Fast Driving

Being a car enthusiast, naturally I enjoy driving or going fast in a car, but what really annoys me is that people who speed in cars are looked upon as the Anti-Christ by most Police Officers, and are penalised accordingly, but I intend to clarify the distinct difference between enthusiasts who enjoy fast driving, and the “Chav’s” that ruin it for everyone else…

There is a lot of controversy when it comes to fast driving, and if you ask 80% of people, they will say it’s a bad thing. But I make the argument that as an enthusiast, excess speed is acceptable under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, some people, who normally drive cars that look like they’ve slid through a branch of Halfords backwards, deem it acceptable to thrash around in town centre’s, driving like absolute lunatics. This, I do not endorse.

If you are out driving around, and there is a clear road, with no danger of injury to another party, then, in my opinion, a touch more speed can be called upon, so long as you are sure that you, and the car, are capable of handling the increased speed, if however you are in any doubt, do not proceed to exceed the posted limit, or attempt to drive a road with lots of corners “Enthusiastically”.

When I say about driving faster than the limit, I of course am not referring to trying to reach the maximum speed of your car, I am talking about enjoying yourself. To a car anorak, such as myself, finding a road with a long sweeping set of curves and a good road surface is automotive bliss, and we will react accordingly by slightly increasing road speed, using heel and toe to change down through the gears, hitting the apex, and accelerating out. This isn’t the tire screeching insanity that most people associate with driving quickly! Unfortunately, for enthusiasts, it is always the worst that get recognised, and the idiots screaming around in poorly modified cars are the crowd that get the most attention from the media and the public, and therefore, this gives the general conception that driving fast is reckless, when in fact, it can be perfectly safe.

For example, my uncle own’s a 3.0 V6 Manual Jaguar X-Type, this is a car that was designed for high speed travel and is perfectly safe at high speeds. (It has tire pressure setting for driving “Exceeding 100mph”) But, if we get caught doing the magical 100mph on a totally clear stretch of dual carriageway in the dead of night, we would lose our licence and be hit with a huge fine. However, a “Chav” in a poorly modified Corsa, weaving in and out through traffic in broad daylight would be hit by exactly the same fine. My uncle has many years of driving under his belt, and has never even had a speeding ticket, where is the logic in this?

Another point I try to put across is that to have fun, you do not need a high performance car. An Austin Mini is about as much fun as you can have on a twisty road.

It is unfortunate that the idiots ruin it all for the real car enthusiasts.

Have fun. And stay safe.