Illegal Street Racing: How Can we Minimalize It?

[Cosmic]

So basically, we'd stay off the streets, and do this in a controlled area in a large parking lot, with no one else around but your buddies a good distance away so they can't get hurt.

 

[s13drifting]

They are both a form of street racing. And I said that I would partake in some illegal activity. But nd4spd you are absolutely right, I will be doing this in a large parking lot where noone is around except our team a safe distance away in case something bad happens.

 

[ND4SPD]

Funny ain't it.

 

[Cosmic]

I found it funny. I know what you mean but....

 

[ND4SPD]

Ah hell, might as well join ya,

 

[tuff240]

The main thing here is to think and do your best to be responsible for others around you.

I don't think it's possible to stop the illegal drifting and street racing. So the next best step is to educate them best we can and hope they make decent choices of where and when to do it. There is ALWAYS a risk. The less risk the better.

There is a video somewhere on the internet of an auto-x event that would be similiar to the drifting in a big open parking lot with friends watching. Long story short, the Corvette lost control and even at parking lot speeds, went off course and hit a spectator. It was gruesome footage, but showed that even semi safe conditions are not always that.

s13drifting,
Your attitude since first posting here seems to be leaning towards a more responsible side. I hope it follows through to your actions on the street.
Be careful out there. 👍

 

[ND4SPD]

There is a video somewhere on the internet of an auto-x event that would be similiar to the drifting in a big open parking lot with friends watching. Long story short, the Corvette lost control and even at parking lot speeds, went off course and hit a spectator. It was gruesome footage, but showed that even semi safe conditions are not always that.

I saw that footage, do you know what happened to the spectator?

 

[tuff240]

I saw that footage, do you know what happened to the spectator?

I can't rememebr for sure if it was this one we are talking about or another one, but the spectators head hit the car and exploded, killing him instantly.

 

[ND4SPD]

Damn, thats brutal.

 

[altezza drifter]

and dont think that drifting and drag racing is the only thing s that need some help, i saw a video of a guy driving a mr2 like his head was up his ***, he lost control and went up into a parking lot filled with his crew and innocent people and slammed into another car shooting the car across the lot, this could have easly had many fatalitys. ill look for the video later and post a link.

 

[ND4SPD]

Ya I saw the video, He hits a Volkswagen Jetta, which could have been worse if there were people in front of the jetta.

 

[PublicSecrecy]

Im not naming names here...i think u both know who you are...but recently someones brother was engaged in dangerous driving, that being drifting in an Audi S4....*ahem*...just please, for the sake of god, do it on a country road where you dont have to go as fast and where peeople arent as present.

 

[ND4SPD]

It was an A4...........

 

[silversr20det]

this is funny, too many people want to control things that they can't! those same kids your talking about have parents that used to street race and so on. to me ''each is his own''.... you don't have to race on the street if you don't want to. but trying to tell someone about their life when your own isn't perfect is a joke to me!

hey people shouldn't do drugs! lets talk about that, but thats not a subject for this place! all im saying is, don't talk about street racing cause that isn't the number one killer in america!

 

[JohnBM01]

You know, I've been talking about trying to minimalize illegal street racing, and I almost forgot about something. What's the best way to get the job done? It makes me no lessof a man to say this, but I think the NOPI Nationals for the XBOX Cup has been the best way to take it to the track and off the streets. And nothing has the street-like flavor and attitude like NOPI. Everything from modded-up cars to hot ladies to bumping parties, can't beat it. At least for sport compact/non-domestic cars, it's king. And since most of American motorsport is mostly drag racing, it's perfect. If you can't do road racing, the drags might be for you.

I've actually heard that "NOPI was an answer to all the illegal street racing" -Speed Channel's "NOPI Tunervision." I'm sure it didn't mean that a Camaro and Mustang going down US-101 were going to join a mostly sport compact series. Then again, even though it's mostly oriented to the sport compacts doesn't mean that it's ONLY for them. I've seen some classic American muscle and maybe even some mean American trucks. But I don't think it's the ONLY answer. It helps, but not really. But what do you make of NOPI as being an alternative to illegal street racing? Never mind the cars and activities. Just think about it is as a means of minimalizing illegal street racing.

