Dec 28 2007

NC and FL Vehicle Registrations

Tag: A-holes, Dirty Jersey, Drivers, People, Rip OffJersey Joe @ 10:31 am

On a typical day driving around or through NJ, I lose count of how many cars with Florida or North Carolina registrations. What’s the deal?

Are these people defrauding the state by registering their vehicle in FL or NC to avoid paying higher registration fees or higher insurance premiums? According to most if not all insurance companies, if you’re garaging your vehicle at a different location and they’re not informed, that may be fraud. No, going to FL once a year to get your car inspected doesn’t count as being permanently garaged.

If you live in NJ and spend most of your time in NJ, register your car in NJ.


Dec 23 2007

Yield To Pedestrians in Crosswalk

Tag: A-holes, Drivers, PeopleJersey Joe @ 12:43 am

Just the other day I was driving through a small industrial park. One of the companies has multiple buildings on opposite sides of a narrow two-lane road (where the speed limit is 25MPH), so there is a lot of pedestrian traffic as the workers move between buildings throughout the day.

There is a clearly marked crosswalk, complete with a big reflective sign standing between the lanes that says “State Law: Yield To Pedestrians in Crosswalk.” As I was driving, I stopped to let a small group of people cross. As they’re crossing, some bonehead behind me doesn’t like the fact that I stopped so he decided to pass me and had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the pedestrians.

If I’m stopped in front of a crosswalk, DO YOU THINK I’M DOING IT BECAUSE I’M BORED? “Gee, I wish could break up the monotony of driving - Hey! I know, I’ll just stop here in front of this crosswalk!” I STOPPED BECAUSE THERE WERE PEDESTRIANS CROSSING. Why would anyone in their right mind try to pass someone at a crosswalk?

Even if it wasn’t a state law, it’s courteous to yield to pedestrians, however the fact that it is a state law still doesn’t stop most people in NJ from not stopping for pedestrians.

FUCK NEW JERSEY!


Dec 20 2007

The Douchebag In The Audi

Tag: A-holes, Dirty Jersey, Drivers, TrafficJersey Joe @ 5:18 pm

I happened to notice today like I do every day some douchebag driving an Audi S8 with both front and rear foglights on in clear weather. I have nothing against Audis (hell I used to own an A4 myself), but at least read your owners manual and learn what rear foglights are, and learn how to control them.

Most European sedans have foglights. There is a separate switch for front and rear foglights. Yes, I said REAR foglight(s). These are the lights that are as bright as brake lights that are always on, at least whenever the switch for them is turned on. About a decade ago it was only one single light on the drivers side, but now most European cars in the USA have them on both sides. I’m assuming that this is so they appear symmetric for the asshole who drives with them on in clear weather.

These rear foglights really aren’t necessary when the weather is clear. Front foglights aren’t needed either, but the extremely bright rear foglights that look like someone is riding their brakes can be very distracting to the other asshole who is going 90MPH and can’t see when he’s weaving through traffic to pass.


Dec 14 2007

NJ To Abolish Death Penalty

Tag: Dirty Jersey, PoliticsJersey Joe @ 10:09 am

According to an article on CNN, New Jersey lawmakers are voting to abolish the death penalty.

New Jersey lawmakers have voted to abolish the death penalty in the state, sending the governor a bill he has already said he will sign. The measure will make New Jersey the first state in more than 40 years to outlaw capital punishment.

The bill will make life in prison the most severe penalty for convicted murderers in the state, including the eight men currently on the state’s death row. New Jersey has not put anyone to death since 1963, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

This makes perfect sense, because obviously NJ is one of the safest states to live in with a low crime rate.

All sarcasm aside, over the past few years cities in NJ have repeatedly earned high crime-ridden city rankings. Crime does happen in New Jersey, quite often in fact.

Then again, even with the death penalty law, NJ hasn’t put anyone to death since 1963.


