The appeal of driving

Cars are usually seen to be very anti-social, damaging machines. Even though they afford us unparallelled personal mobility, they are also metal cocoons that isolate us from one another and often turn mild-mannered individuals into arseholes, wankers, cows, tossers and the like. En masse, they consume vast amounts of energy and emit huge amounts of pollution. And even if you don't subscribe to the idea that car exhaust is contributing heavily to global warming, it's effects on breatheable air can't be denied.

But the appeal of owning a car is not just restricted to convenience and ease of movement. I think that, for a huge percentage of the motoring populace, one of the major appeals is the feeling of power and control that is had when 'behind the wheel'. Cars are expensive, complex, heavy and powerful; the fact that we can own these machines, and control them with a mere flex of the ankle and twirl of the wrist is what makes transportation by any other means - particularly for those who have a choice - a very difficult concept to abandon.

For me, as a weekend driver, it's not only about the freedom and control, but the sensations of acceleration, deceleration and cornering that provide a huge rush. It's also about the challenge of testing the limits of adhesion; understanding the physical forces acting on each tyre, the suspension, and the chassis; using that understanding to extract the most grip, and being able to manage the eventual loss of grip and bring 3000 lbs of metal from the brink. The sounds and sensations that come from all of this is huge fun.

So, in spite of living in a part of London where a car is irrelevant on most days, having fast affordable personal mobility for myself and my family on longer journeys and cold, inclement days, plus the fun factor during out-of-town drives and track days makes owning a car a great proposition for me.

Satellite Navigation - Gimmick or The Future?

The other day I came across a forum where the topic of satnav systems were being discussed. The question for debate was whether they were genuinely useful, or merely a gimmick and a distraction. My thoughts on the topic were as follows:

"From my own personal experience, using my TomTom Go has made navigation easier and safer. And with the speed camera database I've added to the unit (updated monthly) my journeys are far less stressful, and I've been able to divert more of my attention to actually driving, rather than partially scanning for GATSOs and the like.

"I actually enjoy poring over maps, and absorbing the geographical knowledge they bestow upon the reader. I also enjoy 'discovering' a place by using my map- and sign-reading skills. However, when actually having to drive to unfamilliar destinations in a timely fashion, relying solely on a map can become very time-consuming and, in the case of navigating town centres and one-way systems, confusing, distracting and dangerous.

"In this sense, using my satnav unit - as a supplementary guide - is superior to only reading a map, receiving imprecise directions from passers-by, and trying to spot and interperet potentially obscure signs in unfamilliar locations, whilst jostling for position with moving traffic. I've placed my unit in at the bottom-right of my windscreen, and find that the vocal instructions are delivered in plenty of time to prepare myself for the next change of direction. The graphics, when they are needed, are very easy to interperet at-a-glance. When I don't require its services, it being on does not distract me at all.

"My model also uses Bluetooth to connect to my mobile, and becomes a very effective and completely hands-free device when (short) phone conversations must take place.

"For me, this technology is similar to power steering or traction control - technology that should not take the place of attentive and skilled driving, but does make it easier and, in many instances, safer."

For the full discussion in the forum this was posted, you can go here.

Britain's government is stagnating gains in road safety

Something that's always interesting for me to follow are the continuing developments in road safety policy in Britain. When I first put pedal to the metal here over three years ago, it always struck me how sensible people's approach to driving was. The standard of education seemed quite high. But what is also fascinating (and disturbing) is the speed with which these standards of consideration and personal responsibility seem to be falling, due in large part to punitive, automated road safety initiatives. As the government's emphasis on road safety shifts from using proper care, judgement and consideration to merely making sure we don't exceed a posted speed limit, people's definition of what constitutes safe driving is being altered to reflect this new minimum standard.

