Temptation.

It had been a while since I'd driven that stretch of freeway. The last thousand or so times I'd been through here, it was bumpy, and constantly narrowing from the right as lanes disappeared. Badly lit too, with lights only at the outside. Now though, the I405 between Bolsa Chica and Hwy 22 had been transformed into a two mile stretch of well lit, straight, flat and above all wide concrete. And it got me to thinking...

Not that I could make any real use of it. Traffic was too heavy, even at midnight on a Saturday. And anyway, the Focus is badly in need of a clutch replacement. But you couldn't escape the idea that at a different time (say, 3:30am on a Tuesday) big speed would be possible here. In the right car, really big speed.

Now of course it's illegal to drive at more than 65 miles per hour on the I 405, and almost everyone disregards that speed limit to some degree. I'm not about to get involved in a conversation about the moral aspects of using a performance car's capabilities on public roads except to say that I think the argument is a stupid one. Everyone's capability behind the wheel is different, and planning for the lowest common denominator on the road carries as many problems as it solves. The law is the law, and you're bound to respect it, and none of us do. And keep in mind here that I'm not talking about running to top speed. Nothing committed, or focused, where a driver might feel bound to continue in the face of danger and through groups of other road users. Just the act of holding back until you're alone on the road, flooring the throttle, feeling the rush of acceleration, and backing out with room to spare.

It's a sad fact that there are damn few places where a motorist can use his or her car without those tax collectors in the black and white painted sedans chasing you down and ruining three years of mandatory insurance payments just to suck a few hundred dollars out for doughnut supplies. This stretch is no different in that respect, but play your cards right and you'll have the moral high ground here. With this much forward viability, there's simply no way you can hit anything, as long as you brake early, and don't mess around when other cars are around you. That means not being an asshat about it. That means actually taking the time to think about what you're doing, and whether or not you're putting others at risk by creating a huge speed differential with other road users, or pushing your car (and yourself) farther than you're comfortable with, or capable of.

And let's not pretend that big speed doesn't come with increased inherent risk. It does, and you need to recognize that, and take steps (many of which we've already discussed) to minimize those risks, especially where they pertain to others. To make sure that if you do have a really effing big one, you have it alone, and suffer the consequences of your actions. That said, in many countries, and in experiments here in the U.S. delimitation has actually led to lower accident rates, and lower rates of fatality.

In the end, I went through that stretch of I405 at one of the slowest rates ever. even without the duff clutch, the Focus has never sported what you'd call scintillating power, merely sufficient given the chassis' ability to maintain momentum. It'll be a while before I can afford a car that can make sense of that freeway, and even when I can, I'm not sure I'll actually take advantage it. It's a lot of risk for a few seconds worth of adrenaline. Still, it's tempting.