Baruth On Reckless Driving, Part 3.8

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Jack Baruth is no stranger to driving fast on public roads, and he’s not afraid to go public with his exploits. Over at Road & Track, our man JB reflects on some of his own mis-adventures while pondering the death of Giorgi Tvezadze, the Georgian fellow who became YouTube famous for his own dangerous driving stunts behind the wheel of a BMW E34 M5. As far as I’m concerned, a guy like this is better off dead. But Jack has a much more eloquent take on things, while managing to weave in references to Hume and DeNiro.


Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • David Hester David Hester on Jul 02, 2013

    I wonder how much of Tvezadze's luck in successfully pulling off these stunts as long as he did has to do with the fact that he was in Georgia, where his fellow motorists are used to seeing all manner of lunatic driving and are therefore at least somewhat mentally prepared to react defensively when it occurs around them. I watched the first video and saw a lot of people reacting very well to his approaching idiocy to avoid an accident. I can't help but think that bored commuters in this country, rolling down the street in rush hour traffic with a Starbucks venti latte in one hand and a cellphone in the other, might not have gotten out of his way so quickly.

  • Jacob Jacob on Jul 02, 2013

    This guy would have killed himself here in San Antonio. From the youtube video, I can see that lot of people who saw this douche predicted his moves and got out of his way. Compare to that to San Antonio Texas. You go at 50mph on an empty 3-lane 50mph one way road. Suddenly out of nowhere a Ford F250 pulls out from a mall right onto the second lane at 15mph and giving no quarter to anyone on the road. Get ready to encounter this pretty much anywhere in San Antonio, many times a day, every day. Also, numerous drivers who never use turn signals, drivers who don't know how to turn off their turn signals, or drivers who activate the turn signal and then make turn in the opposite direction. Get used to raised trucks with exhaust the size of a house chimney. Get used to trucks with sealed truck beds and no trailer hitches (so WTF do they use these poseur gas guzzlers for?). Get used to drivers who are on their phones the whole time. Get used to drivers who don't know that they need to give more gas going up hill and slow down when they go down hill, so you have the same car accelerating +15mph over the speed limit only to slow down 15mph below speed limit half mile later. Get used to the most clueless, most passive drivers in the country.

    • 1000songs 1000songs on Jul 02, 2013

      Driving in TX was almost as terrifying as being on the road(s) in mainland China. Almost.

  • 1000songs 1000songs on Jul 02, 2013

    Unfortunately, taking it to "the local racetrack, autocross course or rally checkpoint", although minimizing risk of senseless loss of life and/or property, doesn't guarantee much these days. I haven't been to many track days where someone didn't kiss a wall or run across an infield. It's amazing how many people think that unless they are driving at 99%, they aren't pushing themselves. Driving isn't like snowboarding, where if you don't fall, you aren't trying hard enough. The fact of the matter is that most people are terrible, terrible drivers. Cars today allow us to things that were unthinkable before ABS, traction control and other computerized aids that control power to different wheels at different times. Drive a car without those things, turn them off or have any of them fail, and things generally go very, very wrong, very, very quickly for almost all of us. Factor in some excellent technology of modern crumple zones, airbags,etc. and people are able to make the same mistake(s) multiple times instead of actually learning anything valuable other than how to lie to their insurance company. I check wreckedexotics.com weekly to see what kind of havoc people have wreaked on their uber machines and those around them. Here is what I saw today - an "organized" event where some jackass turned off the traction control in his exorbitantly expensive Koenigsegg CCX and proceeded to take out 17 people in the crowd (albeit behind some barriers intended for Christmas parades as opposed to high speed events). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NspQqscbzw Non-profesional driver + incredibly powerful car - traction control = vehicle induced massacre.

    • Power6 Power6 on Jul 02, 2013

      Not sure what you are getting at? Sounds like you are saying track days aren't safer. I would disagree. I have seen a few people hit the Armco but never anyone lose their life. If you are seeing lots of offs and crashes at track days you need to run with some different organizations, there should be a pretty regimented progression through the run groups. You make me think of a good point though, where is one going to go to practice hooning, not really anywhere, that stuff isn't tolerated at any organized event in the US at least.

  • Nrd515 Nrd515 on Jul 04, 2013

    I have to admit, I've had a fantasy of driving like this since I was a little kid. My dad was a speeder, as I tend to be, not a lot over, but almost always a little. The only time I rode with someone who drove like was done in the video was a friend of mine drove his lifted and seriously hopped up 440ci '78 Dodge Powerwagon 4X4 over curbs, up on sidewalks, and across the center line like in the video to get home for some medical emergency his dad was having. Scariest 15 minutes of my life, but I had to admit, I was laughing most of the time, thinking at least I wouldn't be getting the ticket or cuffs. I was more scared he would kill someone driving some tiny car than anything else.

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