Road Rage Essay Research Paper I

Road Rage Essay, Research Paper

I’ll never forget the rush, the excitement, and the terror of that Saturday night, many years ago.I was very young, just out of College, and for the first time in my life I had a real job. Idid what most young men do when they finally find themselves with a little cash, some credit, and a need to make their mark upon the world-I bought a fast car, a Porsche 911 Turbo. I would spend the next five years of my life paying for this, but at that age one can hardly conceive of five years.On this particular Saturday night, I had offered a lady a drive home, as I often did. Unfortunately, she lived across town on the other side of the city, which meant anhour drive back home on the freeway. I looked down at my watch, it was 2:00 a.m. I figured I could easily make the drive in 45 minutes. Settling into the driver’s seat I started the engine and turned up the radio. A drive like this would definitely need driving music.I knew the roads well, I’d driven it numerous times before. The freeway was wideand mostly straight, and there was little in the way off traffic to worry about. I felt very comfortable and safe driving my usual speed for 2:00 a.m. of just under 140 mph. Safe for this stretch of road-but I was fast approaching the Hump. The “Hump,” as it was commonly called, was a well known bump in the road that had formed though some error or perhaps from the effects of weather, no one was really sure. The freeway was about to become an elevatedexpressway that went through the city. Where there should have been a slow gradual rise to the elevated expressway, there was instead a rather steep ramp. And instead of a gradual rise from the ramp to the expressway, there was in fact a bump at the top of the ramp-that was the Hump.The posted speed limit for the freeway was 70 mph, but dropped off to 40 mph for the raised expressway. The speed limit for the ramp itself was posted on a pair of large orange warning signs as 40 mph. It was very safe to take this ramp at speeds of up to 60 mph, I knew this from experience. Anything over 60 mph and your car would leave the road. One of my favorite things to do was to speed up whenever I would approach the Hump to see if I could get some air.I knew there was danger in this sport. Not long ago I read in the newspaper about a Chevy Corvette that hit the Hump so fast that it actually jumped the median and landed on the opposite side of the expressway–directly in the path of oncoming traffic. It hit another car head-on and everyone in both cars was killed instantly. But like many young people the fear of death was not strong in my mind. As well, I had a potentially lethal mixture of adrenaline and a little alcohol coursing through my veins.Seeing the Hump ahead I positioned myself in the center lane so I was able to give myself asafety lane on each side. I ensured there were no cars to my left or right. Placing both hands on the wheel I tightened my grip. I hit the Hump…Airborne.Thrilling sensation of speed and freedom. The steering wheel became loose in my hands as the tires lost traction. A natural occurrence resulting from the lack of contact between the rubber of the tires and the asphalt of the expressway. I remained calm, I had experienced this sensation many times before, nothing to worry about. I was not in control of the vehicle, but the loss of control was temporary, I would regain control the moment the tires hit with theroad. But I was heading directly towards the divider. Panic welled up inside me. The calm of only a second before was gone. Fingers tightened. My hands became a vice. Every ounce of strength was devoted to keeping the steering wheel still. Every once of self-control was devoted to fighting my natural instinct to turn the wheel in the direction I wanted to go-away from the divider. It would take only the slightest effort to spin the wheel like in my hands, but no I had to keep the wheels straight.I hit the ground.Tires screeched. Sparks flew.My head hit the roof of the car as I flew out of my seat. I was holding on so tight, nothing could have broken my I was only a few feet from the divider, and heading directly towards it!Trying to regain control, I turned the wheel sharply to the right. Again the tires screeched, the car swerved , missing the divider by a few inches. Unfortunately I had swerved too much and now was headed directly towards the divider on the opposite side of the road!I swerved again……and again.The car fishtailed back and fourth a couple of times. Slowly I regained control of the car, and soon after I loosened my grip on the wheel and noticed my hands tremblingly. My confidence slowly returning I began to accelerate again. I’d lost a lot of speed, but in a few moments I would be back up to my cruising speed of just under 140 mph. Out of nowhere, a red Ferrari Testarosa pulled up alongside me. The driver, a young man in his late twenties, smiled, saluted, and pulled away.He had obviously witnessed what happened, and his smile and salute was one of respect.I could tell at once that he too, was a Road Warrior. For those who don’t drive fast, you will not appreciate the bond that exists amongst fast drivers. There is a kind of unspoken respect for other drivers who travel at excess speeds. But being a Road Warrior is about more than just fast driving. It’s about being in one with the road. It’s about feeling the location of every other driver around you, sensing the flow of traffic and knowin