Why driving isn't fun anymore

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by T77911S

I40 fro Memphis to Arkansas is HORRIBLE.

No lie! I drove that once and swore never again.

[GH85Carrera]

You are just driving on the wrong roads. Last weekend we went over to Eureka Springs, AR and drove on the roads in that area. The posted speed limit is 55. Only the 918 and maybe the GT3RS could do the roads at 55, and only if the driver had fantastic fast reactions. To be sane and safe I slowed down to realistic speeds. Highway 23 from I-40 to Eureka Sprints is a fun road with a lot of beautiful views, and a few areas that 30 MPH is the physics limit in my 85 911.

There is another highway that I will not name on the internet that is the best road in the USA for fun. It is 50 minutes of curves and no traffic whatsoever. Not even coming the other way on a Thursday morning.

And yes there really was a 918 in Martini livery driving the roads. Numerous GT3s a GT2s and my old 911.

The haul across I-40 from OKC to the highway 23 exit is 220 miles of 70 MPH boredom except dodging road kill. The the fun roads begin.

I have driven to the very end of I-40 going west where it stops in California. I have been to the east all the way to Ashville, TN

[RKDinOKC]

Work from home so don't do the daily drive to work. Every once in a while go to work campus for a meeting (that I can't do via telepresence) and the traffic reminds me of why I like working from home so much. And it is only 8 miles on relatively low traffic 4 lane streets.

Used to think there was a conspiracy of morons that track when I leave my house and go get in my way driving slow and pulling out in front of me. Have noticed in the last month it is like everyone has given up and just putt along and 10 mph under the speed limit.

Our State laws have even changed this month to hand out $200 tickets for impeding traffic. That's if you drive along in the left lane and are not passing the car in the right lane. They even put on TV commercials where the highway patrol are saying there are going to be speeders, and it is not your right or responsibility to plod along the the left lane matching the speed of the right line and back up traffic.

I personally think people should have to retake an online driver's test every 2 years to get their driver's license renewed. If for nothing else but to remind drivers of things like using a turn signal and don't talk on the phone or text. And bring back Driver's Ed in schools. I can understand the liabilities of taking students out in a car, so make it all in-class training so pre-driver's are at least taught the rules!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I've said this before, but for one I actually welcome the driverless car revolution. If you think driving equates to freedom, you're kidding yourself. Big Brother can close the roads anywhere, anytime for any reason or no reason. You have no "right" to use them, only the "right" to pay for them. There are more rules, taxes, fees, restrictions and ways for everyone and anyone to profiteer off of people owning cars and driving than just about anything else they can possibly do. EVERYONE makes money off of it - except us (we pay for it all). Governments, insurance companies, oil companies, dealerships and car manufacturing companies, local, state and federal governments, corrupt turnpike authorities, sleazy mechanics, EVERYONE else. We're told where we can drive, how we must drive, even (sometimes) when we may drive. We're told all the way from the time we take Driver's Education in our teens until we die that "driving is a privilege, not a right", so tell me exactly how it's a "freedom"?

The driverless car will make the entire system work better. As a practical matter, human beings have proven without a doubt that we (collectively) are too stupid to operate motor vehicles in an efficient way, certainly not to a point where driving / private vehicle ownership and operation can continue to be the cornerstone of our society and economy. There are too many variables in human behavior - some people are competent but many are not (and there's no incentive whatsoever for licensing agencies to deny people licenses for fear of being sued over "discrimination" or because those governments make so much money when people ARE licensed and DO drive). People can't modulate speed, they can't pay attention, they get impatient and hotheaded and do dumb / reckless things that put other peoples' lives at risk, they get distracted easily, they don't follow simple basic rules which has resulted in layering of more and more (unenforced or selectively enforced) rules to the point where the system doesn't really work well for ANYONE anymore - just more and more delays and cost for everyone partaking in it and sucking any joy or fun out of it (lawyers and politicians excel at that).

An underlying issue is that of TIME. People just don't have time to waste sitting in traffic. Why do you think half the people out there are on their phones half the time (exacerbating the problem)? One of the highest signs of privilege in western culture is for someone to have their own driver (this goes all the way back to the age of horse-drawn coaches) because driving is tedious and the privileged person's time and energy is better spent on more important things. A driverless car allows you BE that "privileged person" - to relax, carry on a conversation, read a book, get work done or whatever else (sleep? pound down a few mai tais? get busy in the back?) without any risk or delay to the efficiency of the system as a whole. It's like your own personal limousine, all the time! I don't see the downside at all. If the Uber revolution has taught us anything it's that people (particularly millennials) are sick of it and don't buy into the hype anymore. They're mostly right - driving really isn't all it's cracked up (no pun) to be. It's certainly not a worthwhile thing to spend money on when there are better options available. Best of all, every single vehicle on the road can move along at maximum speed, 5' away from the one in front or behind, all the time with no risk (once the technology is perfected). That eliminates HUGE delays due to human behavior and makes far more efficient use of resources.