The result? With falling numbers of real traffic police patroling the roads, and a rising numbers of speed cameras, the idea that 'as long as I'm not speeding, anything else goes' is becoming more and more prevalent. Actions that can't be easily caught by stationay, automated cameras, such as tailgating, poor lane discipline and inconsiderate road use are now going unnoticed and unpunished. Since it's carelessness and poor judgement that directly contributes to more than nine out of ten accidents, it's ridiculous that roads safety policy should mainly be geared toward trying to enforce speed limits at arbitrary locations. Some interesting and thoroughly-researched info on this topic can be found here.

Infinite driving fun for £150

It's probably not a good idea to leave blogs idle for so long, but I think it's the idea that it seems a bit redundant next to my main project, Raadius; it's causing me to place it rather lower on my list of priorities. This is not a sound justification for a whole host of reasons, I know, but I'll be making more of an effort to keep it fresh.

It's not as if nothing's happened. At the start of December, I attended a trackday at Brands Hatch circuit in England's South East; it was also the first trackday I've ever attended. To say it was a totally absorbing, exhillerating rush is to scratch the descriptive surface of what was the most thrilling day of my motoring life so far. It was a huge rush to be able to consistently push the car to the limits of adhesion - and a few times, beyond! If you want to know more about the day, you can go here.

And the best part is, you do not need a modified sports car or loads of cash to enjoy yourself, and you don't have to be a skillful racing god, either. If anyone reading this blog has considered doing a trackday but got the impression they weren't accessible (or incredibly friendly and professionally-run) I urge you to have a look at what's on offer in your area, and book a day. You'll be waxing on about it for weeks after. In fact, you can yammer about it in the forum I set up for just such a thing.

Raadius has a new store!!

Incredible - I didn't think I'd get be able to do it so easily, or in such short time, but there it is: Raadius' new online store.

But as they say, developing the last 5% requires 95% of the effort, so refining the store will have to wait for another weekend. Nonetheless, it's a fully-functioning online store, and it's a good first step. Marketing it will be the next challenge...

While I'm trying to sort that out, I'm grappling with the question of whether or not to attend a novice trackday on 2 December at Brands Hatch (the Indy part of the Circuit). It would be a great chance to finally push myself - and my car - harder than ever before. Only the cost issue (car prep, fuel, and the admission itself) and the question of whether thrashing my 14-year-old daily driver is a wise move are stopping me from taking the plunge outright. But my heart says "hell yeah," so I have a feeling I'll be at the 7:30am sign-in on 2 December at Brands Hatch, complete with a £250 hole in my wallet. Crickey.

But what a great driving story that will make...

Time to write!!

I've been putting of entering anything in this blog, and I think it's because I don't actually do a great deal of driving lately.

Something should go up though, surely.

Since the last blog in August (yes, shame) I've been to the Goodwood Revival, and I've had a couple of sensational drives along East Sussex's renouned b-roads. I'll have to go back to get some photographic material for my next Featured Road on Raadius.

But not much else since then. Earning money and being a 'head of the house' has taken a clear priority lately. I will be opening my Raadius Shop this weekend, though, and it promises to be a great source of motoring couture. The cut and material of the apparel is bang-on, and the goal in designing the clothing was to create something that both men and women would be proud to wear anywhere. I'll be looking forward to the feedback I get after a few months...

I'm looking at a track day, probably at Brands Hatch in Kent. Time to stretch all those driving techniques I've been putting to unrestrained use on those weekend drives. I'm worried that my car won't be up to the rigours of such abuse, but I'm willing to take the risk, I think. As long as I can afford the whole experience!

I'm looking forward to scaling back my freelance design work toward the end of winter, as that's taking up a huge amount of my time. But the money is fantastic, and I want a huge cushion so I can eventually devote more time to Raadius, and to exploring more of Britain and its roads by car. For now, I'll take what bits and chunks of fun I can!

I've just been to the Porsche Club Festival and had a blast. There's no better way to go deaf, I say.

Lots of images and video can be seen here

I'm planning to attend the Goodwood Revival. By many accounts, that's the one to be at for the year, so I guess I'll have to be there...