I'm an S2000 "driver in waiting" (blk/blk on order) and an experienced motorcycle roadracer and current sportbike owner. I enjoy a spirited ride everyday be it on my VFR or in my Prelude. That being said, I've found a quote by John Burns, Senior Editor of Motorcyclist magazine in the August 2001 issue that I find quite interesting, as it applies to our favorite car as well. Burns wonders why he is ticketed for doing 70 mph (posted speed not mentioned) when the roadway is "free and clear" and concludes with the following fabulous statement. ". . . we Americans don't drive slow because we're bad drivers, we're bad drivers because we drive slow. The government makes us do it, but we must deserve it because we are the government. Aren't we? Driving fast is exhilarating and attention-focusing, and good exercise. Driving slow is boring and the mind wanders." There you go. Just like on a roadcourse (bike or car) one has to remain focused (concentrate) on what we're doing. We can even do that in traffic, but some might consider us aggressive. How do you drive your S2K in day to day traffic?

 

Unfortunatly due to "the Man" (police) I can't drive the way I would like to or the way that the car was intended to be driven. The solution to that has been 'track days' at the road course that is 3 hours away. They have been the best days in my S2000. I would highly recommend them to any one who owns this fine car. I would also recommend a driving school first. This has been the best (read - legal) way to get the most out of my car.

 

That thought is just too scary. Saying that driving fast is good practice is just rediculous. Driving fast should only be done when conditions will allow it. But driver should accept the risk of getting caught and any damage/injuries that they cause. Speed limits are speed limits, and are there for safety and to control society. If there were not any set speed limits, with the wide range of driver skills, there will be havoc on the roads. And roads (and laws) were not put on this earth to have fun with, they are there so that we can get from one place to another safely. Those comments sounds to me like a very weak argument to drive like a crazy person whenever you want.

With that said. I consider myself a conservative driver on a day to day basis. There are plenty of minivans and SUVs that beat me off the line or pass me on the freeway. But if I'm i the mood, I'll head for a remote canyon road and have some fun.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2WOOOW
[B]That thought is just too scary.

 

I agree with Warren on this as I use the track to take out my aggressive nature, but with a car like the S2000, how do you control yourself on the street? I mean I've read various posts here and it seems just too easy to let 'er rip. Now I know that maturity has to come into play, but how do you keep a 49 year old from becoming 18, even if only for a few seconds?

 

S2K_coming - With a lot of self control. The High performance driving schools I have been to really help to teach that the track is THE time and place.
I also race Shifter Karts and if you think the S2000 gets your ya-ya's out you should try 100+ mph with your ass 1 inch from the ground. That really fills the 'need for speed' void.

 

In general, I am agreeing with Warren. The author is implying (or that is at least what I read from it) that fast driving is safer than slow driving, no matter what the speed limit or condition. I think that if every one can practice driving fast at tracks, it will do nothing but help. It's more of a political statement by the author, but I think that his implications are rediculous.

 

I think the magazine writer was implying that when there is nobody else on the road (conditions are "good") and the weather is good, etc etc, that going 70 in a 55 shouldn't be that big of a deal..

He never said driving faster was always safer, just that when you're the only car for miles, that it's better (inherently safer) to drive fast and pay attention, then to set the cruise at 55 and go into lala land.

 

I had a big bike pass me on the freeway last night doing at least 20-30 mph faster than I. He certainly wasn't safe, IMO, because of his weaving in and out of traffic. If some big SUV had decided to change lanes, I'm sure the guy would have been history.

 

Fact is in Germany due to MUCH better driver training and high speed Autobahns the drivers ARE better.

In the USA we make laws for the lowest common denominator. Our Driver training is just plain pitiful. Driving fast for those who know how to do it is safe. Driving fast when sharing the roads with people who drive with their head up their A$$ is not. The whole level of driver awareness must be raised in the USA before autobahn speeds could ever be allowed.

Speed limits are arbitrary. Is 55MPH safer than 65MPH? If you hit something sure. But then again 35MPH would be much safer so why don't we all drive that speed?

The speed limits were 65MPH on highways in the 50s when cars were much LESS safe with their drum brakes, bias ply tires, no seatbelts, primitive suspension technology, etc.... Now we have cars that can cruise all day safer at 100 than those cars could cruise at 50 and our speed limit is 55MPH.

Of course now many cars are being driven by nit wits with 10 minute attention spans talking on cell phones or putting on their make-up

I agree that driving faster forces concentration where driving at 55 bores you to sleep. It would be nice if we could train our drivers like they do in Germany and raise the standard of driver awareness to the point where we could raise the speed limits to something more reasonable for the quality of todays automobiles.