Automotive Test Tracks

Why is it that the auto makers spend lots of bucks building these elaborate test tracks to check the endurance of their products, when they can just drive around the Grand Rapids area?

We have all the obstacles needed to put a vehicle through it's paces:
- Potholes and crevices to test springs and suspensions.
- Traffic pylons, construction barrels and road barricades to test steering and brakes.
- Insane drivers and their vehicles to check out collision avoidance systems.
- Opportunities to measure maximum damage capabilities of a car or truck.
- Extreme weather to assess an automobile's ability to survive rain, snow, cold, heat and rust.
- Curves and hills to determine the stability of traction and steering systems.
- Plentiful sites to examine the maximum stress on a wallet to pay high parking rates.
- Numerous locations to observe the maximum price of gasoline.
- Enough routes to experiment on the amount of stress caused when trying to get from here to there without encountering any type of road construction projects.

I would suggest to those in local government, propose to the auto manufacturers that they save money and send their cars and trucks here to be tested. Think of all the gravel and concrete that would be saved in the construction of those test tracks, and the opportunities presented for these vehicles to be checked out in 'REAL WORLD' scenarios.

And Grand Rapids is just a few hours away from the Automotive Capitol of the World . . . Asia!

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