Jalopnik: new hampshire

Moose Makes Sweet Love To Ford F-150

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT

When a Ford F-150 falls asleep, do you think its nightmares are haunted by a charging bull moose looking to violate its tailpipe? If not, this one's will be. An amorous moose was caught in the throes of passion in a parking lot outside of Hampton, New Hampshire and would not be dissuaded from his task by beeps from a remotely sounded horn or camera flashes from onlookers. The mighty beast eventually wandered off and in its wake left a bewildered owner and a scratched up truck. If you've ever wondered what a moose boner looks like, click here to sate your curiosity; otherwise, commence with the Sarah Palin jokes. [SeacoastOnline via Pickuptrucks.com]

Trio Of New Hampshire Survivors Spans Seven Decades, Three Continents Of Car History

Murilee Martin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:40:00 EDT

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than Island That Rust Forgot. FuzzyPlushroom has sent us photos of a sort of Detroit-Trollhättan-Tokyo combo platter that he captured in his home state of New Hampshire. Jump, you, to see the entire gallery and read Fuzzy P's description.

Ford Model T: Parked on Main Street, Jaffrey, NH. It seems to live in that parking spot, though it's only appeared earlier this summer, and is driven regularly. I'm not dedicated enough to identify it down to the year, but it appears to be an earlier model - pre-1920s.

Honda Accord: A first-generation Accord hatchback with some, ahem, modifications. Happily, it's not "riced", just flamed, pinstriped, and given ugly seatcovers that I didn't bother photographing. I got a quick shot of the dashboard, but didn't get any real detail shots, as it was parked in its usual location, and the door to the house was open. Also - yes, that's my bicycle in the background there... I yelled "Nice Accord!" to the Honda's owner later on; got the hook-'em heavy-metal horns in return, so I think he was pleased that I actually identified it.

Saab 900 sedan DOTS (Jaffrey, NH). '83-'86, as best I can tell. It's a close relative to the Alameda Saab you posted in December, in navy instead of white. These are relatively common here, though I never seem to have my camera when they park on the roadside... The turbo convertibles hide in Peterborough, which I don't visit often, but I'll keep you updated if I manage to shoot one. The rear window shot, while likely too fuzzy to post, shows why there's no interior shot! Don't mess with an ex-seaman.

Down On The Street FAQ

Thank You Federalism, For Helping Keep Our Roads Deadly

Ray Wert — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 09:45:00 EDT

According to statistics compiled by the New York Times this Sunday, the United States was the leader in motor vehicle safety...in 1970. However, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States has moved from that number one slot to the not-so-distinguished spot of 42nd out of 48 industrialized nations. This, despite the fact cars have gotten significantly more safe since 37 years ago.

So is the problem higher speeds? Nope, other countries ranked lower have higher or have speeds as high as those found here. Is the problem crazy-ass kids? Maybe — we're probably not training our kids too well but even so, Australia invented the word "hoon" and they've got a lower rate of death per 100,000 than the United States has. So what is it?

Well, according to the Times it's that lovable rascal, the Constitution's tenth amendment. Yup, that's right — it's Federalism. We've got a patchwork quilt of laws as rules and regulations here in the United States are enacted on a state-by-state level, and not by uniform federal decree.

"So while the governments of other countries can easily pass laws to make driving safer, like a national ban on hand-held cellphone use, those laws here are left up to the states to impose, and that is often not so easy."

So that means you're able to have a state like New Hampshire decide to reject a bill for mandatory seat-belt use by adults for "personal freedom" reasons. Or, as New Hampshire State Senator Robert E. Clegg Jr. put it:

"The citizens of New Hampshire don't like to be told by anyone else what to do."

Don't get me wrong, we totally heart Federalism. But come on New Hampshire, get with the program — wearing your seat belt's just the smart thing to do. But whatevs, God bless America and our founding fathers for helping us make a country that both holds our freedoms dear, and our idiots high and mighty. [New York Times]

Drunk Guy Steals Street Sweeper, Hilarity Ensues

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:00:00 EDT

Much like the wind cries "Mary," there is a Blt that Thnders "DOHERTY!" And said Thndering Blt kicked us down another heartwarming odd vehicle theft involving a drunk guy in New England. 26-year-old Michael Moran found a street sweeper with the keys in it in a parking garage, and in a fit of drunken New English logic, decided to take the machine for a cruise. Our favorite bit is this: "Moran traveled several blocks before he was caught by people chasing him." We're imagining an army of torch-wielding Clavin-clones running after the machine, yelling Eastern Seaboard-style epithets at him while Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstacy of Gold" plays loudly over speakers mounted on the sweeper's roof Japanese-Cosell-Better Off Dead-style. All of it, of course, in extra-dramatic slow-mo.

Man arrested after taking street sweeper for a joy ride [WCAX]

Cars Get Train'd in New Hampshire

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 15:21:58 EST

This reminds us of that one episode of CSI where the girl got rear-ended by the guy in the big Ford truck in a bout of road rage and was pushed onto the train tracks, her Cherokee smashed to smithereens by a locomotive. Thankfully, this incident seems to be an accident rather than an act of malice, and everyone made it to safety. A New Hampshire woman was hit from behind and knocked onto the tracks while stopped at the crossing, and both cars ended up on the railway where they were predictably plowed by Amtrak's Downeaster. The woman had to exit via her passenger door due to damage incurred in the initial collision, but both drivers survived and no injuries were reported on the train.

Train crashes into cars, seconds after drivers escape [Boston Globe]

Related:
Chicago Metra Debacle Update [Internal]

Live Frugally or Die: Mass. Residents Registering Cars in NH

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 16:00:35 EDT

Authorities in Melrose, Massachusetts are grumbling about the propensity of their constituents to register their cars in neighboring New Hampshire. While there's a legal loophole in Mass law that says that residents who own houses in NH can register thair cars there, there seem to be plenty of people who simply register their cars in the Granite State because it's cheaper than doing it where they live. And because of the loophole, Melrose cops figure it's a waste of time and money to attempt to weed the legal loopholers from the flagrant abusers, causing a tax revenue crunch.

Editorial: Out-of-state plating easy [Melrose Free Press]