BURNOUT PARADISE: beginner questions

1. Speeding, driving in opposite lane, near miss
2. You get nitro
3. Haven't played in a while, but I remember they are differenty marked on map after you clear them

bonus pic of my hovering DeLorean
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=170097214

thanks a lot :D, im no driving specialist, hence this is my new experience in about 10-15 years? my last driving game was Need For Speed 2 :).
is burnout a good driving game? (arcadewise, i prefer arcade driving more, personal taste!).and why if so?`
so far i like it :). feels a bit shallow maybe as you got such a big map but not many things to see/do other than driving around and completing those mini missions?

I put some 25 hours into it, uninstalled, got bored a few months later thinking "why I don't have Burnout any more?" Installed it, started a race, crashed into a bridge and respawned right in front of the bridge just to crash again. Uninstalled again. While it doesn't happen a lot it happen and is very annoying.

thanks alot, so im gonna play it more :D, was playing 30 mins or so, but can you loose? i mean, i crashed my vehicle 5 times and always respawned, nothing happened in free roam. also in racing and takeouts i just respawned? i thought you would be destroyed after 2-3 crashes-