Interesting connection between aggression (acceleration) and conciliation (deceleration), and how a manual transmission help elicit those states.
As an American who spent the past decade living in Melbourne, Australia, I was struck when I arrived at how meek the highway drivers were. Everyone was doing 60 mph (100 kph) on the dot.
And they had to. The highways and surface streets in Melbourne are saturated with speed cameras.
Speed limits are rigidly enforced with huge fines. If you're photographed doing 65 mph in a 60 zone (i.e., 104 kph in a 100 zone), you'll get a ticket in the mail for $227. Go 75 mph in 60 mph zone, and you'll lose your license for three months and be fined $500.
The upshot is that highway driving is a dispiriting experience in Melbourne, a wealthy city filled with high-end sports cars. You'll see Maseratis, Porsche 911 GTs, Ferraris and McLarens crawling the highways dutifully at 60 mph. Even in my Honda, I could feel my animal spirits dampened as I set the cruise control at 60 and resigned myself to a plodding pace.
When I visited the U.S. for the first time in five years, I was astonished at the vigor and energy on its highways. On L.A.'s 405, It was "pick your own speed." The posted limit was 60 mph, but the flow of traffic was 70. Many vehicles were doing 80 and merging deftly in and out of the passing lane. If I had done 60, I would have been honked at or even rear-ended.
There's an element of self-expression in driving. When it's suppressed, and driving becomes an exercise in compliance, I suspect the ramifications extend beyond just the thrill behind the wheel.
Your video made me want to learn how to drive a manual transmission.
Interesting connection between aggression (acceleration) and conciliation (deceleration), and how a manual transmission help elicit those states.
As an American who spent the past decade living in Melbourne, Australia, I was struck when I arrived at how meek the highway drivers were. Everyone was doing 60 mph (100 kph) on the dot.
And they had to. The highways and surface streets in Melbourne are saturated with speed cameras.
Speed limits are rigidly enforced with huge fines. If you're photographed doing 65 mph in a 60 zone (i.e., 104 kph in a 100 zone), you'll get a ticket in the mail for $227. Go 75 mph in 60 mph zone, and you'll lose your license for three months and be fined $500.
The upshot is that highway driving is a dispiriting experience in Melbourne, a wealthy city filled with high-end sports cars. You'll see Maseratis, Porsche 911 GTs, Ferraris and McLarens crawling the highways dutifully at 60 mph. Even in my Honda, I could feel my animal spirits dampened as I set the cruise control at 60 and resigned myself to a plodding pace.
When I visited the U.S. for the first time in five years, I was astonished at the vigor and energy on its highways. On L.A.'s 405, It was "pick your own speed." The posted limit was 60 mph, but the flow of traffic was 70. Many vehicles were doing 80 and merging deftly in and out of the passing lane. If I had done 60, I would have been honked at or even rear-ended.
There's an element of self-expression in driving. When it's suppressed, and driving becomes an exercise in compliance, I suspect the ramifications extend beyond just the thrill behind the wheel.