Mile-Based Exit Numbers

Dear Daytonian,

Exit numbers in Ohio are useful for more than just knowing which off-ramp to take.  In the 1970s Ohio renumbered from sequential-based to mileage-based numbers.  Sequential-based numbers are useful for knowing how many more exits there are before you get to yours, but milage-based exits tell you the more useful information of how far you have to go.  Sequential-based numbers are also really bad if you're adding lots of new intersections between existing ones.  While the conversion to mileage-based exits was confusing and a bit of a pain, the overall reasoning was so obvious that people accepted it and quickly got used to it.

But if you travel outside Ohio, particularly to the northeast portions of the U.S., those folks are more resistant to change, with some converting and others not, so don't get spooked when those exits seem to take an awfully long time to increase and it seems you're getting nowhere fast.  You can check out all the laggards at this link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_numbers_in_the_United_States

Indiana Cold Beer

Dear Daytonian,

Headed to a friend's house to have a few brewskies, but out of suds to bring?  No problem in Ohio, just stop in any gas station or convenience store and grab a cold six-pack.  But if your friend is over the border in Indiana, don't wait until you get close to their house.  You see, only liquor stores in Indiana can sell cold beer.  What?!?  True.  You can buy beer at those more convenient places, but they have to sell it warm. 

You might want to consider inviting your Indiana friends to your house in our friendlier Ohio.

https://thetakeout.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-sell-cold-beer-in-indiana-1820978464

Stealth Toll Booth

Dear Daytonian,

After a road trip, if you get a bill for an unpaid toll, perhaps you've encountered a "stealth" toll booth.

During a trip late last year to North Carolina, I saw toll signs but never saw a toll booth, so I thought I just misinterpreted what I saw and just forgot about it.  A few months later I get a bill from NC Quick Pass for $1.12 and it took me awhile to figure out what it was for, as I knew I didn't run a toll booth.  Since the location was included on the bill, I used Google Street View to go find the toll booth and after going back and forth several times I finally figured out it.  I had never seen this type of toll "arch" before and I certainly hope they don't become popular.  You can see it for yourself at the link below.

One more reason to love Dayton, Ohio.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.8793427,-78.8679726,3a,75y,184.75h,100.92t/am=t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1sadG_renXN8JZkDrpc-VkBA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!9m2!1b1!2i41

States Taxing Social Security

Dear Daytonian,

Way back in 1984, the federal government began taxing Social Security benefits, but did you know that thirteen states, not including Ohio thank goodness, also tax those benefits to varying degrees.  The worst offenders are the eclectic combination of Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia, which mirror the federal tax rules.  Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Connecticut and Rhode Island have their own individual rules, all different of course.

I guess some states just want to tax you twice on the same money.

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2016/09/17/these-13-states-tax-social-security-benefits.aspx

Driving On The Left

Dear Daytonian,

I'm happy to say that every state in the United States drives on the right side of the road.  Lucky us.

Did you know that 31% of the countries in the world drive on the left side, including England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan and South Africa, 75 countries in all.  Normally, but not always, the steering wheel, as shown below, is located on the right side of the car.  The stick shift, for those brave enough, is on your left-hand, but shifts in the familiar pattern, and the pedals are also the same, accelerator in the right, clutch on the left.  Thank goodness.

Left turns are easy, just like our right turns.  The slow lane is the left lane and entrance and exit ramps are left.  You drive slightly right-of-center, instead of slightly left-of-center, to keep even between the lane lines.  And to make things really fun, roads tend to be much narrower than here at home.

If you decide to give it a try, I strongly recommend buying the rental car agency's insurance protection and packing some anti-anxiety medication.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2018/09/06/driving-left-side-road/1207633002/

Downtown Parking

Dear Daytonian,

We all know that parking is plentiful in downtown Dayton with over 13,000 spaces between garages, surface lots and parking meters.  We pay in the $4 range for two hours of parking during weekdays and love that meters are free on weekends and after 6 p.m. weekdays.  Don't expect that love to follow you everywhere.

