their sacrifice will save others.

The timing of these accidents have also brought attention to the bill in the state Legislature that is seeking to change driving laws for the first time in about eight years. Legislators are considering raising the driving age as a result of these accidents. Read more about it on Boston.com here. Then vote in a poll on the issue available at Universal Hub.

IMHO, it is not so much age as inexperience. There's a reason why insurance companies place higher premiums on drivers with less experience. It doesn't matter whether they get their licenses at 16.5 or 21.5. Anyone with fewer than six years of driving experience, statistically, is more likely to have an accident, even if it is a minor fender-bender. So, when considering any changes to the minimum driving age, legislators would be wise to solicit testimony from insurers on the issue of inexperienced drivers. I would be willing to bet that the insurance companies have data on the likelihood of crashes of any severity by people who get their licenses at 16.5, 17, 17.5 and so on. If the difference between 16.5 and 17.5 is negligible, then there's no point in raising the age. It's mere a feel-good measure and therefore a bad law.

UPDATE: Read other blogger comments at Universal Hub here.

3.26.2006

The No-Minivan Pledge

Regular readers may recall that Mrs. Boston Crazy Driving and I are expecting our first child. The news was first announced in this post that tells the story about her being in a car accident while on her way to a conference. Everyone was fine and only the tire cover on the compact SUV she drives was damaged. Not only are we thankful to that small SUV for being durable in low-speed rear-end collisions (go ahead and snark on us for having an SUV in the first place), but it has come in handy on trips to Home Cheapo and transporting other items for our home that wouldn't normally fit in my compact Japanese four-door. Now, we can also add to our gratitude for this vehicle the fact that we don't have to purchase a minivan.

A coworker of mine insists we will relent and buy one after the baby, a boy, arrives in April, but I don't see it. This same coworker hauls around her urban jungle in a minivan that was bought for all the accoutrements of her one child, and she believes she could not live without it. I know we can.

See, both of us being just 30, we don't feel like we are quite old enough or "kidded up" enough to require one, first of all. Second of all, Mrs. Boston Crazy Driving and I believe that minivan drivers must give away a little bit of their driving acumen with each monthly payment in lieu of interest. Therefore, we have taken the No-Minivan Pledge. There doesn't appear to be anything readily available in the Oracle at Google, so I will write on of my own. Here goes:

I, being otherwise sane and of good driving ability, will not purchase a minivan under any circumstances, except perhaps in the demonstration of how bad minivan drivers really are; and that I will not knowingly consent to obtaining a minivan by any other methods, except in the case cited above.
Singed,
Timlav

OK, it needs some work, but you get the basic idea. I could have elaborated about not bending the pressure of suburban child-ferrying and such, but if our long-term plans are properly executed, there won't be any suburban child-ferrying.

Our primary reasons for taking the No-Minivan Pledge are based on several observations of those who own them.

First, it seems as though these are rolling entertainment rooms full of any kind of child distraction known to the modern world. I don't know about you, but only limos had TVs in them when I was growing up, and the handheld version of Nintendo wasn't introduced until I was 13 or so. That meant we had to rely on old standbys like the ever fascinating "License Plate Game," in which we would try to complete the alphabet by using the last letter of some other driver's plate. Or, someone other than the driver would be the questioner using a deck of "Trivia for Kids" cards. These are far more creative and engaging than recycling the same SpongeBob DVD, therefore increasing screen time.
Second, is their size itself. The mileage estimates for city and highway are comparable or better for our small SUV than most minivans. While we're conscious of our environmental damage, we aren't driving an Escalade or Suburban to the Transfer Station and the downtown silk flower shop. But minivans are comparable in length to some of the larger SUVs out there, which makes them hard to park. They are also unflatteringly egg-shaped, and therefore not cool in any form.
Third, their drivers tend to execute some of the most moronic maneuvers I've ever seen. Though I haven't written about them much, I witness any number of said maneuvers on a weekly basis. What infuriates me most about these moves is that they are usually done with kids in tow, and yet these are the same parents who would scold me for nearly hitting their kids while they ran out from between parked cars or something like that. Also, when dads get behind the wheel, they seem desperate to appear cool, so they tend to drive the thing like it's a Porsche. Dads, it's not a Porsche. As one bumper sticker I once saw on a minivan said, "Built for comfort, not for speed."
Fourth, and this may seem a little unneighborly, but without a minivan, we won't be able to play mom's taxi to a bunch of neighborhood kids. We hope we are blessed with at least two children of our own. Without a third row, we won't have enough room for more than one or two friends. Oh well.

