I just got back from a crazy day driving on the streets of Kuwait City. I must admit, while Kuwait has a decent set of roads; the people on them don't seem to be half as decent. In my 15 minute drive from Kuwait City to the Airport, I got cut off by 4 fancy sports cars (2 Porsches, a Massarati and a Nissan Z350).
Of course, other people driving other cars also cut of me off but my bitch for the day is the people with the fancy roadsters specifically the Porches, Ferraris, the Lambos and the Masseratis. Albeit the fact that over 90% of the people that own these cars in Kuwait buy them because of upholding their status is true. What pisses me off is that most of the people that drive these machines don't have the slightest idea how to drive them.
My friend Q8 Apothecary (whose blog seems to have gone into hibernation) has summed it best on one of his posts a few years ago. It's not about how many horsepower your car has, it's about the guy or girl behind the wheel (in our case, the moron) behind the wheel that matters. Super cars specifically the Ferraris and Porches need to be driven specifically. They are not your every day commuter vehicles, they are not drag racing cars and most of all, they are to be driven with skill and precision. This is one of the main reasons we see rash and negligent driving on the streets that results in injuries and death. And we wonder why Kuwait has one of the highest accident rates in this part of the world?
Who might I ask is to be blamed for this? Is it the dealers who do not bother to offer basic drivers training to new buyers? Is it the parents who indulge their kids with luxuries for fear of being called insufficient providers? Or is it the fault of the drivers themselves who neglect all road sense and sensibility for want of fame and an adrenalin rush?
Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy a Porchse. In fact, if you can afford it, go ahead and buy one right away. But before you take to the wheel, try and understand how the machine responds to your touch. A super car is like a beast that needs taming. And until you understand how to be one with your machine, please don't take to crazy antics on the streets or think for one minute that you are licensed to thrill by performing meaningless stunts on the streets and endangering the lives of the other commuters that use them.
PS – I love the Mercedes McLaren SLR but the day I hopefully buy one, I’m going to sign up for a crash course in performance driving.
3 comments:
Nice post. Sadly we are living in a country where petrol is cheaper than water and cars are more easily affordable. Why would dealers care about training the people that buy the vehicles from their showrooms if they are benefiting from the sales?
I think it is up to the people buying the cars who should decide on getting the right kind of trainig not only to help them drive the car better but to avoid mishaps on the roads. Maybe the parents buying their kids the fancy cars should think about some ways to make sure their children can drive the cars first before buying them.
Maybe the parents themselves don't know how to drive! God doesn't give everybody everything when they are born! With the case of Kuwait, they have the money but haven't the brains to spend it wisely..
I've got to say, you're right! But I still think getting some training from the dealers would certainly ensure owners drive in a more technically adept and responsible manner. I refer here to the owners of performance cars like the Porsches and Ferraris.
As for other common folk (me included) i think it's about time we practiced some defensive driving and have a little more road sense.
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