The “Go” pedal

I have a new (to me) car. Yes, I’m one of those jerks in a BMW coupe now; deal with it. It’s no monster race car (under 200 horsies), nor do I drive it as if it is. However, it is a spirited little beast that handles well and can be a real joy to drive if you know how. However, power and skill mean nothing without open road.

After a week, I have yet to get a clear shot onto the highway coming from my house. It’s a wide open on-ramp with a fun starting turn and long straight section to drift into. It’s a place where I could legally pound through a corner under hard acceleration while getting right up to highway speed (which most days is about 75 MPH on the “280 Motor Speedway”).

Instead, I start the corner, see a cell-phone-using moron in an SUV or inattentive Jetta driver putting on makeup halfway along the ramp, and have to let up. Then I get to enjoy the horror of merging with traffic using a prayerful blinker and 45 MPH of speed, snapping my head around and frantically checking my mirrors, just like the idiot in front of me. Sigh. If only more people realized that an “on ramp” is for making a graceful transition from surface street speeds to highway speeds. On the ramp. Not before. Not after.

Alternately, you can all just stay the heck off the roads at 9:00 AM next Wednesday so I can do it the right way. Alone. Just once.