Mrs. Boston Crazy Driving and I are unanimous in this. In fact, it was the first thing about parenthood that we agreed upon. We cannot bear to become minivan owners, and therefore have signed this pledge in hopes that others who harbor similar feelings will join us if for no other reason than to sneer at the ones who are stuck behind the wheels of these glorified grocery getters.

Bonehead maneuvers I

I haven't quite figured out yet how to report most of the boneheaded maneuvers I see daily. Some are insignificant and are hard to create a whole post about, so I'm daring to start a series where I list a compilation of boneheaded maneuvers.

On Main Street in Medford on Friday afternoon, a Top Cab driver, apparently displeased the with typical afternoon traffic backup on Route 16 West, backed down the ONRAMP then backed around the corner onto Main Street, in MY LANE OF TRAVEL. It's also possible the driver missed the OFFRAMP and needed to get off or risk the ire of the fare in the back seat, but this is a major no-no.
Doncha love it when someone in such a hurry who drives illegally gets blocked by traffic anyway? Also on Friday afternoon, I was in the southbound Tip O'Neill tunnel near the point where AM radio creates a really mechanical sound (my opinion on that), when a car starts coming on my left in yellow-cross-hatched emergency stopping zone. This bonehead is driving a white Lexus with new plates that have the two letters in the middle and a rear bumper that has seen better days (as has mine). As he whips by me, he presses into the new lane created by the new ramp just before Kneeland Street. He is sporting the typical bonehead posture: overhand grip right on the top center of the steering wheel, right elbow on the center console and right hand holding a cell phone to his ear. He eats bumper for about a hundred yards in the left lane, which is always slow because of the merging traffic from Route 90.
Second hurried driver seen on Sunday in Hyde Park. I pulled out of a side street with more than enough room. I'm no poke, either, so I was quickly up to speed, but on my left heading towards oncoming traffic is a black pickup truck with a cap and a Pat Patriot magnetic symbol on the tailgate. He even gave me a brief tap of the brakes to let me know how out of line I was to enter his lane of travel. At the next lights, he got stuck behind a line of three Sunday drivers who had nowhere to go and all day to get there. For some reason, he didn't try passing them on the wrong side of the road.

That will do it for now, but stay tuned. If this works, it might become a regular thing.

5,000 hits!

Just a quick post of thanks to those who read this rant. Your visits here have totaled more than 5,000 unique page views in less than a year. That's nearly an average of 100 visits per week. I consider that a personal achievement since most of what I put up here isn't anything more than what anyone else experiences on a daily basis in Boston.

I would like to express particular thanks to Adam at Universal Hub. Without him, I wouldn't have been noticed in the blogosphere in the first place. His continued linking to my rants has been the main engine behind my traffic. For those who found this blog on their own, check out Universal Hub on your own. It's a great resource of citizen journalism that has no equal in Boston, or perhaps any other major metropolis.

Also thanks to those who blogroll me. I can't name everyone because I don't know everyone who does, but I appreciate the link. If you blogroll me, and would like a reciprocal gesture, please e-mail me. I would be happy to add you to the list.

I wish this post could also announce a major redesign of the site, but I'm afraid I don't have the money or the expertise to do that. The template I use is a Blogger creation. I chose it because the statue in the upper left is George Washington at the Public Garden, I swear. I may be considering some tweaks this summer when I will have more time. If anyone wants to lend some free advice, it would be graciously received and credited here.

Anyhow, thanks again for sticking with me for these 11 months, and even being faithful when my posts lagged.

Cheers!

UPDATE: I'm over 5,200 unique page views now, which brings my average to 100 visits per week. That's great traffic for a first-year blog. Thanks very much everyone!

3.24.2006

Radio set to frustrated

I've been driving through the northbound section of the Tip O'Neill tunnel since a few weeks after it opened, and at the time it was said that FM and AM radio frequencies as well as cell phones, pagers and wireless PDAs (which use radio frequencies) would all be operative in the tunnel system.

