Jon, Wes;
I can't comment on FWD but you reminded me of something that I've
observed over the years about the "average" driver-- he's almost
completely oblivious to his safety margins!
No matter what the road conditions, he (or she) drives at pretty much
the same speed. He'll drive at 60 on a rain-slick road where his safety
margin is seriously reduced; add a curve, a reverse-cambered road, etc,
and his margin becomes paper- thin. But he slogs along, completely
unaware of how close he is to "the scene of the accident"-- add a
decreasing-radius turn and his safety margin is completely gone-- and so
is he.
The worst are the bozos who drive 60 on a perfect road where the speed
limit is 75, bitching about the other drivers who are passing them. That
same person is the guy who passes me when I've slowed down to 50 because
of snow, fog, rain, etc.
The comparison between that M3 and a '55 Buick is pretty stark. The
speed limit for both cars is the same but you have a far greater safety
margin in the BMW.
One (or "another" if you are keeping score) of my pet peeves is the
miserable driver skills of the average driver. If "Driver Education"
consisted of a basic course at Bondurant, it would sure make drivers
more aware of their limitations as well as boosting their skill level.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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