Should there be a new class of license for drivers of sports cars?
Over the years, we’ve seen our fair share of sports cars racing and speeding on the roads, especially late at night.
While most of these drivers are experienced and often race without injury, it is not all that uncommon for them to get involved in a major accident.
With one wrong move, these drivers might find themselves crashing their precious supercar beyond salvation. This then begs the question – Should there be a new class of license for sports cars?
What is a sports car?
Once used to describe two-seater cars with a soft top that are eligible for competition in the postwar era, the definition behind the term ‘sports car’ today seems to have faded into a rather grey area.
For most consumers, a ‘sports car’ might be used to refer to any car that was manufactured by luxury automobile companies such as Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini.
While these brands are famous for their sports cars, Asian automakers like Honda, Toyota and Nissan are often referred to as 'bread and butter', and not deemed with the same high regard (even though these brands produced some legendary sports cars like the NSX, Supra and GT-R)
For the sake of this article, we shall define a ‘sports car’ as cars with a high-powered engine of more than 200 bhp, and generally seats two people. This includes a wide array of offerings, such as the BMW Z4, Porsche 718 Boxster and Alpine A110.
More implementations for sports cars in SG
Following the tragic Tanjong Pagar accident earlier this year, the government has installed more safety features to decrease speeding incidents along long stretches of roads.
According to the Straits Times, road dividers, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings will be implemented. The Traffic Police has stepped up patrols and enforcement in the area as well to deter and detect similar traffic offences.
The accident occurred after a speeding white BMW M4 Coupe, a powerful vehicle that produces 510 bhp and 650 Nm of torque, crashed into a vacant shophouse unit and burst into flames. All five individuals in the car were killed.
Call for a sports car license
Although the Tanjong Pagar accident has been deemed to be an isolated incident in the area, there have been more instances of sports cars getting involved in crashes all over the island. Some of these include:
As much as I love fast cars, the reality is that there is nothing in life that would prepare any driver to pilot a rear-wheel-drive performance car that puts out close to 500 bhp. No matter how many years of driving experience one has unless it’s been in a high-powered sports car, it is a whole different ball game when it comes to a Mustang or a Miata.
Like pilot licenses, where multi-engine planes and seaplanes require extra training and are add-ons to a standard private license, there should be a special class of driving license should be implemented for these fast vehicles.
Drivers of all ages should be better prepared if they want to drive a sports car.
Just my two-cents worth. Please don't roast me.
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