Both directions of the tunnel have dead spots and it doesn't appear anyone at the Mass. Turnpike Authority cares to fix them. It's not as bad as the old days of driving through the Sumner or Callahan when the radio would be completely useless in those underwater tunnels, but it is still a pain. I have to curtail cell phone calls (I use a headset and hands-free dialing, for those who want to snark on me to say hang up and drive.), and I know that it's useless to try to enjoy any music or talk radio while inside. Even my iPod transmitter goes haywire.

Most of the time, I am through the tunnel in a minute or two, so it's not very bothersome. But on days when the traffic is backed up going into the tunnel, I know at some point I am going to lose communication with the rest of the world. Sometimes, the northbound tunnel has a complete blackout from its entrance to the Albany Street downramp. Other times, the Pike has jammed all of the signals to broadcast a traffic advisory on a loop (which can be very helpful), but they forget to play the loop, so drivers get dead air with an occasional beep.

What I can't understand is that if the Big Dig contractors could figure out how to freeze the soil underneath the train tracks leaving South Station so they could excavate tunnels underneath, why can't they hire someone with some technical knowledge of radio transmission to fix the tunnel. I'd be surprised to hear that the cell phone companies haven't pushed to have this fixed.

Anyone else who is as frustrated as me can contact the Pike here.

3.15.2006

Funny things seen on the road recently II

A squirrel using the crosswalk during Spring Break at Milton Academy. He certainly wasn't late for class.

A red sportscar on Route 128 in Danvers with the license plate "BDDRIVR." At least he admits it.

A pair of motorcycle cops rolling down Route 128 in Needham that was reminiscent of Punch and John from "C.H.iP.s."

Here's a link to an anecdote by Adam Gaffin on Universal Hub about a woman who drove while doing her hair.

Finally, and best of all, a misspelled billboard. I was heading south on 128 in Reading and noticed the rotating billboard on the roadside in front of Jordan's Furniture's new building has an ad for one of the "128" car dealerships. The largest type on the billboard screams "YOUR APPROVED!" I wonder if I should call the dealership and tell them it should be "YOU'RE APPROVED!"

Young driver bill in the high-speed lane

A bill that would increase driver education and further limit so-called "junior drivers" is getting the fast track on Beacon Hill. Now, don't get me started about the fact that the real story is that Beacon Hill is moving some quickly on a meaningful piece of legislation. Usually only congratulatory resolutions for 90th birthdays get that special treatment.

This bill, reported in today's Globe, is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't go far enough, and it appears that one key enforcement component is going to be cut out. That component would allow cops to pull over drivers who look like junior operators to make sure they weren't in violation of their special regulations.

I took learning to drive seriously. I didn't want the embarrassment of failing the driving test. My friends and I knew all who failed and we all snickered about it. I didn't want that fate, so I studied. But not all my friends did, and it's apparent now that most other drivers don't. Otherwise I wouldn't have this blog.

If I were on the committee considering this bill, I would insist that the provision to allow junior operators to be stopped should be included. Junior operators are under 18, and although they are subject to the same rights and privileges under the Constitution, they are a special class of driver who should be subject to review. Driving is a privilege. It takes skill and time to master. I am a good driver, but far from the best, and I've been driving for nearly 15 years.

Reilly no friend of 'Sunshine'

Today's news that Attorney General (and Gov. wannabe) Tom Reilly signed a gag order on himself about the leaks in the Tip O'Neill Tunnel really has me mad. A pattern is forming that Reilly is no friend of "Sunshine" laws, so-called because they guarantee public records will be available to the public. The federal Freedom of Information Act is the cornerstone and the several states have adopted their own versions as well.

Recent stories about Reilly have me worried that he will seek to undermine the public records laws in this state, especially as there is a fear culture building that these records will be used for identity theft. Indeed, certain public paper trails can lead to all kinds of personal information used for online and telephone account access, but changes need to be made in exactly how detailed the information is in these records and the type of identifying information used by financial and medical institutions. But I digress.

The Herald has a good story today, even quoting two of its former staff reporters (Reilly flack Dave Guarino and Romney mouthguard Eric Fehrnstrom) who are at odds over the philosophy of Reilly's agreement to gag himself on the leaks in the Tip O'Neill tunnel. As someone who uses the tunnel nearly every day, I don't want any secrecy about the tunnel. I see the water falling from the ceiling. I see the unfinished emergency exits. I see it all.

