OT: drive across the US in less than 28 hours

[Hellgate]

Awesome read! Thanks for sharing.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

The point is that they are interacting with the clueless (and the law-abiding) at something approximating twice the typical speed of traffic. Physics doesn't give them a break because they are skilled drivers, and it doesn't matter who was right or wrong when someone is dead.

This is social irresponsibility in the extreme.

According to the article, no one died.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by charliedid

According to the article, no one died.

True, but the lack of negative outcomes (this time) doesn't mean the process was good. It's impossible to argue in good faith that they didn't significantly raise the risk of incident for the other drivers whose paths they crossed. If that's not socially irresponsible, I don't know what is.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

True, but the lack of negative outcomes (this time) doesn't mean the process was good. It's impossible to argue in good faith that they didn't significantly raise the risk of incident for the other drivers whose paths they crossed. If that's not socially irresponsible, I don't know what is.

I know but in this case it all worked out and if the article is true nobody has ever died attempting this. That could be BS who knows. I guess I just don't see that many people undertaking this sort of thing in earnest, so to me it stands as a very rare circumstance that seems to have a solid record. Weird and certainly dangerous with serious risk but few can really comprehend what it would take let alone try it for real.

Also, people drive 100+ mph all the time and don't die, they just don't do it for 27 hours at a shot :-)

I won't feel less or more safe knowing this happens while out driving.

Humans do really cool things sometimes. Sometimes they are stupid.

[Likes2ridefar]

I ran across this article yesterday evening. My first thought it was pretty interesting and I liked the detail they put to achieve the record.

My second thought was all three men and those that supported them should lose their driving privileges in the USA for the rest their lives.

[HenryA]

Back in the day of Brock Yates and Car and Driver, I hung on every word he wrote and especially about the Cannonball. Being young and somewhat foolish I emulated the stunt in part on several trips from the east to Wyoming and Montana. It was not hard at all to average above 80 for the entire trip time, driving straight through. This in a car that topped out at a little above 100. A german made Opel. Pretty fun car. 100 watt high beams and Hella rally lights CB radio was useful too. At night it was just you and the truckers - very high signal to noise ratio about the important stuff like where the police were hiding.

How it went was that once you got to mid Missouri, you just pegged it and kept your passenger attention on the radar detector. A little farther on and the western states had effectively no speed limits, and not much enforcement. The big 18 wheelers were all running 90 so you didn’t stick out going a little faster. One thing that was observable at the time was that lapses to attention just weren’t. Driving like that tended to focus one’s attention tightly.

Traffic was seemingly less than half what is is today. Maybe only a third. I cannot imagine what this latest run must have been like with the higher speeds and all the traffic.

(We were idiots)

[redir]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

I ran across this article yesterday evening. My first thought it was pretty interesting and I liked the detail they put to achieve the record.

My second thought was all three men and those that supported them should lose their driving privileges in the USA for the rest their lives.

LOL. I think I've come around to the same feeling. It's fascinating but criminal. And here's the problem, I used the example of free solo climbing before and it's pertinent, kind of like down hill mountain biking too. It's gotten SO extreme and these records are on the brink of physically impossible to break that someone is going to get in over their heads trying and someone is going to end up dead.

I saw the video and the one guy said something like, "doing the cannonball is a total expression of freedom." Yeah buddy sure. Your expression of freedom but F everyone eases right?

But in the end, yeah, what a hell of a feat!

[josephr]

yawn....anyone who's completed an Iron Butt rally is far more impressive.

[RFC]

Yes, stupid and unsafe, and I totally dig it!

[oldpotatoe]

And here's the problem, I used the example of free solo climbing before and it's pertinent, kind of like down hill mountain biking too. It's gotten SO extreme and these records are on the brink of physically impossible to break that someone is going to get in over their heads trying and someone is going to end up dead.

I think BASE jumping is more related..jumping off tall buildings and then getting snagged by the cops when ya land, they always have a big smile as they get arrested...IF you don't hit somebody after your chute fails..

Google-foo some videos, easy to find them..too painful to post here..

[GregL]

Originally Posted by redir

I saw the video and the one guy said something like, "doing the cannonball is a total expression of freedom." Yeah buddy sure. Your expression of freedom but F everyone eases right?

This is the part of US culture that is so frustrating to me. I support everyone's right to expression. I don't support your rights causing danger to others. If you want to drive fast, there are many legal ways to do so that don't put the lives and safety of non-participants at risk. Autocross, track time trials, SCCA regional racing, drag racing, dirt track racing, etc... Same thing applies to many other life activities. I like to race my bike. I do so in race events with other people who also accept the risks associated with the sport. I don't and won't take the same risks on a group ride on public roads. With great freedom comes great responsibility. Our culture seems to have missed/lost the responsibility part...

Greg

[Blue Jays]

"...modified Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with driver, navigator, and spotter using gyro-stabilized binoculars, computers, and coupled with gimbal-mounted thermal scope to watch for deer..."

Not for nothing, yet as a cyclist, I am far more concerned about distracted and pot-smoking 18 y.o. kids, driving their clapped-out 1988 Ford Taurus, with three bald tires and a donut spare, making Facebook updates at 40 mph...than I am about the drivers in the article.

[mulp]

Not sure if this was already posted but the driver posted a youtube video on the tech he used during the drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWqpYHHNgXA

I was surprised he had a spotter using binoculars!

[Tickdoc]

Massive amount of luck and planning involved here. Stupid? Hell yes, but we can go any number of ways and what a way to go! FWIW I almost perished and/or killed someone yesterday evening crossing a highway with a median. Opposing car was also crossing, but they were turning with no blinker and we both ventured across at the same time. I was honked at as they narrowly turned in front of me. I was in our old Ranch truck and they were in a little ricebox. Gotta love the audacity to honk at me when I clearly had the right of way. I can only imagine if these hooligans happened across the highway at this time....and they crossed thousands of those highway intersection scenarios on this little more than a day long trip.

[cash05458]

Originally Posted by GregL

This is the part of US culture that is so frustrating to me. I support everyone's right to expression. I don't support your rights causing danger to others. If you want to drive fast, there are many legal ways to do so that don't put the lives and safety of non-participants at risk. Autocross, track time trials, SCCA regional racing, drag racing, dirt track racing, etc... Same thing applies to many other life activities. I like to race my bike. I do so in race events with other people who also accept the risks associated with the sport. I don't and won't take the same risks on a group ride on public roads. With great freedom comes great responsibility. Our culture seems to have missed/lost the responsibility part...

Greg

I get your point Greg...but via responsibility just being lost...well, we have more laws regulating pretty much everything in the states...3 guys going over the speed limit by about 30 miles an hour ain't anything to get your panties in an uproar about the "moral" state of a culture...faux outrage as far as I am concerned of the get off my lawn you kids sort...fact is is that folks break laws every day...I think I remember reading that if followed to the "letter " of perfect behavior most americans somehow break the law numerous times per day without even knowing it...even at a felony level...you want perfect law abiding citizens? check out Singapore...there they give public beatings for spitting out chewing gum on a sidewalk...but you can bet the trains run on time for sure...the folks here hoping that these guys now get tossed in prison are pretty over the top...yeah, by the letter of the law those kids shouldn't be on your lawn, but maybe have a drink and let them play and let it go...