A recent highway racing incident has sparked another debate. It’s more of the same every time; do we limit the speed at which cars can travel or do we go straight to the source and neuter those that are caught doing stupid things with cars?
A few days ago, a trio of retards onboard a Mazdaspeed3 filmed themselves racing with a BMW X1 on one of the busiest freeways north of Montreal.
Thankfully for those that will prosecute the idiots, parts of the video clearly show how fast they were travelling (190 km/h) as well, it is undeniable that they used the shoulder to pass countless cars going at least 50 km/h over the posted limit.
The driver was an 18 year-old boy and certainly felt invincible, smart and cocky while performing this stunt. Unfortunately for him, the power of YouTube burned and scarred him, possibly for life.
As you read these lines, he has pleaded not guilty. This guy is a genius. Should he be found guilty, he will most likely be sentenced to pay a hefty fine, have his license suspended, possibly even revoked. The worst case scenario, for him, might be jail time. This is not enough.
Here are a few ideas : Sentence the kid to stand idly by while his precious car gets flattened in a crusher. Once the fact that the car is gone sinks in, why not throw him in jail for at least 30 days, without telling him how long he’ll be behind bars. I’ve got another suggestion: Further penalties for his actions would be no driving until he turns 30 (at which time he will undergo the license acquiring process all over again), a $10,000 fine and some community service. The next 10 years of this kid’s life would have been the best years of his life. Not anymore.
Now, what do we do about all the other morons like this one?
Do we put speed-limiters on each and every car sold in North America? Never! Chaos would ensue! Trust me.
Do we limit access to cars to people under the age of 25? In other words, do we introduce a law that says that people under the age of 25 cannot own/drive cars with more than, say, 125 hp? Won’t work.
Do we educate these people? Yes! Education is a word that we’re all more or less tired of hearing and reading about but the fact is that we all need to learn things throughout our lives.
It all starts with driver’s ed. North America has it all wrong. This is a debate unto its own. The other “issue” is that issuing tickets is a huge cash-grab for each government and having smarter better drivers on the road would severely cut into this important source of revenue. This is another debate.
Fact is that Idiots behind the wheel will always be. Fact is that in countries like Germany, drivers and people in general have respect for their cars, the rules of the road, for each other and recognize driving as a privilege and not a right. Fact is, penalizing this one individual and making an “example” of him is not enough. We all think we are “better” than this one idiot.
I really REALLY enjoy going fast… on a track. Track time should be a mandatory step in the driver’s education program. Put the kids behind the wheel of a car with a roll-cage and other safety features and let them go nuts on the track. Best thing that could take place is that the student loses control of the car or better yet, rolls it. I say make them face their inner demons right off the cuff. Experience is priceless.
Until we nip the issue in the butt, these incidents will always be. They will always be. Let’s try and lower the number of episodes by scaring sense into 18 year-old kids at the very beginning of their driving careers.
Who knows, in the process, we may find the next Bruno Spengler or Paul Tracy!