M-Plates (Manufacturer's license plates) are a common sight in and around MoTown. M-Plates are how auto manufacturers register vehicles that are prototypes or experimental vehicles: vehicles that are not yet certified like "normal" cars for emissions, safety, etc. No one denies that "on road" testing of these vehicles is a necessary part of the car design process.

Did you ever have one of those days, where Death pops by, doesn't actually take you anywhere, just stops in to say "Hi! Remember me?"

I had one of those today. May 12, 2004, 3:52 pm, end of the work day. I left the building, and took the pedestrian crosswalk that crosses the 800 foot long (more or less) driveway that runs along the south side of our building, about 12 feet from the building. Hear an engine go to full throttle, and look to see where it's coming from. It's a brand new Ford pickup truck, license 53M867, in the parking lot behind the building. He hits the driveway still full throttle. As he nears the crosswalk stopsign, he brakes hard, and gets it down to about 20 miles/hour. Past the crosswalk, he floors it again. If someone were in the crosswalk, they'd be roadkill, unless they could run at least 20 miles/hour. Unfortunatly, I couldn't quick draw the camera fast enough to get a shot of this moron. My priorities at the time were getting to safety, getting the plate number, and then the camera...

Our building has a mix of Visteon, Ford, and Rousch people in it, so this bozo could have been with any of them. Whichever it is, I hope their employer makes them stand in the crosswalk for a while.