Since you brought up
a number of arguments, I'll just reflect on those. Please do note my intention is not to question your rationale or choices personally since I'm completely aware that the full benefits of your decisions for you and others I cannot possibly know, I'm just making comments on a general level organized around your post due to the direction this conversation has taken.
enkidu wrote: ... if I brought a track car it would be an ariel atom or something....
To me, buying a track car, or getting involved in track cars somehow is much preferrable to modifying road going vehicles. Public roads are a very restricted (and a closed) system on which the performance that really matters has only to do with efficiency, economy, respect and safety. Or perhaps it's just too "zen" a concept for me to understand the motivation of developing a lot of excess power and never putting that to use ...
enkidu wrote:If I smash it up then I smash it up thats what insurance is for...
Insurers tend to insure their own account balance by raising premiums rather drastically for accident prone drivers. Also, insurance doesn't cover for everything in very real terms (check your motor insurance policy for liability clauses and such) and of course, in case of physical harm, a policy can aid the recovery of health in only very limited terms, not to mention possible emotional ramifications such as depression or guilt.
enkidu wrote:I'm an above average driver ...
Whenever I catch myself thinking along those lines (and I hope I do catch myself), I try to remember that in traffic, such appraisals actually mean nothing at all. It doesn't affect the ultimate responsibility I bear of others on the road. It doesn't alter the requirements under which I communicate with other road users. If you crash, is that an "above average crash" then? No. Just about the only place where being an above average driver has any tangible meaning whatsoever is on the racetrack - only that environment is regulated according to pushing to the limits.
On normal public roads, with everyone taking responsibility, there's scant chance anyone ever has the necessity to go even close to the limits of proving oneself an above average driver. Even the rarely needed basic evasive actions, slide corrections and such have to be completely feasible for every single licence holder. Sorry to rain on some people's parade, but in traffic, we're all average ... and better off with that.
