|
The Central Georgian
Transportation/Cars
Taxpayers footing bill for motorists who run
out of gas
By JASON BRONIS - Associated Press Writer
DECATUR, Ga. --Bennie Conley gave out his first gallon of gasoline less than an
hour into his afternoon shift.
"I didn't get one this early yesterday," Conley said as he helped another driver
stranded without fuel alongside Interstate 285 east of Atlanta.
Conley works for the Georgia Department of Transportation as a HERO or Highway
Emergency Response Operator.
With gasoline in many parts of the Atlanta area topping $4 a gallon, the DOT
roadside assistance crews are seeing a spike in the number of motorists who run
out of fuel.
"The majority of them probably figured they could make it to an exit," Conley
said. "Due to the traffic volume when they chose to get on the highway, it just
wasn't possible."
A five-gallon canister used to last Conley's entire eight-hour shift. Now, he
fills up the tank once, and sometimes twice a day.
On a recent afternoon, Conley gave fuel to about one stranded motorist per hour.
Each motorist gets about a gallon or two; just enough to get them to the nearest
filling station.
"It's not uncommon for me to run into people who ask for more," Conley said.
"That's not possible."
Because taxpayers foot the bill for the fuel Conley and the other crews give out
for free, the surge in stalls is taking its toll, according to Georgia DOT
communications specialist Monica Luck.
"You've got a five gallon gas container, it used to be you could take five
dollars and fill that up," Luck said. "Now, we're having to spend $20 a can."
In Georgia, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is
$3.95, slightly less than the national average of $3.98, according to AAA and
the Oil Price Information Service.
Conley acknowledges some drivers try to take advantage of the system, but he
records the license plate number of every driver he assists to help weed out
those taking more than their share.
Conley and the other operators are also under orders to insure their supply of
gasoline is locked up when they are not near their vehicles.
During his shift, Conley also responded to an accident that blocked two lanes of
the busy interstate, gave a push to a motorist whose car broke down in the
center lane and dragged an errant ladder that fell from a construction truck to
the side of the road.
The increased demand for emergency fuel can keep him from quickly responding to
more serious incidents, he said.
"That's part of the problem, because it might put me out of position to get here
as quickly as I did," Conley said after giving an ice pack to a motorist who was
slightly injured in the wreck.
But for motorists like Yurobia Carter, who ran dry on his way home from summer
school, Conley's big, neon yellow truck is a welcome sight. Carter admitted he
delayed filling his tank because of high gas prices and was surprised when
Conley helped him out for free.
"We thought they were gonna charge us, but they helped us out," Carter said. "I
appreciate that."
For Conley, who said he likes his job because he likes to help people, helping
so many drivers who run out of gasoline teaches him an important lesson.
"Once you get off the job and get home, you've got to look at yourself and say,
'I've got to make sure I don't end up in that predicament,'" he said.
Choosing Your Teen's First Car
(MSN) Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of
death among Americans aged 15-20. Limiting the number of passengers in a teen's
car reduces driver distraction—a cause of many crashes that involve teenagers.
More...
Major Construction
Project Information.
Click on an option below to view general information about
specific construction projects on major interstates and state routes in Georgia.
Please visit
www.511ga.org
for real-time traffic and travel information on our state highway system.
Gender plays a significant role in the cost
of insurance
Teens can't wait to get behind the wheel.
But it's a costly milestone—young, inexperienced drivers face some of the
biggest auto insurance premiums.Since teenagers have little experience behind
the wheel, insurers view them as high-risk drivers.
More...
Green Driving Tips
A little advance planning, a less-aggressive
driving style and a well-maintained car can help you get the most out of every
gallon of fuel.
By avoiding hard acceleration and sudden starts, you could see a 20% gain in
fuel economy.No matter where you live and what you drive, you can maximize every
gallon of fuel. Every gallon of fuel that you don't use saves you money and
helps to reduce global warming.
More...
High Priced Auto Loans Force Many Black Consumers
Down A Road Of Turmoil
(The Kansas City Call)
What do you do when you have “not so good” credit and need an automobile?
Chances are you go to a “we finance anyone” car dealership and get the what
could be viewed as the “once over.”
While the average car interest rates hover around 6.8 percent, it is not
unusual to find interest rates for the credit impaired hovering in the
neighborhood of 20 plus percent. More...
10 Tips:
How to avoid damaged goods at the car
lot
MSNBC
Even cars and trucks that seem like real “cream puffs”
can be concealing serious damage — and the vehicles’ titles may not clue you in
to that key detail. ...
Mustang Heaven |
2008 Ford Mustang
Mustang Heaven
Three new colors and available 18-inch premium wheels on the
V-6 coupe enhance Mustang’s bold American style. Shelby Mustang
Magic. ... |
Tow truck drivers face
danger with little recognition
By ROCKY SALMON
The Press-Enterprise
With the summer driving season at
its peak, tow truck company owner Mark Yarbrough is holding his breath every
time one of his drivers has to help a stranded motorist.
"In this business, accidents can
happen to anyone at anytime," the Perris business owner said. "One minute you
could be hooking up a car and the next, you are being dragged down the freeway."
Tow truck drivers may be called
for a variety of potentially dangerous missions -- from fixing a flat tire to
cleaning up an accident scene. And owners like Yarbrough have joined a national
campaign to implement stricter training standards and more recognition for those
who lose their lives.
The California Highway Patrol does
not keep statistics on tow truck accidents and fatalities but the Tow Truck
Association of America estimates that at least 60 operators are killed
nationally each year. It's equal to the number of police and paramedics killed
along our roadsides, said Mike Scott, safety director and researcher for the
association.
More....
Driving While Black:
The Car and Race Relations in Modern America
"Drivin' down
the Freeway:" Blacks and Car Culture
Whatever the hassles of driving,
African Americans, like whites, shared a passion for cars. The automobile was,
for most Americans, the most expensive item that they owned other than a house.
In a status-conscious consumer society, the car became one of the most prominent
symbols of "making it." The automobile industry, which developed some of the
most sophisticated marketing and advertising campaigns of the twentieth century,
appealed to consumers' desire to drive cars that played to their self-image.
Auto manufacturers developed new models that were luxurious, sporty, sturdy, or
family-friendly.
More...
Driving While Black:
On the
Line: Blacks and Auto Work
Blacks were not just consumers of
the car. Their history was also intertwined with the history of automobile
production. Here, too, the historical record was mixed. Detroit, the Motor City,
became one of the most important destinations for black migrants from the south
because of its reputation as a major center of car production. But the door to
auto factory jobs opened slowly for blacks. Until World War II, the auto
industry was not a particularly important employer of African Americans.
More...
Georgia schools
feeling crunch of state's new driver's ed law
Associated Press
ATLANTA
- Driver's education programs across Georgia
are experiencing traffic jams of their own because of a new state law requiring
16-year-olds to undergo behind-the-wheel training before getting a license.
The statute, which took effect Jan. 1, is known
as Joshua's Law - named for 17-year-old Joshua Brown of Cartersville, who died
in 2003 after his truck hydroplaned on a wet road and hit a tree. Under the
state law passed in 2005, 16-year-olds can't get a license until they take 30
hours of classroom instruction and have 40 hours of driving experience
supervised by a parent or a certified driving instructor.
More...
The Central Georgian, 2008,
Disclaimer..
| 
