Car Chases in Most Movies

Lately, I've been posting this tweet that states if you like low speed car chases, then you should buy my book. I've had many people ask me why it has to be low speed? It doesn't, I was being silly and trying to get your attention. That being said, I actually do have a low speed car chase in the first book. Let me explain why.

Something that really bothers me in movies are car chases. I enjoy them, don't get me wrong, but let's think about these things for a moment. Most of these scenes would be near impossible in real life. When was the last time anyone managed to go 90mph in heavy traffic? Something like "Vanishing Point" I can believe because it takes place in the middle nowhere, down a bunch of back roads and highway. what bothers me are all the inner city car chases. No one can pull off a chase scene in a big city, down a car infested road without killing/harming someone. To make matters worse, the reality of it (to me) is far more entertaining than then unrealistic fiction.

I like chase scenes because they have that edge-of-your-seat vibe that a lot of action falls short on in movies. I think the reason it does have that quality is simply because it's relatable - we've all driven, or at least been in a vehicle. when mr good guy is chasing down mr bad guy and they are dodging cars, sliding around corners and screeching tires we get it. It's relatable on a level that a lot of action isn't. The other action (let's say a bank robbery) is still fun to watch and can be really awesome, but still falls short of a good chase scene, or a guy getting kicked in the balls (if you're a guy, of course). So, to do away with chase scenes for being unrealistic is just plain stupid. However, there's no reason you couldn't try to be realistic about it. that's what i think and that's what i tried to accomplish.

Thus far, no reviewer has come back and disliked that chapter - a few said they loved it and laughed through it. I kept the screeching tires, the dodging of traffic and the variables that make a scene like that great. i even had them go up on the sidewalk and cause havoc there - how else do you get around stopped traffic on a busy road? What i didn't keep was the speed, or the fancy cars. It was all accomplished in a standard Honda civic going under 30mph the entire time. Such a direction also leads to some humor....well, it made me laugh, but I'm a twisted person.

Thoughts?