# driving shennanigans **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 23, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170 "2002-08-23T03:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170/21 "2002-08-25T12:56:52Z")
Shoot! I completely forgot the damsel in distress story. Well, forget the damsel in distress story - it’s long and involved and I’m not up to it right now, save for one driving shennanigan. Early (early) one New Year’s Day I needed to gain access to this fellow’s condominium. It was protected by barriers. Well, just like in the movies, I hit that thing at aout 25-30 mph and that yellow and black striped barrier arm just went flying. I was clear of it by the time it came down. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170/22 "2002-08-26T15:31:21Z")
**Ringo** reminded me of my oldest sister’s shenanigans. She drove an Opel GT when I was a kid and used that car’s low stance to sneak _under_ those yellow & black striped parking lot barriers. I still remember the time when I was with her on a trip to the bank and she drove under the barrier. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170/23 "2002-08-26T16:12:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by imthjckaz \* > \*\* > Uh, back in the day, I used to see how far I could drive with my eyes closed. > > It was usually after a party, by myself, late at night, on back roads to avoid the coppers. > > I know that was not a smart thing to do, I was young and stoopid. > > I’m older now, and still stupid, but not as much. \*\* When I was in college, I would often be coming home from the bars, exhausted. So, while driving, I would catch little naps. When a song came on the radio, I would drive normally during each verse. But, during each chorus, I would close my eyes and “sleep”. When the chorus ended, I would open my eyes and swerve back into my lane. This worked pretty well for songs with a short chorus, but it got pretty scary when there was a song with a longer chorus. This was normally around 3am on the outbelt with few other cars on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170/24 "2002-08-26T16:27:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Mermaid \* > \*\*I driver’s seat dance–you know wiggle sing and gesture along with the good song that you’ve got turned up to twice the normal volume. > > I used to like to drum on the steering wheel with my brush or ink pen until one day I was just pounding along on it and thought “I wonder how much pressure it would take to set off the air bag?” > \*\* I do that too, sweets. Then I catch myself at a red light with the people next to me laughing like idiots and I stop. :o As for the airbag; don’t worry. You can’t set it off from the wheel. It requires an electric charge through a pellet of sodium azide to activate the inflator, and you can’t do that from the steering wheel end. Anyways, the sensors that activate the bag are in the front of the car, about 5-6 feet from where you are. It still wouldn’t be good to pound on it with a pen or something, though; you could rip the airbag cover. But you won’t set it off. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170/25 "2002-08-28T15:25:02Z")
Just remembered a friend from back when I was in a church youth group. Bill drove a customized '48 Chevy pickup; he had a 350 with a 4-barrel and a velocity stack under the hood. He also had a habit of sometimes flooring it then slowing down just in time to avoid T-boning cross traffic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-shennanigans/125170.md?page=1)