Cars these days are cooking. They are being suped up, and displayed on the I-15 menu for all sorts of eyes. While most people won’t be purchasing the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, which by the way- goes a cool speed of 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, it can’t hurt to give our eyes a prize for the glory. It is almost too much for the car enthusiast to gleam when a gorgeous Aston Martin, price tag of $272,000, rolls down the road, eating up every curve and texture without even a sigh. For the average car enthusiast, there are several different factors that influence their car addiction. Many times these features involve certain types of individualized styled categories such as sports, muscle, retro, etc. the list goes on. As far as the rest of the normal world sees it, most people have an appreciation for “fast cars.” These “fast” cars are generally categorized as cars that can go zero to sixty quicker than a sneeze. For those enthusiasts who simply love fast cars, their addiction can include the body type, the wheels, or the unequivocally luxurious interiors. Whatever the type of feature that boosts your adrenaline, loving cars –even if it is a hobby– can make life much better.
The upcoming year in cars won’t be an exception to making enthusiasts life better. The line up of cars to be released by the big names( i.e. Audi, Lamborgini, Ferrari, Mercedes, Mitsubishi just to name a few -lets put it this way- if you can salivate over the car then you can insert it into this bunch) most definitely fall into this category of “fast.” The new 2014 Audi R8 Spyder especially won’t disappoint. With slight modifications to its body, Audi has simply revamped its model and given us a near perfect car. If only they loaned us this car at the rental center! Unfortunately, you better bet this car will cost a pretty penny. The 2013 Spyder went for a little over $172,000, and that was on the cheaper side of the spectrum. Other cars that are making headlines include the new Jaguar F-type. Jaguar which already has an image for creating cars that can go incredibly fast, is now branded their reputation with the face of very pretty models. A good advertising ploy most people would admit.
In all honesty, the majority of the members of our culture will never be able to purchase one of the previously described cars; no, the middle class will have to find a ride more suitable to double digits. In consideration to more moderately priced cars , there are a few exciting and efficient cars out there for the middle class. The new Hyundi Sonata, topped the list of U.S. New’s list with a sweet price tag of only $21,700, and great gas mileage at 35 mph on the highway. The Ford Hybrid came in a close second with the Hyundi Sonata Hybrid coming in third. Consumers are sure to enjoy both of these cars, especially with gas prices reaching sky high prices. In recent years, the U.S. government has started sponsoring programs to get “junk” cars off the road. These programs offer an incentive to get older cars off the road and create U.S. roadways with more efficient fuel consuming cars; like the aforementioned Hybrid. If you are considering trading your car in, it must be older than 25 years and get less than eighteen miles per gallon.
Even junk doesn’t need to look junky. In fact there are several features that can be added to even the cheapest cars to give them a look of grandeur. Lights for example, can take cars to the next level. Rims seem to be all the rage these days as well, we are all impressed with the soccer mom who has the latest rotating rims while she is cruising down the freeway. They add just the touch to create the “cool” effect. Snazzy paint jobs can also amp up a cars demeanor in multiple ways. Since society views cars these days as an extension of the driver’s personality, paint jobs can create a massive attitude for all who see. License plates also seem to be coming back into style, especially when all sorts of numbers and codes are used to produce even the most abnormal words.
It might be interesting to note that even though some of these cars cost a pretty penny and some don’t, all cars still represent (and probably will represent as long as the definition of “car” stays static) a large amount of accidents on the road, off the road, and simply in general. Even non-car enthusiasts need to be concerned with the amount of fatalities car accidents play into our world.
We have all seen the gorg/must have/eegad Lamborgini (rare sight in Utah, we know) zipping between traffic and causing all sorts of chaos. Speed, as cited by Kansas state most recently, does play a major factor in causing accidents. Fast cars- those more prone to driving fast- obviously factor into accidents, and ultimately deaths.
On a national basis, USA Today highlighted a fiery crash that involved teens and (what do you know) speed was a main contribution in their deaths. The report highlights how sheer speed contributed to the tragic accident, as no other cars seemed to be involved. As consumers in a normal society with any ounce of media saturation many people know and understand the speeding laws. This becomes apparent especially on the freeway, as some cars drive below or even at the limit, while even more drive above it. The whole point of speed limits is to keep people safe as and in control of their vehicle.
Recently, conflicting evidence closer to home disputes the fact of high speeds causing accidents. A local news station reports Utah lawmakers are considering raising the speed limit on specific highways as their test zones have not seen any fatal accidents with the current speed. The report does cite there will need to be more responsibility taken by the driver with the increase in speed. The ultimate question falls to the individual. Nationally, a new report from NY Times also shows higher speed limits do not cause more accidents. Driving on the road not only reflects your own responsibility and trust, but the responsibility and trust of all the other drivers on the road. Speed or no speed, none of us dream of accidents.
These accidents which are unfortunately a part of our society more than any of us would like to admit, flood part of our news coverage every night, both
nationally and locally. Unfortunately, most stories involve a party who has been injured. Injuries can be very common especially in car accidents because of the sheer force and weight of the cars. When there are two heavy objects, moving incredibly fast, one second of lack of control can be very serious, not to mention dangerous. Parents everywhere dread the thought of other comicazi drivers when they get in bed at night, brutally dismissing their lack of responsibility on the road while their son or daughter utilizes their full force of responsibility. In reality it falls ultimately to the trust we place in other drivers, which is usually lower than the trust we place in other parts of our society. More and more, incidents involving a myriad of activities concerning our cars and our drivers begin to appear as well in our coverage. Activities while driving such as drunk driving, distracted driving, drowsy driving, and more recently cell phone related driving problems; have started to cause more and more accidents on the road. This becomes especially alarming when the mere fact of driving cars at the speed and rate we drive them is enough to kill someone once over.
There is luckily protection against these drivers who have shunned their responsibility on the road, if heaven forbid, your loved one gets in an accident. Our personal injury firm, Good Guys Injury Law provide and mend these tragedies in a confidential and caring environment for individuals who have been injured due to the lack of responsibility on behalf of another party. Situations such as car accidents become incredibly confusing especially when the whole situation is usually purely related to its namesake- an accident.
There is nothing wrong with loving or even admiring fast cars or cars in general. With nearly 250 million cars estimated to be on the road, admiring cars as a hobby or side gesture can always be picked up. There are tons of resources out there for the newly converted car enthusiast, or the seasoned veteran; in hundreds of forms on the internet, in books, websites, clubs, etc. all bound to bring the enthusiast face to face with a close knit view of the world of cars. Many enthusiasts simply love cars because even in the complexities of the junk cars, the fuel efficient cars, and the three figured cars, all generally run the same way. In the end, the point should always be: whether you drive fast, slow; whether you drive a Maserati or a Honda Civic; or even a beat up 2000 Maxima; the policy on all of our minds should always be to be safe, both on and off the road, especially if we are car connoisseurs.
Photo “2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT” copyright of German Medeot