Dear Florida,

Your argument for double yellow line violating is invalid. Shot this past Saturday...

 

Just drove the Tail myself a few days ago. May post a shorter video. As pointed out, there are numerous turn-outs that slower drivers are encouraged to use. However, many will not get out of your way, particularly motorcycles. Still, there is no excuse for crossing the yellow lines. Drivers doing so, even if not endangering others, may cost us the chance to use this great road for our driving pleasure. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

I ride a motorcycle so people crossing the center line scare me big time...just learn how to drive please before you kill someone

 

Hey BrakingBad, did you do that just for fun in the snow, or had this been a planned trip that the snow tried to abort? I would have been worried about ice, either way. And it looked like the some branches rubbed your car or perhaps you ran over some on your way under the downed tree at the 15 minute mark. Yikes. I probably would not have done it in that weather. Loved the video though.

 

David, we aren't that far off. I try to not harp, it comes too easily! But ... I think I've been put into the mood. Read on, or not ...

Why do people drive the way they do? The question is too general ... I won't answer it here. Mood affects attitude. Or vice versa. I'll go from there.

Reading within my previous lines you may note that I figure this was sloppy lazy driving, done at its best! A DE or three, as suggested by another, might change the style. Or maybe this style was an exception for the day and due to the driver's mood (and the conditions of the road).

With these cars on that road and at those apparent speeds, staying in lane should have been simple short of a lot of moisture or debris on the surface. Holding a tight disciplined line hones skills. Driving those lines demonstrated on the video diminishes abilities (NOTE: All of this is fully IMHO, please no offense to anyone). Why not finesse the car within the lane? This gets back to the mood during the drive.

The tighter line does take a lot more effort, but so does good manual shifting. I've read plenty in this Forum on MTs. We drive these cars for not only the joy but also for the challenge. It is a matter of how we each define those things. After dirt bikes, I grew up on Lotus cars and love to carve aggressively. I like finding the tight lines. That is my challenge, and creates my joy. So that is my driving force, holding inside the lane, holding my line as tightly as I can, and thus creating my good mood.

BTW, this doesn't work as well if my wife is in the passenger's seat. I still stay in lane, and merely slow down a bit as I shift my lines to what she anticipates. A perfect example of this is the entrance onto 101 North from Freitas Parkway. The line I like pushes the outside edge of the road to the sign where you can then cut for the apex. This is not obvious. I have learned to avoid this, holding to the inside curb if she is in the car. But that alteration is to improve her mood!

After my last Lotus, for reliability, I swapped to a Supra Twin Turbo. I did no mods. This car shifted weight and the corners were best timed to carve one as the car dropped down and slide the next as the car rose up. Ideally I was set up to carve right and slide left, placing the rear end on the shoulder rather than the center line. My mood was different when I drove that car. It was half race car and half dirt bike. It took a lot of thought and timing. Too much. I sold that car for my 911. My 4 wheel drive 911. My mood is great now.

It has been a long day and I digress. The challenge is individual and the joy can vary. We each may shift from day to day. For me, I've moved to a PDK! I have a lot more time to focus on the road. I miss a good heel and toe, but not a lot. Good mood, for me.

As far as cars coming at you ... bikes don't adjust to a new line in mid-turn the way cars do. I hated coming around blind turns to find another vehicle (car, truck, bus, fire engine, bike, whatever) with a headlight aligned with mine. It happened too often. Fortunately I started life on dirt bikes including snow and ice riding. That saved me more than once, but those adrenaline rushes tended to be more than I wanted. I have a friend who has flown off more than one cliff. He rides better than I. Fortunately he is very lucky as well. I recall a hook and ladder on a left sweeper that drifted into our lane with a near decapitation. Very lucky. I can get POed quicker than most when I see the center line crossed. So I am not supporting line abuse. Talk about bad mood!

So now you know that I, as much as anyone, hate to see a line crossed. But I also don't see it as dangerous every time, or something to be immediately criticized. There are times that such behavior is not as dangerous. Times that the outcomes are more controllable. Yet, I'm not in the mood to be the one who is crossing.

Full disclosure ... I skipped through parts of the video and may have missed some excessive line abuse. From what I did see, tight lines weren't a part of this exercise. I was enjoying the road and the scenery! And when lines were crossed, it appeared that there was line of sight for the next turn and a half with no one in between. It is hard to tell for sure for the lead car when the video was from the trailing car. Nonetheless, the driving style seemed to avoid aggressive abuse to oncoming traffic (I may have missed an error or two). Turn the radio up, turn the mind off, heed to oncoming, and enjoy? Yeah ... not good style. But a gentle roller coaster can clean your mind and improve your mood.

Hopefully this video is not representational of every drive. I can't imagine it would be. In this case, there are two cars, and the lead car wants to get to the end first, with a margin. Maybe not the best road drive, but it is the set up. So would you cut the corners when you could? You have sight a turn and a half down the road. No one is there. You put half your car across the line. The speed is slow enough that you can get fully back in lane in a couple of car lengths. Where would your mood be? I missed random acts of dangerous behavior in my viewing, as described in the previous paragraph. Of course, I am assuming the drivers had the skill to maneuver their cars out of the way if an oncoming car appeared. From what I could see, safety was in the mood.

We own these cars to enjoy and improve. But also occasionally to relax and unwind. I think the crossing the line point has now been made by many. With many moods expressed.

I do side with those who hope this is not standard behavior. Now I am sounding like an old fogey! Talk about a negative mood!

 

I'm inspired! Great lines on the road. Perfect cushion zones behind traffic. Nice sling shot move on the third pull out. I'd like to know what was in your mind as you decided to drive through that tree! I'll ride in your passenger seat anytime, and I don't say that to many. Well done!

 

LOL. That's not me! Killboy posted that video today. He is driving an S2000 with Summer tires...Toyo Proxes R1Rs. I've hit the drgaon in the rain on both a car and a motorcycle, don't think I want to try snow. If you want to know real terror, try the Dragon around midnight on a motorcycle.

BTW, you saw this right?

 

So that's how he fit through the tree! Very neat driving. I thought the motor sounded wrong and was wondering about the exhaust. Great driving in any car.

A road like that on a motorcycle in the night is fall down territory. I could never ride curves in the fog either!

My time is mostly on the West coast. The video reminded me of the 50 to Lake Tahoe around Strawberry.