According to Parkopedia (full report at the link below), New York City leads the world in costly parking, coming in at $32.97 for two hours and $606.37 for monthly privileges.  Other U.S. cities that will cost you more than $10 for two hours are Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Detroit and Los Angeles.

Maybe I'm crazy, but having a car payment and a monthly parking bill for about the same amount of money just seems wrong.

https://www.parkopedia.com/static/reports/global_parking_index2017-parkopedia.pdf

Express Toll Lanes

Dear Daytonian,

Another traffic-related, government gotcha that you don't see anywhere around here, because our worst traffic is not that bad, are Express Toll Lanes.  They cater to the well-off traveller or business person on a friendly expense account that doesn't want to wait in traffic like the rest of us.  Unlike your regular toll road, these managed lanes use variable pricing, getting more expensive as demand increases to keep those lanes flowing well while everyone else fumes as they inch along to their destination.  The rules vary from route to route, so read up at the link below to carefully plan your next driving vacation.  Or just suck it up and drive at night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_toll_roads_in_the_United_States

Illinois Candy Tax

Dear Daytonian,

Computers have made many improvements in daily lives, but it's also allowed governments to get very granular when it comes to choosing what products to sock you for an extra tax bite.  For example, candy in Ohio follows the same rule as other foods; no tax unless consumed on premises.  Other states, as you can read at the link below, either tax or don't tax, and some have goofy rules, but the Prairie State takes the cake (pun intended). 

Illinois defines candy as a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces. Candy does not include any preparation that contains flour or requires refrigeration.  So if you purchase a Twix bar in Illinois you pay 1% in sales tax, but if buy a Snickers bar, you get jacked with a tax rate of 6.25%.  But I suppose when you're already a very highly taxed state, you have to find more revenue as stealthily as possible.

https://blog.taxjar.com/sales-tax-state-candy-taxable

State Tax Return Pages

Dear Daytonian,

Don't like filling out state tax returns?  Try doing it in our neighboring Hoosier state.

Back in 2016 I filled out very simple state tax returns for my stepson for both Ohio and Indiana.  Being neighboring Midwest states, how different could they be?  Night and day different.  The Ohio return consisted of four pages, two each for the IT-1040 and the Schedule of Credits, and was straight-forward.  The Indiana return totaled nine pages with two pages each for the IT-40PNR, Schedule A and Schedule H, single pages for Schedule D&E, Schedule CT-40PNR and Schedule F and had me triple-checking everything to make sure I didn't mess it up.

We even got dinged for a second stamp for proper postage.  And a couple aspirins.

https://www.in.gov/dor/6281.htm

U.D. Arena

Dear Daytonian,

You know Dayton is a big basketball city, but did you know that U. D. Arena is the largest venue in the Atlantic 10 conference?  Did you know that Trent Arena at Kettering Fairmont high-school, with its 3,650 seat capacity, is larger than two of those stadiums?  We're big fans with big stadiums.

In case getting tickets at the perpetually sold out U. D. Arena is proving a challenge, the table below can assist you in planning a road trip.  Don't worry, there will be plenty of U. D. fans to keep you company, as the Flyer Faithful travel well.

