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Dr. Delay

Web site can help avoid soggy sedan

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published October 16, 2005

Before I took ownership of my current sedan - in fact, a few cars ago - I owned a sturdy and steadfast Toyota. It was a dependable ride and the first new car I ever purchased. When I went to the car lot to pick it up, it had 4 miles on the odometer and emitted that wondrous new car bouquet of fresh plastic and clean upholstery.

We had a wonderful relationship until one March morning in 1993. I awoke to find my car and our house inundated with seawater, victims of the no-name tropical storm that flooded many communities along our coastline. My Toyota smelled like a bait shop. I wonder how many cars damaged in that storm were scrapped by their owners only to be stuffed with air fresheners and sold to unsuspecting shoppers in the market for a good deal on a used car?

The reason I bring this up is the news last week that flood-damaged cars from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are showing up on used car lots in Florida and other states.

To help consumers avoid purchasing swamped cars, Florida's Department of Financial Services has set up a link on its Web site that checks the history of vehicles at no charge. Information is available on odometer readings, accidents the car may have been involved in, and whether it was totaled by an insurance company due to flood damage.

To access the information, consumers must enter the vehicle identification number, which is usually found on the inside of the driver's door or on the lower left corner of the windshield.

If a used car you want to buy previously lived in one of the hurricane-affected states, it's good to know, and probably best to pass on it. The Web site address is: www.fldfs.com and the vehicle history link is located on the left side of the home page in a box titled "Carcheck."

Eastbound First Avenue S continues to perplex motorists.

Martha G. Healey wrote to say that she is concerned about the abruptness of the end of the eastbound right lane near the YMCA.

"The right lane going east on First Ave S just quits, but the bicycle lane continues. I don't even see a sign to alert drivers to this very dangerous spot," Healey wrote.

I asked Michael Frederick, St. Petersburg's manager of neighborhood transportation, about Healey's concern. He responded in an e-mail: "This location is another one of those areas with a 4-lane cross section west of 31st Street and a 3-lane section east of 31st Street.

The right-lane is required to turn right to go southbound, while the bicycle lane continues." Frederick added that the roadway is "properly signed and marked."

New guardrails are set to be installed on Interstate 275 from north of 28th Street S to south of 22nd Street S. The $224,000 project begins this month and is expected to be completed in early 2006. The guardrails will go up in the median, and there will also be some resurfacing of the roadway, according to Kris Carson of the Florida Department of Transportation. Lane closures will take place during off-peak hours, so rush hour traffic should not be affected.

The curvy road that is northbound 66th Street at the point where Pasadena Avenue merges into 66th is more than a little bit hairy, especially in heavy traffic.

Reader Janet Gatechair wrote that she is concerned about this bit of roadway because the two northbound lanes there merge to become one, right on the sharp curve. "There are no warning signs or dotted lines to show cars where to go. I realize the area is under construction, but it's unbelievable to me that DOT would leave the lanes like that even temporarily," Gatechair said.

Carson of the DOT checked into Gatechair's complaint and wrote, "We had our contractor look at the area in question and we recommended putting guide lines through the intersection. This should help avoid any confusion motorists may have."

Carson also said that the road improvement project on 66th Street should be done by the end of the year, but she reminded me that we are still in the midst of hurricane season, and rainy weather slows progress, so keep your fingers crossed. Blue skies equal smooth pavement.

Until next week, happy and safe motoring!

Please share your traffic concerns, comments and questions with Dr. Delay via e-mail at docdelay@yahoo.com

[Last modified October 16, 2005, 01:32:18]