Another Texas tradition dying out (Houston, Galveston: metro, driving, town)

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

This is one that I do, too. Learned it at my Daddy's knee (well, hanging over the back of the bench seat in the Hudson while he was driving).

Ah yes Hudsons. There must have been a bunch of those cars in Texas. My dad drove a 4-door Hudson Hornet home one evening and it was so ugly that we kids threatened not to ride in it. The best thing about it was the "huge-mongous" back seat. I guess he didn't like it either because very shortly he got rid of it.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I do. I also remember when there was a starter button on the floor board and you had to "step on the starter."

no ignition and key needed?!!!

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by wehotex

texas lady, maybe you might remember this?... But was the "light flasher" a button that was on the driver's side floorboard pressed by foot in years' past (1970s) that was on the upper left side?

LOL I will never forget when I bought a new truck back in the eighties and the first time I drove it at night the lights were on bright and I was feeling all over that floorboard with my left foot for that dimmer! Then I met a car, OMG I was mortified, I could not get the lights off bright. So here I am going down the road apologizing to every car I meet about the bright lights. I was feeling all over the dash and anywhere I thought they could have hidden the dimmer.

I had to call the dealership the next day to find out where the dimmer was. Good thing they told me about the wipers too or else I would have run into another situation when I got caught in the rain one day.

Originally Posted by wehotex

no ignition and key needed?!!!

I remember when I was about 9 years old I went to a friend's house to play. Her parents had to go down and do something in one of the back pastures, so left us there at the house. They had some old car there in the front yard that you could start by just pushing in a button. Then it was more buttons for drive, reverse. We got in that car and had a blast driving it around the front and back yards. LOL Had to hold onto the top of the steering wheel and hold ourselves up to be able to see over the dash to steer it. We'd take turns, one having to try and stay up high to be able to steer and the other one would be sliding down low to be able to work the gas pedal. I remember we were laughing our heads off and trying to keep an eye out so we didn't get caught. It's a wonder we didn't run into the house or a tree!

[Soviet]

Originally Posted by DitsyD

What gets me are the people that slow down to 10 mph UNDER the speed limit when they see a police/sheriff/highway patrol car. Why? You don't get a ticket FOR GOING THE SPEED LIMIT.

Actually, depending on how crooked & incompetent some cops are, you can. Many cops out there lie. Sad (& unacceptable) fact of life in modern America.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by Soviet

Actually, depending on how crooked & incompetent some cops are, you can. Many cops out there lie. Sad (& unacceptable) fact of life in modern America.

They are the equivalent of the stagecoach bandits that terrorized the settling invaders of the Old West.

[StaticKlingon]

Having spent a decade in orbit around the United States, I have indeed seen this common courtesy
being exercised all over the country. Perhaps it is not quite so prevalent since the advent of radar detectors? I have even seen some jurisdictions try to prosecute people for doing it, but that is a rarity.
Keep flashin' em! I, for one, appreciate the heads up even though I'm off the interstates these days and drive more like an obstruction than a runaway train.

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

Any idea what it means when you see an approaching vehicle's lights flash on and then off, then on and then off and then a short pause and it starts again, on and off - on and off?

I still follow this practice (warning oncoming traffic that they are approaching an active radar), but I'm beginning to think most people don't have a clue as to what it means. I do see a few left who know what I am warning them of and they will give a wave of thanks as they go by me, but I'll tell you, it's getting to be less and less.

Maybe it's just the area I live in (DFW area) and it is still more active in other areas. I sure hate to see it die out, it has saved my butt a few times, that's for sure and I was forever grateful to the person who alerted me. Looks like people would be more than willing to return the favor.

Please note, this is just a post wondering how many are aware of this practice, it is not intended to start the age old debate of 'if you're doing the crime, you do the time' so to speak. You know what I mean here, just please, no posts about how you obey the law and never speed and if people cannot stay within the speed limits, they deserve a ticket. We all know that everyone is capable of slipping up at some time or other and just passing by a patrol car with an active radar gun is just as effective (well, almost )to slowing your butt down as a high dollar ticket is. I'll grant you, the high dollar ticket might encourage you somewhat more to keep an eye on your speed, but believe me, a close call also encourages you to watch your speed in the oncoming months as well because you know you got lucky and you might not be so lucky next time.

Also note, I am not some speed demon, nor do I approve of habitual speed demons. This is just a friendly warning for folks like myself who just happen to not be driving with one eye on their speed at the time for whatever reason and might be going a few miles over the posted limit.

So hopefully, there will be no sermons on the evils of speeding and the self-righteous statements of 'I don't ever speed and you shouldn't either and if you do, you should be hung, etc'. Let's just see who all is aware of the warning practice and what it means. Also, if you are aware of it, do you still do it or do you think that no one is going to return the favor, so why should I warn them? Hopefully not, but I'm afraid this might be the case and that's a shame.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by wehotex

no ignition and key needed?!!!

No they all had keyed ignitions switches. Even my old '24 Dodge has an ignition switch but it also has the push button starter switch on the floor. Back then Dodge Brothers only made 99 different ignition switches each being numbered from DB1 to DB99. The thought was that, even with 99 different ignition switches, it still was unlikely that a thief would have your number. This car also has locking doors and a lock on the top of the transmission.

I forgot to add, that in the older cars, the ignition switch had to be turned on before the floor starter button worked.

[Slowpoke_TX]

I think it's more common in rural areas.

In the Panhandle where I grew up, most folks do it. A couple of years ago, I had a dedicated daily run to Stephenville, and folks up there do it, too. My dad always holds the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position, so he would wave thanks by lifting his index finger up, but while still holding onto the wheel with the rest of his hand. The index finger meant "hello" or "thank you," the index and middle fingers meant "radar."

[leftmyheartintennessee]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

That's the story although, when I first read about it, I am almost sure it said something about a felony warrant.

I'm not sure a Florida court judgement would carry any weight in another state but I don't know how these state courts work or think. From my experiences two states have to almost have a love affair going between each other to pay any attention to the others state's laws. The one I'm sort of following in Texas is the State's requirement that you have your vehicle licensed in Texas if you "reside" in the State. I don't know if this includes a temporary Texas residence or not but I had heard that people living in New Mexico, but working in El Paso, Texas, were getting harassed in Texas for not having Texas license plates and inspections. I have not been able to confirm this story though.

I have experienced this firsthand...a few years ago I had just come back to Texas after being gone for a
month or so...inspection sticker had expired while away so renewed it in NY where I was visiting, no problem while I was there but had a problem once I got back to Tx...had NY inspection sticker on the vehicle but Tx plates...had only been back in the state
not even a week...got stopped by the cops and given a ticket for not haveing TX inspection sticker
on the vehicle...had to pay a sizable fine, cops wouldn't cut me some slack even after I explained
why the sticker was out of state...been real careful since then not to let that happen again...

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

So hopefully, there will be no sermons on the evils of speeding and the self-righteous statements of 'I don't ever speed and you shouldn't either and if you do, you should be hung, etc'.

thats "hanged" and yes you should be.

20yrsinBranson