The story says that the gag order is for five years, and covers Reilly, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Big Dig contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinkerhoff. All three parties must agree before releasing any information. In my decade and a half as a spectator in the sport of politics, this seems highly unusual. As top cop, Reilly should understand the public's right to know, especially if public safety is at stake.

Even the state's supervisor of public records Alan Cote is frustrated with Reilly in this story because he is apparently not cooperating with Cote's opinions.

These incidents and Reilly's past actions in the case of two teenage girls killed in a car accident, where he overruled Worcester DA John Conti and concealed a report about the accident, lead me to believe Reilly's goal is to be on a "need to know" basis with the general public. It's understandable given that he's a career prosecutor. He knows that too much public scrutiny can jeopardize proceedings. In criminal cases, it can taint a jury pool, for example. But most politicians (and Reilly told the Boston Chamber of Commerce he wasn't a politician) err on the side of disclosure. They just hold their noses when they say they believe in the freedom of information.

Boston Crazy Driving has remained decidedly unpolitical, so I tread very carefully here. If there is one time I would like to see a candidate flip-flop on an issue, it's this one. Reilly should reverse himself in his apparent opinion that public information is for his eyes only. And the news that he has appealed the ruling that former Senate President William Bulger can earn a higher pension doesn't impress me because everyone likes to kick the Bulgers these days. Reilly hadn't yet earned my vote, but after reading about the gag order I've firmly decided not to vote for him.

3.14.2006

Protected speech

Here's an interesting link to an Odds and Ends story on boston.com. Imagine being fined for giving someone the bird while you're driving. The Pittsburgh guy who was cited has filed a lawsuit saying his middle finger is protected by the First Amendment. I agree, especially since I have been known to signal displeasure with a particular finger. I don't use it often, but sometimes it is very satisfying to use to get a message across.

3.10.2006

Holey bumper

Any five-year-old car is going to show its age, as mine does. There's little knicks in the bumper, some punk stole the maker's mark off my trunk and the steering wheel gives away the fact that I often turn the car using the palm of my left hand. Those I can live with, even though I don't like them. I especially dislike the knicks in the bumpers because they can't be easily repaired and usually the repairs look worse than the scrapes.

But there's one problem with my front bumper that no little White-Out-style tube of paint can fix thanks to a perfectly placed tow hitch.

Driving along the Southeast Distressway in typical morning traffic goes like this: Drive 30 mph for 50 yards, then stop abruptly. Repeat. It's real easy to get lulled into the rhythm of it, actually. And to the point that you feel you can drift away mentally and still stop in time. In fact, I can think of several accidents I have seen happen or come upon after they've happened that have probably been the result of one person drifting away to Reverie Beach (not Revere Beach). I, now, am one such victim.

I had just gotten on the highway and into the lane I take pretty much every day. I was behind a Ford F150 pickup truck and slipped into reverie about something other than the workday ahead of me. This is why I wish I could take the T, because it would give me more time for day dreaming.

Suddenly I look ahead and notice the truck was stopped and a lot closer than I wanted it to be. I jammed on my brakes, but there wasn't room enough. I actually needed exactly enough room to where I stopped. The truck's trailer hitch hookup, which didn't have a hitch ball installed, pierced my bumper, and had I been going faster I would have busted my radiator and crumpled my hood. I was lucky, because just like the bumper knicks I can live with this major blemish but I don't have to like it.

3.06.2006

It pays to shop around

The Boston Crazy Driving field research vehicle (my car) is a 5-year-old Japanese-make sedan. It's a typical compact (not subcompact like a Corolla) with a 4-cylinder engine. It has largely been problem-free its entire life. It ticked over 75,000 miles recently, and the normal wear and tear of everyday driving has started to catch up with it. We put on new tires a year ago and new brakes and drive belts this summer.

Then just after the new year, the car started idling very rough. I would get to a stop light and the tachometer would look like a seismograph needle in a 7.5 Richter earthquake. I'm no mechanic, but I knew this wasn't normal. I tried replacing the battery, thinking it wasn't getting a charge anymore and wasn't able to keep the car running at idle. That wasn't it.