Sorry, but driving (for me) is certainly NOT freedom, it's the antithesis of it. I feel "free" when I go out for a run or go for a bike ride or go surf. I do those things on my terms, subject to nobody else's dictates (other than rules of the road if I run or bike on the road system rather than trails). I'm welcome to take all the risks I want at my own peril - or not. I can go when I like and it costs me nothing. And it helps my state of mind rather than leaving me stressed out, exasperated and cursing everyone I encountered along the way for being too slow / too psychotic / too whatever in their driving.

Yes, being away from urban areas helps but let's be realistic and look at trends - most people are moving TO, not AWAY FROM, cities. That's where the driverless cars can potentially do the most good and where the maximum benefit can be realized. Perhaps we require those inside of areas above a certain density and allow people to retain their own vehicles outside of them? I'm not sure. The one thing I'm sure of is that I definitely will not miss dealing with people at their worst, the crush and impatient hotheadedness of urban commuting, the lousy roads and the associated feeling of having been ripped off.

I welcome the driverless car, at least in the urban settings!

[RKDinOKC]

Yeah, that's it. Let us make the cars smarter and the driver's dumber! That will fix the impact of our schools coming babysitters instead of learning centers.

I've seen the same thing happen in manufacturing. Manufacturing went from trained craftsmen to machine operators, to being replaced by robotics. We are on the road from drivers to operators to being replaced by robotics.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The drivers ARE already dumber - that’s the problem! They continue to prove it daily!

[Evans, Marv]

Getting out of Dodge helped lower my stress level related to traffic, this is until I have to go into town - which I avoid. When I have to do that, I'm reminded all over again. It's going to be in the high 70s/low 80s on the desert tomorrow. I think I'll ride my bike out there and have lunch. There will be some nice twisty roads and little traffic. I won't even think about the hoards of commuters fighting each other.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

The drivers ARE already dumber - that’s the problem! They continue to prove it daily!

i work for the FAA, you know what scares me. some of those idiots on the road fly airplanes.


unfortunately my job requires me to goto training in OKC. I go over to Memphis and have to take I40 from there.
don't go as much as I use to.

[oldE]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

This is one of the reasons people wind up with early Miatas on skinny tires. More shifting, lower limits, easy to beat on, high red line. Little hooligan cars.

I represent that remark, Sir.

When I talk to visitors to this area, a frequent comment is, "There's nobody on the road! "
On the other hand, some of those roads are frost heaved, so leave your slammed hot rod at home.
Best
Les

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by T77911S

i work for the FAA, you know what scares me. some of those idiots on the road fly airplanes.

Made me laugh.

As a former Navy pilot with a lot of hours in rotary and fixed wing, if I see a few of the folks I flew with in the cockpit of an airliner, I'm getting off.

As part of our business, my company designs unmanned aircraft for commercial and DoD purposes. The advances in auto-pilots, gyros systems on cards, etc. has made routine UAS operations much more accurate and as safe or safer than manned aircraft.

Cars are next and I will not fight it as long as participation is optional in certain locations and circumstances.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Cars are next and I will not fight it as long as participation is optional in certain locations and circumstances.

+1
There are a lot of places - cities and suburban areas that I drive often - that I don't want to have to drive. But I want the option.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Haha! I agree (pilot and CFI here) to a point. When I'm in the air at least I'm in the company of professionals! When I was flying commercially for a living I used to say I was more worried about getting killed on the way to or from the airport - so true!

The WORST thing that could happen to aviation is "flying cars" and a lowering of the bar so that any schlub can enter the National Airspace System. I wasn't too thrilled a few years back when they created the Sport Pilot certification (I did and still do view it as "dumbing down" the barriers to entry and making the system less safe since people who can't get a Medical Certificate can now fly so long as they have a state-issued driver's license... HORRIBLE precedent IMO).

If they EVER allow a "flying car" certification that doesn't require at least basic knowledge of airspace, FARs, weather / meteorology, aerodynamics, etc. I'll never fly again. It's bad enough that there are so many doofuses out there with drones, completely oblivious to Part 107 rules - imagine how it'd be with the "average" driver out there able to operate in three-dimensional space! *shudder*

[scottmandue]

Not "fun" drive but in my youth we would take weekend road trips L.A. to Vegas, those who have done that run know there are stretches of desert where you can see 12-20 miles down the road. Driving late at night there were times when you wouldn't see another car, not it is nothing but tail light. You could also pullout at an unlit off ramp and see the milky way... now, not so much.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

The more I drive the more I'm convinced people are in a hurry to die these days and they don't care if they take someone with them when they go.

