In message <NBBBKJCMBEMCOOJCJHKGOEFPBCAF.mrclem@telocity.com>,
"Michael R. Clements" writes:
>
>They will be safer in a 2,000 lb. car driven by somebody who takes driving
>seriously and pays attention to what he's doing, than in a 5,000 lb. car
>driven by somebody eating a sandwich, checking out the cute girls in the next
>lane, talking on the phone or generally not paying attention.
We all like to tell ourselves this, but I wonder how my autocross
skills are going to protect me from, say, being rear-ended in my
2,300 lb. daily driver. I mean, with the rollbar, I'll probably
get knocked harder on the head than I would without it.
I'll grant you that I hope I can control the car better if I hit
a sudden slippery spot, or if a slalom suddenly appeared in the middle
of the road, but I'm not sure about other common driving hazards.
I know that being at eye-level to a bunch of bumpers makes it a bit
tougher to anticipate conditions just down the road.
While I always get a big smile when I drop the top (and I drop the
top almost every time I get into the car), I suspect that the safest,
most effective vehicle I could own would be big and visible and
handle like a pig, but give me a great view of the traffic ahead.
Oh, yeah, and be able to get up to 75 mph in the space of any on-ramp,
while the engine was still cold.
Kevin
kml@patheticgeek.net
'99 Miata
|