Those who read automotive blogs will already be familiar with this story; a bunch of young’uns in Vancouver took their really fast cars on a really fast group joyride. The list of cars is impressive, and, ultimately, the most irresponsible people involved in the story are the parents who bought their bratty kids six-figure cars. Even if you’ve a zillion dollars, you shouldn’t give an 18 year-old a Gallardo. But what caught my eye in the story is the last paragraph, where we get the “cop speech”:
[RCMP Inspector] Massie said the incident highlights an important message to drivers: “Speed is fairly unforgiving. Whenever you’re involved in a motor vehicle accident where there’s any speed at all, it’s unforgiving … Slow down, be responsible and understand that speed limits are there for a reason.”
Um, that can’t possibly be the lesson of the story. The story involves a bunch of spoiled brats driving “over 200 km/h” on public streets and behaving, generally, like jackasses, and no one got hurt. The reality is that, given the capabilities of modern automobiles (in engine performance, braking performance, and handling), just about anyone can drive well in excess of most speed limits without dying a fiery death, or causing others do so. I think the message this story actually “highlights” is that if you’re going to drive double the posted limit, don’t do it in a large group, don’t be a jackass to other drivers, and drive something less conspicuous than a Mercedes SLS.
Posted by Apollo in Excruciatingly Correct Behavior