Motor Trend: Pushing the Limits

Easing out from behind the camouflage of a lumbering 18-wheeler, Officer Darren Gennuso of the California Highway Patrol spots his quarry a quarter mile distant and roars off in pursuit. Gennuso has been stealthily pacing the Mitsubishi Montero at nearly 90 mph. "He still hasn't seen me," Gennuso says as he guns his Crown Victoria past 110 mph. "Look how he's flyin' up on the cars ahead of him."

Seconds later, the hunt is over. With the flashing lights of the CHP cruiser filling its mirrors, the Montero meekly pulls to the side of the 101 freeway. Gennuso is polite but stern. "Is there an emergency?" he asks the driver, who coughs up a few lame excuses ("We're late getting to Santa Barbara..."), and Gennuso begins scribbling. Fifteen minutes later, he sends the driver on his way with an Enron-grade hit to his wallet: a ticket for speeding (87 mph in a 65 zone) and failure to buckle up.

Okay, what driver doesn't enjoy at least an occasional run above the posted limit? The risks: speeding tickets, points, higher insurance premiums. The reward: Making Time. It's a rather high concept for smartly covering the maximum amount of road in the minimum amount of time, without putting people or property at risk. It goes way beyond the notion of mere "speeding." The Montero driver provided a textbook example of how to do it wrong (more on that in a moment). But you--savvy Motor Trend reader--don't swim in the shallow end of the gene pool. You're into Making Time the enlightened way: smoothly, safely, and without the costly attention of law enforcement.

Here's a primer on how to stack the speeding-ticket odds in your favor.

Law of the Jungle
On the plains of Africa, lions patiently ignore teeming herds until one hapless animal stands out and says "lunch." On the highway, cops pick off speeders the same way. "I investigate anything that catches my eye," says Gennuso, 29, a four-year veteran with the CHP's West Valley division in Los Angeles. "If you're driving a lot faster than the surrounding cars, I'll notice you immediately. Or maybe you're 'shopping lanes'--swerving aggressively through traffic. I can see that a mile off. And, yes, a brightly colored sports car practically screams, 'Hey! Look at me!'"

No wonder the Montero stood out. Cruising the 101, Gennuso first spotted it from a good half mile behind. "He was outrunning the pack," Gennuso says. "And he was shopping lanes, so he was easy to follow." Occasionally hiding behind big vehicles, Gennuso closed to within a quarter mile of the Montero and began pacing it (the CHP rarely uses radar within metropolitan areas). Once he had a good fix on its speed (with the cruiser at 85 mph, the Montero was pulling away), he moved in for the kill. Just before activating his takedown lights, he noted the driver and his passengers were unbelted (the shoulder-strap buckles were clearly visible on the side pillars)--a huge no-no in his book. As the Montero stopped, the driver sealed his own fate by tossing a cigarette out the window (Gennuso made him pick it up).

For aficionados of Making Time, the message is obvious: Don't stand out. Drive smoothly. Stay in the right lane if possible. When you pass, do it in a long, gradual arc. Avoid abrupt maneuvers. Maintain an even, fluid pace that blends in with the flow. Don't tailgate. Wear your seatbelts. And give a lot of thought to driving a bureaucratic-beige sport sedan instead of that rosso Ferrari Maranello.