30 days in the hole [was: I ate a sandwich in a car in the UK]

["Scott McPherson" <srmcpher@axess.net>]

Phil spoketh:
>Anyone driving a vehicle who diverts 1% of their attention away from
>that task - bearing in mind the consequences of their inattention -
>deserves everything the law can throw at them. This isn't a "personal
>freedom" issue - the family coming the other way has rights, too.
>
>You want to take risks? Go on a track day. Go mountaineering (though
>even there it's largely a team activity). Go hang-gliding.

Hmmmm.....

Seems that I remember the quote "We can't catch you, but we know who you
are" and
some other mention about cutting seven (?) minutes off your time the first
time that you
piloted you UrQ. Most of us proclaim to be very careful about when and where
we
exercise our spirited driving. I'm sure that you are among the most careful.
However I
guarantee that you and I along with everyone else who likes to push their
vehicle exceeds
that one percent diversion referred to above in terms of absolute risk to
the innocent
family coming the other way. The biggest reds and the brightest euros are
not 100%
fail-safe against the unexpected when traversing the twisties at night or
during poor
weather. So unless you are always obeying posted speed limits (which I
doubt - I don't
think many on this list do) your words strike me as being a bit strong.

Yeah, most of the mangled people coming into the ER are due to alcohol,
sheer stupidity
and testosterone, but once in a great while even the level headed car nut
with the big
brakes and the Skip Barber diploma joins the ranks of family killer.

Scott McPherson
SUNY Health Science Center
MS-III