This seems to be the case here in the lower mainland - Vancouver area. It also appears to be especially true of 'recently arrived prospective citizens' who have no concept or experience in car culture or of driving etiquette.
Of course one has to be aware of the obnoxious & increasingly prevailing "after me - you come first" attitude as well.
My survival instincts & experiences on the road tell me a very large portion of the driving public is totally incompetent which leads me to be a very defensive driver in traffic.

Just be safe & aware out there & choose your spots carefully. There is still some enjoyment to be had.

Cheers
JB

[Alfasrule]

Let me help you get your head out of your "A" so you can drive.
As far as I'm concerned the RUDE BUTTON turns on when these idiots get behind a wheel.
What the heck are they doing, cause they are NOT DRIVING, just operating.

I'm a Horn Honking, Light Flashing Ahole, if your in front of me driving STUPID your going to see or hear me, and if you desire to pull some tricks on me, NOT GOOD!

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Now you're just being cranky. I checked Linn County, Oregon on Wikipedia - only 120,000 people with a pop. density of 51 per square mile (half the density of that sprawling metropolis Possum Trot, KY out this way). You're in a rural part of probably one of the top 20 least populated states in the US. Trouble finding the open road? It's at the edge of your driveway, running about 100 miles in any direction, seems like.

LOL! Soon, I'll be leaving here to drive to Salem, Oregon so Cindy & I can play on a hard to find 9' pool table. About 30 miles of that drive will be on a 2 lane stretch of I-5 from Albany to Salem. Trust me, it'll be crowded enough to rival anywhere. Every type of crazy driving mentioned in previous comments applies.

But you're right...there are available rural roads not heavily travelled in this part of Oregon. Hell, I live along one of them. I'm as likely to see slow moving farm equipment pass my front door as a car.

Thing is, these roads mostly go nowhere. I do use them when they do lead to somewhere. But usually it's only a few miles before I must get back on...you guessed it...I-5, which is the same two lane width it was back in the late 50's when first built.

You see, Oregon is run by lefties..transportation money goes to more light rail and bicycle lanes for the Portland area, where the political power resides.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Alfasrule

Let me help you get your head out of your "A" so you can drive.
As far as I'm concerned the RUDE BUTTON turns on when these idiots get behind a wheel.
What the heck are they doing, cause they are NOT DRIVING, just operating.

I'm a Horn Honking, Light Flashing Ahole, if your in front of me driving STUPID your going to see or hear me, and if you desire to pull some tricks on me, NOT GOOD!

Be careful with that. Road rage stories involving crashing or gunplay are frequently broadcast over the TV airwaves here in Oregon.

One amusing tale told to me by the parent of the guy who was the intended victim..
Guy in a big pickup cut off a car in traffic. Guy in car rolled down a window at the light, asked the guy to be more careful. Light turned green, guy in pickup began tailgating, even bumping the car. Guy in car ended up placing the guy in the pickup
in the county jail after calling in some help. Guy in the car was a Sheriff's detective in his unmarked car. Whoops...somebody picked the wrong fight.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Alfasrule

Let me help you get your head out of your "A" so you can drive.
As far as I'm concerned the RUDE BUTTON turns on when these idiots get behind a wheel.
What the heck are they doing, cause they are NOT DRIVING, just operating.

I'm a Horn Honking, Light Flashing Ahole, if your in front of me driving STUPID your going to see or hear me, and if you desire to pull some tricks on me, NOT GOOD!

Yeah, you are one of the good ones

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Not "fun" drive but in my youth we would take weekend road trips L.A. to Vegas, those who have done that run know there are stretches of desert where you can see 12-20 miles down the road. Driving late at night there were times when you wouldn't see another car, not it is nothing but tail light. You could also pullout at an unlit off ramp and see the milky way... now, not so much.

I periodically travel to the Mojave desert, there are still many stretches where you can see for miles, and can't see another car. This is in the middle of the afternoon. I think some of you guys are just picking the wrong roads. BTW, if you are complaining about traffic on the interstate, you are picking the wrong roads.

[GH85Carrera]

I have driven to coasts both east and west and even up to the great lakes. I have seen some horrible traffic, and some open roads. I was dumbfounded to see some very open roads with only one or two other vehicles in site in upstate NY. I know that NY is far from being all NYC like seen in the movies and TV. I was still amazed to see such low traffic in NY.

Now my commute is the 14 steps from the bedroom to my home office. My last real commute was 10 miles and took 12 minutes. On a regular basis I could drive 2 or 3 miles and not see any other vehicles.

I have driven the "loneliest highway in America" and that was fun. I have been on many roads with no other vehicles in sight. The New England states all have very high population and lots of traffic, except for parts of upstate NY.