As a high school kid, I had a beat up 1982 Toyota Corolla that I did some of my own work on. Once I took the carburetor off in the dark and in the rain, and managed to reconnect the thing perfectly a couple days later. I took the carb off because the Corolla was doing something similar to today's field research vehicle. It ended up being the spark plug wires causing a firing problem. I figured this might be my cause. Nope, according to a mechanic I asked, but he wanted $82 to tell me what was wrong. I wasn't too interested in that, especially since he didn't roll it into the labor cost if I decided to have the car fixed there.

Out of options, I took it to the dealer. I figured since they sell these cars, they must be able to know what's wrong with them. I was right, but it cost me $89 to find out. It was the lower air intake manifold gasket. In short, there was a leak and it was bringing too much air into the engine. It was maybe a $15 part, if that. I can't imagine a rubber seal is more than that. Yet, the quote I got from the dealer was $750 for the work. Yikes!

The reason the bill was so high was that they basically had to take out a major portion of the engine to get to it (naturally) and that's a lot of labor. Well, I didn't have that kind of pocket change, so I decided to shop it around. I knew I could keep the car running by keeping my foot on the brake and gas at the same time. It's a major no-no in my book, but the circumstances called for drastic measures.

I called another mechanic (recommended by my mom, actually), and over the phone he quoted me $450. Wow! That's music to my ears. I booked an appointment and dropped the car off at Jim's Automotive in Norwood a couple days later. Norwood wasn't really convenient to work, or home, but well worth it. The car runs great, and I'm even getting better mileage than before. Jim, by the way, is a real nice guy, running a good business. My car was left clean, and my seat was in the same place as I had left it (these are almost as important to me as a good price and quality work).

I had always known the dealer was typically 30 percent higher than an independent garage, but my last mechanic retired and I didn't have a need for one since my car wasn't a repair problem. Now that I found one, though, I'm glad to recommend him. He's at 291 Lenox Street in Norwood (781.762.9547) in a nondescript blue building with sheet metal siding. We liked his prices so much, we put Mrs. Boston Crazy Driving's field vehicle in for four-wheel brakes. The car only needed rear brakes, and he did them for about $180. Beat that, Midas!

Grimy walls

I'm really beginning to wonder why the Tip O'Neill Tunnel is anything to brag about. I drive through it nearly every day in both directions. It's a dump. The walls are covered in the type of grey grime that coats cars in New England from December to March.

I wonder if they are going to wash the wall ever. Perhaps that can just focus the spray from one of the leaks. Speaking of which, I noticed ice stalactites hanging over the center lane of the northbound tunnel one cold day recently, and I thought, "that can't be good." On another trip through the southbound tunnel, I saw broken cement on the parapet and ground on the lefthand side that looked like it fell from the ceiling. It was just north of door CP442.

The evening traffic in the tunnels gives me a chance to take a slow roll through the tunnel and inspect the work. One "exit" has had water in it more days than not, and it also looks like they have emptied a river of mud on a nightly basis (this is just at the curve by the Albany Street exit).

In short, the tunnels are in bad shape, and they are gross. Every time I see Turnpike Chairman Matt Amorello on TV touting the project, I want to call in and ask if he or any of the gladhanding reporters have driven through it lately.

Remarkable maneuvering

I thought for sure someone was going to be killed on Route 128 in Waltham last week. I was driving in the left lane for a bit to make some time and suddenly saw a car do something that didn't look right. It was an SUV about a dozen cars ahead of me in the center left lane and it was wobbling. It then lurched left into the left lane and eventually went off the highway into the median.

Amazingly, the driver managed to keep the car on all fours, and from hitting anything. The car came to rest on a patch of grass just before the Winter Street exit, and as I passed the car I gave a glance to the driver who wasn't visibly injured. I couldn't tell if the driver was a man or a woman, but from what glimpse I did get, I bet he or she was a bit shaken up and relieved. I thought about stopping, but I didn't think it would be wise as there was no real way to get back on the highway safely. There was no reason for two cars to attempt to get back into traffic from the median strip and create twice the hazard.

That driver did a remarkable job of keeping the SUV from flipping, and from causing damage or injury to any other vehicles or drivers.