One fine May morning not long ago my oldest son, 17 at the time, phoned to tell me that he had just spent a couple hours at the state police barracks. Apparently he had been driving “a little fast.” What, I asked, was “a little fast”? Turns out this product of my genes and loving care, the boy-man I had swaddled, coddled, cooed at, and then pushed and pulled to the brink of manhood, had been flying down the highway at 113 miles an hour.
Moody. Impulsive. Maddening. Why do teenagers act the way they do? Viewed through the eyes of evolution, their most exasperating traits may be the key to success as adults.
The question is, small C conservative, do you actually hold a driver’s license AND actually drive a car? It doesn’t seem that you actually do…
Small c conservative said: “In a larger sense, is anyone’s life so meaningless that risking their life simply for a thrill doesn’t matter?”
Who owns your life, small c? You or your family? You or society? I’ve decided I own mine, I decide how its going to go and pay the fines as required. Some fines you pay in blood and skin. Paid my share of those.
As to safety, I spent money for mine. I have the biggest thing you can get without a commercial license plate. I drive reasonably, and expect other people to do so. I am often disappointed. Hence the large heavy vehicle.
In Arizona these days I have a 1986 F-350 with racing seats and five point harness. Its not fast, but it is visible and intimidating as all hell. Again, use the brain and pay for your own safety, relying on other people for discretion by driving a Smart Car or whatever is abdicating responsibility.
But you know, if safety was in any way a concern for the authorities, they’d be patrolling the QEW and the 401, not setting speed traps on deserted back roads, looking for teens winding out Mum’s car for a giggle. I haven’t seen a speed trap on the QEW in twenty years.
The relevant fact about any person who drives at very high speed on highways, or otherwise endangers others on the road for kicks, is not that they are daredevils, but losers who need to get a life. That’s the point.
“…is not that they are daredevils, but losers who need to get a life.”
Ha! Nice try small c. On the unregulated sections of the autobahns in Germany the average speed is about 150 – 160 km/h. It is not at all unusual to find people driving over 200 km/h, even 300 km/h. I’ve driven on the autobahns – lots of fun.
By your comment Germans are losers who need to a life. Interesting.
To those who like a fast ride, enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYPCLtA-ETk
I drove fast and furiously at 18 and at 28. Wide open highways, straight lines. Tons of fun.
For my own boys I am looking to buy a very old Land Rover…top speed 55. But nothing stops it. And, more to the point, long before they can drive they get to work on the truck. Change the oil and the points. Take the top right off. So the truck becomes theirs. Complete with double low four wheel drive, aka Rhino gear.
You are never going to stop young men from pushing limits. It is how we progress in the world. What you can do, maybe, is impress upon them the need to push those limits in a risk minimizing way. (Though anyone watching a five year old boy on a bike on a hill knows there is only so much you can do.)
I made it to Sioux city [100+ miles] in an hour and 10 minutes a few years back. Swear to goodness, I29 on a Saturday afternoon is made for maniacs: No traffic, no on ramps. I took a slow build to the vehicle’s top speed observed [174 MPH] so figured I was doing right around 170. The car was solid as a rock – C5 coupe with Z51 suspension. A few months later read an article about tire physics. I still test all my vehicle into the triple digits but don’t sustain the speeds for long. I actually do very much enjoy living.
tj – All Germans drivers understand there exist unregulated parts of the autobahn, and travel them understanding and accepting the risks. That’s a far different situation from highways with posted speed limits, which many drivers would not use if speed was not regulated, as being too dangerous for their tastes.
It amazes me you pretend that higher speeds pose no incremental risks to the driver and hence all others in proximity. Anything to keep living the dream?