Europe to Institute Draft!

Are you one of those people who has trouble reading in the car?  Do you get a little queasy from the motion, or is it because the steering wheel keeps knocking the book out of your hands?

No, this is not an admonition against distracted driving, which is, of course, a real problem these days, as evidenced by hands-free phones and lots of new no-texting-while-driving laws.  Rather, let us introduce you to the concept of the Road Train.

First, meet Sartre.  No, not existentialist philosopher/author Jean-Paul Sartre.  No, this Sartre seems even stranger, and refers to Safe Road Trains for the Environment.  It is a Euro-concept designed to increase highway fuel economy by taking advantage of the lower wind-resistance formed when lines of vehicles travel in tandem.  In this arrangement, a lead vehicle will be followed down the highway by a line of vehicles organized in a tightly-grouped, aerodynamic caravan. (We NASCAR fans know this aerodynamic property as drafting!) The kicker is that the caravan of vehicles will be controlled by the lead vehicle, leaving the occupants free to read, eat, sleep, but presumably not talk on the phone or text anyone, since that will still be against the law.  It will also, we imagine, either spell the end of road rage or increase it to a new level, featuring massive road train vs. road train donnybrooks.  Look for at least a ten year turn-around time on this one.