READER'S BLOG: Tide turning against enthusiasts

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Once one of the wolves, I've taken to running with the hounds in recent years.

I know fast, having undertaken Formula Ford tuition on the Brands Hatch GP circuit some time ago.

Brands Hatch is a great venue to learn about vehicle dynamics; public roads aren't. It's a concern to me that many drivers don't make that distinction.

In a recent tragedy a father and mother around 40 years old died when their Nissan Pathfinder rolled several times on a section of four-lane freeway in Western Australia. Their three toddlers were taken to hospital for treatment, along with the mother's parents who were on holiday from overseas. A teenage boy who was not travelling with them has also been orphaned.

What causes that to happen? Excessive speed is a high probability.

We enthusiasts love the joy of driving fast, but we so rarely think of the consequences when it all goes wrong. It's that blind obsession that makes us obstinately refuse to accept speed limits imposed by society, frequently devaluing these legal requirements with self-serving claims that don't always stand up to close scrutiny.

Any mention of vehicle speed limits is therefore guaranteed to polarise views. In the blue corner are the conformers, society’s quiet majority who just want to get on with life and, for the most part, fall quietly in line with the myriad of laws and by-laws that govern our everyday existence.

They appreciate road rules much as they appreciate laws against theft or crimes of violence. These rules are welcomed and tolerated as a safety net for the vulnerable.

These are the drivers who are honest enough to acknowledge that they are average at best. And that's the core of the issue. Countries have speed limits that provide a safety net for the less competent with whom we all share the same road, and at the same time allow the majority to undertake their journey within a reasonable time.

Without those rules the risk of anarchy is but a step away. Many of the conformers are only motorists because modern life is difficult if you're limited to walking and public transport. To them driving is just an aid to daily chores. They are frequently average-at-best drivers and can feel uneasy on the road if they perceive a threatening vehicle in close proximity.

In the red corner are the motoring free spirits, oft labelled enthusiasts. They see traffic regulations, particularly speed limits, as optional guidelines. Regarding themselves as motoring experts with superior driving abilities, they feel they should be allowed to determine how they drive at any one particular time or location. The fact that doing so may disturb or even endanger a vulnerable conformer is of little importance to them.

Sitting in the middle are ‘the authorities’, those bodies and institutions entrusted with defining and enforcing the parameters of everyday activities, including motoring.

When these faceless arbiters make life unpleasant for the enthusiasts, in this case by limiting the manner in which the event can be enjoyed, they are criticised for their perceived lack of knowledge of the link between vehicle speed and road safety.

Enthusiasts proclaim that the imposition of speed limits has little if any beneficial effect on motorists' welfare. This is said despite this practice being applied in almost every jurisdiction on the planet. As an adjunct, enthusiasts seek that justification by claiming speed limits merely as a self-interested government revenue stream. Not a good thing at all.

Where does this leave us? Australia is fairly unique among first-world countries. It is a very large area with a very small population, most of which lives in one of half a dozen metropolitan conurbations.

Most of the land mass is serviced by barely adequate country roads. The nature of these, especially at night, significantly raises the propensity of accidents and it would be socially untenable for any government failing to impose driving regulations to suit. The urban areas are so traffic-volume saturated, both vehicular and pedestrian, that allowing motorists free-rein could be catastrophic. There could however be a case made to increase the current limit on freeways or highways, provided those are of a high standard in line with advanced, multi-lane roads in countries such as UK, France, Italy.

Ironically such decisions, or the basis of them, may come, not from ‘the authorities’ but from technological advances in the motoring industry itself. Autonomous driving aids are already available, and as the technology improves, they will surely play a larger role in mainstream motoring.

The ability of ‘Big Brother’ being able to control motoring behaviour not by threat of, say, monetary punishment, but by a virtual restraint akin to an invisible dog leash, could be in play in the not too distant future.

It promises to be an enthusiast’s nightmare, but it is also just what society needs.

A carsales reader of long standing, tasman was a fervent follower of F1 racing until the arrival of hybrid V6 powertrains. In his "youthful indulgence from a past era" he owned a six-cylinder Jaguar E-Type, and sat alongside Sir Stirling Moss while the famous British driver hurled a Jaguar XJ around a racing circuit at speed. In recent years he has become fond of the Skoda brand, but also claims to be an 'Italophile'.

Picture courtesy of Lakeyboy / Wikimedia Commons