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BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

Get a car you can handle

Canadian singer Justin Bieber performs at a German paper Bildzeitung 's headquarters in Berlin, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd/ Timur Emek)

Good Day Bermuda! This week my pet peeve is people who have these massive cars and cannot drive or handle them in a manner that suggests care, caution and courtesy, or even safety for that matter. I’m feeling a bit like my colleague, Grumpy Old Man, this week and ranting and raving about an issue that I’m sure bothers others but those bothered may not have the same forum to air their concerns. So I speak for them too. More on this after the top 20.Making the big jump to the top of the pops is Glad You Came, by The Wanted. This is one of the most popular tracks in the world at the moment; for good reason. It bangs, it has an energetic beat with catchy lyrics.Tumbling to #2 it’s Give Me All Your Luvin’ by Madonna featuring Nikki Minaj and MIA. Improving to #3 is Starships by Nikki Minaj, a former essential new tune and quite a popular track by an equally popular artist. Falling to #4 is the hot dance track by Chris Brown and Rihanna, Turn Up The Music.Advancing to #5 this week is Boyfriend by Justin Bieber. This is a solid pop tune that has the usual and predictable catchy cute lyrics which will appeal to young ladies. It’s a good, tried and true strategy. Slipping to #6 is The Motto by Drake featuring L’il Wayne. Slipping to #7 is Take Care by Rihanna and Drake.Up to #8 is Dance Again by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull. This track is growing on me. On the way up at #9 is one of DJLT’s faves, Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jespen, the Canadian newcomer. I do dislike the end of the video however. Improving to #10 is Wild Ones by Flo Rida featuring Sia, a former essential new dance track.Falling to #11 is Rack City by Tyga, which has had a good run but is running out of steam.International Love by Pitbull featuring Chris Brown, falls to #12. Tumbling to #13 is Someone Like You by Adele. Falling to #14 is Turn Me On by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj.Improving to #15 is Birthday Cake by Rihanna and her old boo Chris Brown. Improving to #16 is Rihanna’s other hit, Where Have You Been? Tumbling to #17 it’s Hangover by Taio Cruz featuring Flo Rida. Slipping to #18 is Dance (A$$) by Big Sean featuring Nicki Minaj.New at #19 is Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia, this week’s essential new dance tune. New at #20 is Climax by Usher, this week’s essential new tune. Check it out, it comes in a few mixes to satisfy everyone.Now back to this week’s topic, cars out of control. Well, let me start by admitting that I too drive one of these SUVs that have become so popular in Bermuda.They are big by Bermuda’s standards but in the wider world they are considered small.Earlier this week I was driving into work, listening to Vibe 103.3FM, the best station for those of us who prefer less talk and more energy jams, when a rather cute lady in an equally cute KIA Sportage drifted into my lane on East Broadway! BAD move right?Yes, but this happens all too frequently and suggests that many people cannot really drive, are not properly schooled in driving and perhaps should not be allowed to drive. Hear me out.I bounced the idea off a colleague, just to get a second opinion.The colleague agreed that this is a problem and went on to extend the issue to how individuals with SUVs park their cars, using up two parking spots or parking too far to the left or right; leaving the next person stuck trying to get out of their car (if they try to park properly) or causing problems for everyone else who tries to park later.Then there’s the fact that a lot of these cars are really too big for the parking spots in some of our parking lots. We cannot blame the Corporation of Hamilton for this or the owners of the parking lots. That’s not their problem.So what’s the solution? Well, for starters, TCD has be strict in enforcing the size restrictions on vehicles. The word is that this rule is applied selectively, but whatever!More importantly, people should have to take their driving test in the vehicle they’re gonna drive. And if a person goes to TCD to licence a vehicle, their licence should state the type of car they took the test in to obtain their driving licence in the first instance!If, for instance, I take my test in an A Class vehicle, I should not be allowed to drive a G or an H class vehicle until and unless I take the practical road driving test in that class of vehicle. Transitioning to a much larger vehicle is a lot different from driving a smaller vehicle.It is doable. If buses, taxis, trucks, heavy trucks and the massive construction vehicles can, for the most part, stay in their lanes and not cause accidents, road users who drive smaller vehicles should also be able to operate their vehicles in a safe, careful, courteous and considerate manner which does not offend, obstruct or inconvenience other road users.In any event, in the meantime, I am to ask all of us to do our part to reduce the amount of road rage we have at the moment and be considerate of other road users, whether they be vehicles or pedestrians. Let’s hope to have fewer accidents and road fatalities moving forward. Peace…………………….DJLT.