Dec 06 2007

Snow Makes NJ Drivers Go Crazy

Tag: A-holes, Dirty Jersey, Drivers, Road Conditions, WeatherJersey Joe @ 9:21 pm

I was driving home the other night while there was about a one inch dusting of snow on the ground. It wasn’t anything serious,  but that little dusting along with the snow that came down during the day and melted, and the 20 degree temperatures were enough to make the roads ever so slightly slick that a little extra caution was needed to be safe.

I was driving on a somewhat rural two lane road and slowed for the traffic light that just turned red. The minivan behind me aggressively accelerated , passed me (going into the other lane) and blew through the red light. This type of shit shouldn’t be done when the roads are dry, let alone when they are covered with snow and ice. The lives of the poor kids inside that minivan shouldn’t be endangered by their asshole parents who don’t know how to drive safely.

On that same drive home, I noticed all the SUVs in the opposite direction flying down the road as if they were on an autocross track. 4WD does not mean you can drive fast in the snow. You get more traction to start off or keep moving on hills, but you can’t go fast if you don’t have traction no matter how many wheels are pulling you. Just a few moments later, this little theory of mine was proven true when I saw an Acura MDX that slid off the road and into someone’s fence.


Dec 05 2007

Manhole Placement

Tag: Dirty Jersey, Road ConditionsJersey Joe @ 11:47 am

Why is it that nearly every manhole for access to utilities/pipes underground is placed directly in the path of your left wheels? If the manholes were shifted two feet to the right (or the if the roads were shifted two feet to the left), that would enable cars to go over the manholes without any wheels hitting them.

On my commute to work on a somewhat rural road, there are manholes every 30 yards or so, directly in the path of my left wheels. It might not be so bad if they were flush with the road surface, but all of those manholes are sunken several inches below the road surface so when you hit them, your teeth and brain get shaken loose.

Perhaps it’s a conspiracy with the road construction engineers and the alignment shops. Prior to living in New Jersey I had to get my truck aligned every two years or so. In New Jersey, it needs to be done every six months or sooner.


Dec 04 2007

Learn How To Merge

Tag: A-holes, Drivers, TrafficJersey Joe @ 3:33 pm

When two lanes merge into one, it’s universally understood that both lanes take a turn merging; one car from the right lane goes, then one from the left, then one from the right, and so forth.

NOT IN NEW JERSEY! Usually one of two things happens:

  1. It’s your turn to merge, and the car in the lane next to you accelerates to prevent you from merging.
  2. You’re driving along and just at the merge point, out of nowhere you get passed by two cars trying to get ahead of you (even if you’re already going 15MPH over the speed limit, somebody wants to go faster)

More than once, I’ve thought about how much fun it would be to throw a handful of pennies at drivers who do this.


Dec 03 2007

Turn Signals Are For Pussies

Tag: A-holes, Drivers, TrafficJersey Joe @ 2:23 pm

Rarely used in New Jersey, the turn signal is the rear tail light that blinks to alert other drivers that someone is about to change lanes. Some Jersey drivers make an attempt to obey the law and actually use their turn signals, though it defeats the purpose when you turn it on at the exact moment you’re changing lanes.

It’s a common sight to see someone let their turn signal blink only two or three times, and more often than not it’s a driver of a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes doing the ‘three blink special’ as they cut you off. Then again, most cars on the Garden State Parkway either a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes. For whatever reason, I’ve also observed many late model Nissan Altimas and Honda Accords participating in the same behavior. In those cases, it’s usually a specific demographic driving them, however I won’t get into that just yet.


Dec 01 2007

New Jersey Blows

Welcome to NJBLOWS.COM - A Rant About Life in NJ

Q: Why?

A: fucknj.com, njsucks.com, jerseysucks.com, and other variations were already registered. NJBLOWS.COM was avaiable, and the name works!

Q: What?

A: Regular rants about life in NJ (and how much it blows) - see the available categories to get an idea of what to expect.