When I’m on my own, I’m a bit of a fearless driver. I drive fast to begin with, but that doesn’t begin to speak for the 115 mph I did up 95 and around 495 from Fort Belvoir to McLean at 2 in the morning my senior year of high school. I’ve recovered from a sideways hydroplane, I’ve avoided multiple large pieces of wood that were careening across the highway, I’ve driven backwards up the shoulder of a highway for about 300 yards in an ice storm, and that isn’t the half of it. Pretty much the only things I haven’t done are driven a car while it’s been airborne, and turn one on its roof.
Uh, I-66? What about the time you…
Oh yeah. Okay, scratch that. Pretty much the only thing I haven’t done is turn a car on its roof. So yeah, when I’m in a car there is nothing I fear by now. Well, except one thing:
Changing lanes when alongside another car.
You know when you’re in the left lane and you want to move one lane to the right… There’s no car immediately to your right, but in the next lane there is one. It isn’t that I’m even worried about me so much as I’m worried about the other drivers. With as many people who change lanes without using their turn signal, or without any full awareness of their surroundings, I’m never sure what another driver is going to do. Add to that the fact that when you’re changing lanes it can be difficult to tell whether the car alongside you is getting closer to you strictly because you’re changing lanes, or because it itself is changing lanes also, and you’ve got my full attention.
Sadly there probably isn’t much I can do to get over this particular fear. I’ve seen enough accidents caused by people improperly changing lanes, and that’s enough for me to be cautious about it.
Filed under: I-66 insight
My driving has gone to hell since I graduated from the police academy 8 years ago. the driving portion is a lot of fun, J turns, bootlegs, running cars off the road……..good times. Skid pad also equals good times……….I drive a lot faster now, I think at times I am invisible. Ok done rambling…………
Man, I’d love to do some driving like that. In a controlled and safe environment I think that would be awesome, especially if it was someone else’s car.
Ever seen Jackass? Rent a car…….
there is actually a driving school in West Virginia used by some law enforcement agencies -that you can pay to do this……….fun stuff and you get to wear a CHIPs like helmet.
What? Pay? West Virginia? You must have me confused for someone else.
I have the same problem. I just don’t trust the other people. I’m in CA right now, and the drivers here make DC drivers look like the most considerate drivers in the world by comparison. It’s frightening.
The racetrack is called Summit Point.
http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/
click he BSR link for the specialty training stuff.
I know a guy who teaches there, and he has some great stories.
You must not be in LA, because I understand you don’t “drive” so much there as you do “crawl.” The idea of driving the wheels off of a car and trying all the crap I’d never be able to legally do is very enticing. Still, West Virginia.
You can be sure they’re not actually looking . . . I always have one hand on the horn while executing that particular maneuver.