The Time I Hooned
As an enthusiast my experiences in car culture tend to be on he tame side of the spectrum. As I drove my person and parents cars I never performed any of the so-called hoon stunts. In fact the only time I purposely did not oblige by the standard laws and guidelines of the road were when I would occasionally drift and slide in the snow at my school’s parking lot and when I would have mini races between lights with my friends. All were done in isolated and safe conditions where no one else was on the road and at risk. In the world of true racing I was uninitiated and inexperienced, until the drive back from a friends house with another friend behind the wheel.
One day several of my friends decided to car pool out to another friend’s house who had moved an hour away. Since one of my friends had just gotten a new car, he volunteered to drive us all and I had no reason to feel as if this trip would be dangerous or risky, but when he showed up I noticed the car was sitting remarkably low due to the four average size people inside, hinting at a suspension issue. As I got in, I felt the car sink lower and realized this car had some hidden issues. As we traveled down the highway, we realized there was even more wrong with the car than that. With every bump and jolt along the roadway, the back left tire would rub against the wheel well, vibrating the car. When we arrived our friend’s house, myself and another friend who was very much into the car scene looked at the car to see if it was safe and what should be done to help on the way back. Sources:
http://www.123rf.com/photo_12952782_a-speedometer-showing-aproximately-130mph--speedometer-is-light-for-night-driving.html http://galleryhip.com/audi-a4-b5-stance.html |
We determined the car’s tires should be inflated and that would minimize the rubbing on the way back, so after our visit we went to a gas station to fill them up. My racing friend then volunteered to drive us back. The inflation had certainly improved the problem and we were enjoying a peaceful trip back, until another car had to stir up trouble. A newer Mercedes high performance AMG model flew by us going approximately 120 mph and my friend got antsy. He glanced a look at the owner, my friend who owned the car said “I know you want to, go ahead.” And like that my speeding innocence was lost forever. The driver downshifted and we started to speed up. First speedometer read 80, then 100, then 110, 120, 125, and finally we were hovering a little over 130. We blew by all the other cars who were going half the speed we were started changing lanes and swerving through traffic in order to pass the aggressive Mercedes. With congestion up ahead, the Mercedes had slowed down, and we blew right by him. At this point I was extremely uncomfortable because not only had I ever been this fast in a car before, but also this was the same car we determined to have structural issues earlier in the day. Right before I was about to tell him to slow down, he let off, and we returned to a much more reasonable 75.
This was my first experience of excess speeding and being a hazard to other drivers. Though this involvement, I had concluded once and for all where I fall on the spectrum of enthusiast. I knew while I love driving and exhibiting my skills, I could never do so when risking my safety and others as with the hooning side. Driving and cars are two of my greatest passions, but I will never risk them for an adrenaline rush or to show up someone as was this case. |