http://www.atlantic10.com

School and Venue	Capacity	City, State	Distance From U.D.
University of Dayton U. D. Arena	13,435	Dayton, OH
Saint Louis University Chaifetz Arena	10,600	St. Louis, MO	363 miles
George Mason University EagleBank Arena	10,000	Fairfax, VA	479 miles
University of Massachusetts William D. Mullins Memorial Center	9,493	Amherst, MA	779 miles
University of Rhode Island Ryan Center	7,657	Kingston, RI	775 miles
Virginia Commonwealth University E. J. Wade Arena	7,637	Richmond, VA	510 miles
University of Richmond Robins Center	7,201	Richmond, VA	505 miles
St. Bonaventure University Reilly Center	5,480	St. Bonaventure, NY	401 miles
Davidson College John M. Belk Arena	5,295	Davidson, NC	440 miles
George Washington Charles E. Smith Center	5,000	Washington, D.C.	473 miles
Duquesne University A. J. Palumbo Center	4,406	Pittsburgh, PA	258 miles
Saint Joseph's University Michael J. Hagan Arena	4,200	Philadelphia, PA	537 miles
La Salle University Tom Gola Arena	3,400	Philadelphia, PA	540 miles
Fordham University Rose Hill Gymnasium	3,200	Bronx, NY	641 miles

California Text Tax

Dear Daytonian,

Thank goodness we live in a sane state.

There seems to be no end on the creativity of other state governments to try to raise more money so they can pay for their favorite giveaway program.  This usually entails bigger taxes on business or high-income individuals, a tax on arguably bad things like cigarettes, candy, soda pop and "excess" packaging, or a very small fee spread across a very large population like the recent proposal to tax texting in California.  Fortunately this particular tax was prevented by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), which ruled texting was an "information service" and not a "telecommunication service".  Now can somebody explain why California taxes fruit at a whopping 33 percent when it's sold in a vending machine?  Crazy.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/16/tech/california-text-tax-vote-canceled/index.html

Paying For Gas Repairs

Dear Daytonian,

One more thing to know if your planning to leave our friendly confines for another locale is determining who is responsible for residential gas line repairs, as it varies from place to place.  We're fortunate to have a common sense approach, with everything coming from the supplier, up to and including the gas meter, being their responsibility and everything from that point forward, which is either mostly or fully inside our home, belonging to us.  But in other cities repairs for some of the outside, underground pipe must be paid for by the homeowner, and those can be expensive.  You can buy an insurance policy to cover that, but that's just one more hassle to deal with.  The link below shows all the finer details for our Vectren service, but again, it's pretty common sense.

https://www.vectren.com/cms/assets/service_ownership_faq.pdf

Vehicle Property Tax

Dear Daytonian,

Fortunately Ohio is one of 23 states, and the District of Columbia, that does not have a yearly tax on each car you own.  No one likes paying taxes, but this type of tax is not just about the money, it's about saving some each month, taking the time to write and mail a check (or the online equivalent) and dealing with the inevitable government screw-ups.  As detailed at this link below, the top ten states that levy a vehicle tax start at an average of $413 per year and top out, in Rhode Island, at an average of $1,333.  I paid less than that for the first car I bought.

https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/05/29/the-states-with-the-highest-car-tax.aspx

Vehicle Safety Inspections

Dear Daytonian,

Do you remember the days when we either had to take off work or wait in long Saturday lines to get our cars "smog tested" for $19.50?  Fortunately that went by the wayside around here, but it's still going strong in other parts of the country where air quality problems continue.

But did you know that fifteen other states have periodic safety inspections?  In Pennsylvania, your suspension, steering, tires/wheels, brakes, electrical and lighting systems, defrosters, windshield wipers, speedometer, odometer,  horns, fuel system, chassis and mirrors are checked for proper operation every year.  How do drivers in the other thirty-five states get by, without the government holding their hands?  Just fine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_United_States

Highway Ramp Metering

Dear Daytonian,

Here's another sign you won't see around here.  It's purpose is simple, it signals drivers when it's their turn to enter the highway.  The sign cycles slower as highway traffic gets heavier and more quickly when the coast is clear.  As the sign below says, only one car is allowed to enter at a time and this helps the merging process be more effective.

