I've seen a number of threads here about speed that end up getting tangled into a polarized debate about safety versus thrills. Well here is an excerpt from a new article that has an interesting quote from Lauren Hutton:
Hutton was riding her motorcycle with actors Dennis Hopper, Jeremy Irons and others when her bike hit some rubble on a bend while she was traveling at 100 mph. Hutton was thrown 20 feet in the air before landing face-down almost 200 feet away from the bike. She suffered multiple breaks in her right leg, compound fractures in her right arm, broken ribs, a broken sternum and a punctured lung.

"People say you're flirting with death, but you're really flirting with life," Hutton said.

The key is to make your thrills as safe as possible. Anything less is just stupid, and yes, flirting with life.

It's always a cost-benefit analysis, and obviously, different people will do the analysis differently.

I could care less about someone who endangers their own life for fun. It's when they endanger others with their "thrills" that I get pissed.

Hey, isn't she posing nude for some magazine now? She's in her sixties, fercryinoutloud! More power to her!

Everyone claims to love the thrills of the speed, crazy antics on public roads, etc, until they screw up and hurt themselves or someone else. It is just a sign of maturity or past screw ups when people realize the real harm they can do by playing games. Is always tempting to play with a nice car/ bike etc. but too late after you or an innocent bystander is gone.

Eh, it just depends on what you're doing. Personally, I keep my "antics" to safe conditions/areas. As in:

1.) Slowing down WELL before I reach traffic.

2.) Not speeding excessively in areas with large numbers of intersections/driveways/parking lots/etc. where someone could pull out at any time. And N-E-V-E-R in residential areas... My #1 complaint towards others is hearing them say something like "I did 0-60 down the street in front of my house today!! lol!" Idiots... :wallbash: Which also reminds me... One of my neighbors (or their sons) has some sort of sport bike which they, without fail, take down the road in front of the house exactly one time, at the same time, EVERY weekend well in excess of 80mph. This is a one-lane road, tons of bushes and trees obstructing the view of people pulling out of driveways, and kids all around. I just wanna toss a stick through the front spokes sometimes...

3.) Not flying around blind corners to the point where I couldn't safely stop if something or someone suddenly appeared in front of me... (particularly on country roads... ya just never know)

4.) Oh, and like I mentioned in the "How do you define a Ricer" thread, I don't myself (or approve of others doing this...) fly back and forth between cars in any way, shape, or form. Changing lanes right into someone's blind spot is a recipe for disaster.

Having said all that, I really don't do much anyways. Just some rules I follow (and hope others do as well...). Short of a major mechanical failure of some sort, or just blatant inattention/indifference, it's really not difficult at all to safely enjoy your car if you just use a little self-restraint, and a LOT of common sense.

Those are some great words of wisom there, Vector. I can get down with that.

Off topic: My husky was following me to the backyard tonight and I turned around to pick up one of his toys when he looked up at me and his eyes caught full moonlight. Makes him look like a terminator-husky-doggy when they turn so red like that. Just thought I would post after seeing your avatar. :)

Those guys on the bikes can get pretty obnoxious. We had a group of like 3 0r 4 and they used to scream up and down the street, usually late at night. We've since moved, and now we have jackasses in 'Stangs, Fireturds, etc., doing the same thing. If only everyone had a slice of Vectorwolf's common sense...