Of course, only highways with ridiculous volumes of traffic, typically around the morning and evening rush hours, need this type of assistance.  So if in your travels you encounter a ramp meter at the wrong time of day, calm down and enjoy the view.  You're not going anywhere very fast.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramp_meter

Where Are The Street Lights

Dear Daytonian,

We're used to our traffic lights being suspended over the road directly in front of us, like the one pictured below, but that's not a universal rule in other parts of our country.  My first encounter with a different location, which fortunately ended without injury, was in my youth going through some forgotten town in Kansas.  I never saw the traffic light, mounted on a pole where we would find pedestrian crosswalk signs, and sailed through that intersection when the other direction had the green.  My friends told me what I had just done, and my nerves joined theirs in being totally shaken up.  But I never again assumed traffic lights would always be in the most logical location.

But did you notice in the picture below that this green light was on the top?  This unique sign is in Syracuse, New York at the corner of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue, and legion has it that stone-throwing Irish youth back in the 1920s couldn't stand for British red sitting on top of their Irish green, and broke the lights over and over until the city council relented and reversed the light sequence. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_light

State Gas Taxes

Dear Daytonian,

If you're budgeting for your first long distance driving vacation, be aware that gas prices vary wildly, and a part of that is explained by each state's appetite for revenue.

It might come as a surprise, but our eastern neighbor, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has the highest state gas tax, clocking in at 58.7 cents per gallon, compared to our own 28.01 cents, which puts Ohio in 29th place.  After PA comes California (no surprise), Washington, Hawaii and New York.  Of our directly bordering states, only Kentucky is less than ours, and only by 2 cents a gallon.

The picture on the left below is from the last Speedway in Ohio on I-70 going eastbound (exit 186), where I always fill up before going into Pittsburgh, so I can avoid their sticker shock shown on the right picture, and save $10 on a fill up.  Not all of this is due to the state tax differential, but at least 30 cents is.  Check out the link below to see all 50 state's tax on gas.

https://taxfoundation.org/state-gas-tax-rates-july-2018

Bug Spraying

Dear Daytonian,

One benefit of our four weather seasons, and particularly some of our really cold winter nights, is the relative lack of bugs.  Sure, we're swatting at flies and lighting citronella candles at the worst of times, or being a kid again and chasing lightning bugs around the yard.  But compared to some "nice to live" areas like parts of the southeast and southwest United States, we get off pretty easy.  When you have regularly scheduled aerial bug bomb attacks to keep the hoards somewhat under control, like detailed for San Diego at the link below, you can just imagine how much worse these areas can be.

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/deh/pests/wnv/wnv_activity_update/chd_wnv_aerial_ops.html

Snow Poles

Dear Daytonian,

The first time I saw the snow poles shown below, I was on a state route in the state of Maine and had to ask what they were.  A Mainer explained they marked the sides of the road so snowplow drivers knew where to plow.  Then one time in Green Bay, Wisconsin I remarked how well-shoveled people kept their driveways, and a local had to explain that if they doddled, the snow would quickly pile up and shoveling would then become a real chore.  In both cases, that's way more snow than I care to deal with.

Perhaps you lived through the Dayton "Blizzard of 1978" and its three feet of snowfall and much higher drifts, but most winters we get much less than that all winter, usually in under 4-inch increments, making snow poles non-existent and shoveling driveways optional.  Snow is beautiful, but I'll take mine in our smaller quantities.

Attendants Pumping Gas

Dear Daytonian,

I've pumped my own gasoline since I began to drive in 1971, so I would expect that's the way it's done everywhere, but not so.  If you need to fill up in New Jersey and most of Oregon, stay away from the pump to avoid violating their laws (and yelled at by their state-mandated attendants).

In the Garden State, it began with the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act of 1949 and in the Beaver State with the adoption of Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) Section 480.330 in 1951, with the stated intent to protect consumers and owners from serious accidents.  A list of the current reasons in Oregon, and a good chuckle, can be found at the link below.  Last year Oregon relaxed their laws by allowing self-service in rural counties.  That the remaining 96% of the United States safely pumps their own gas doesn't seem to matter as much as "saving jobs".

So just stay in your car and enjoy the nostalgia of paying a few cents more and taking a little more time before you're on your way.

https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/480.315