 

[kart racer]

As I posted in the youth and motorsport,there is going to be a new track around here.(Canada, Regina Sask. to be exact) The track will have a 1/8 th mile drag strip and will be wide enough for salon racing.This,we hope , will get some of the street racers onto a track.

 

[altezza drifter]

now im extreemly pissed last saturday i was with some of my freinds in a puplix parking lot just doing the usual saturday night stuff when every one starts geting crazy and doing donuts and trying to drift so i started to leave,i was just getting into my car, i had one foot in and the next thing i know im on the ground on my
back and my car is 10 feet or so away from me, it turned out this guy with a nissan 240SX was trying to drift and he tank slapped the back of my car,right as i was getting in. i wanted to leave so i could avoid this situation. im pretty sure
my car is totalled but i havent got word on it yet.the trunk was almost wiped off.
but thankfully i wasn't injured just scared the piss out of me.

 

[initialdrift]

There is no way to stop illegal street racing. As long as people have cars they will race them.

 

[Mista Bob]

i do it to challenge my self and my car not to prove myself or show off or get a rush for me its the challenge its just fun

If you only do it to challange yourself and for fun. Take it to the track. Atleast than you can go all out without having to worry about the stupid risks of street racing.

some times u dont win any money

You dont win money? You dont win money at street racing unless you bet money, which can be done at a track.

another thing about tracks is theres not the challenge of racing past and around cars(i know its highly dangerous and the people new at it should never start they are the ones that need the track

Challange? Only challange issue I see there is your mental capacity for common sense. New people should never start doing that? How did you start it than?
Quite possibley the MOST stupid thing I have EVER read on the internet.

hopefully this made u realise somethings out of a childs mind about racing

Yes, it just confirms what many here have said. Street racing is stupid.

Onto the next street racer.

I've been driving 4 years, and I feel my skills are amateur-decent at best, but good enough to race on the highway/street.

Skills good enough to race on highway/streets? Impossible. No matter how good of a driver you are, an accident, most likely fatal, WILL happen at some time or another. I dont care if you are friggin Michael Schumacher. There are SO MANY things that arent in your control that can happen and put yours, and many other peoples lives at risk.

Yeah its wrong, yes I endanger the lives of people. But when I look at things I don't see it in that light. I'm always aware of those dangers, I'm prepared to take them, and as rediculous as its sounds, I don't think its possible for me to take anyone down along with me.

YOU may be prepared to take the risks. But I'm willing to bet large sums of money a person whether they be driver of another car, passenger in yours or another car or pedestrian is NOT. Not possible to take anyone else down? Yes you are right that IS rediculous. Very much so. When you are racing on PUBLIC roads its basicly a guarantee that you have put someone elses life at risk at one time or another. Putting someone else at risk doesint require having an accident. Just doing the act of street racing is putting someone else at risk. I dont care if they are just walking along the side of the road. The chance is there that something could happen, therefore you ARE putting someone at risk.

I guess I fit under the "I think I'm invincible" category. I've never been in a crash, and I've never been close to crashing into anyone at high speeds.

From my experience. People like you, their first accidents are usually very serious. Alot of the time resulting in the death of the driver (aka "Invincible one") and or other innocent victims.

Having witnessed a very serious street racing accident myself, I just dont see why anyone would want to put their loved ones, there selves and others at risk.

The accident I saw? Two motorcycles doing illegal street drag racing. They are going at a very fast pace when a car starts to merge. Its next to impossible to avoid hitting someone merging into your lane when your going at 200+ KPH. The person who merged was not at fault, how could that person expect those headlights to be approaching so fast? (this happeend at about 1AM BTW) In the end both the rider and the passenger on that bike were killed. The bike drivers girlfriend was killed instantly while the driver died on the way to the hospital. Many peoples lives were changed that day, including mine.

In the end, there is NO reason at all to do illegal street racing.

 

[Droptop_Chick]

I've done dumb stuff in my day, alot of people have. I no longer see any extra excitement of endangering other peoples lives. ALOT of people say "theres no fun in going to the track." Mainly those people lack the real driving ability to be able to drive on a real track. This is 2005, who even street races anymore? It's a dying sub-culture for a reason. I grew up in LA around the Alhambra area. HUGE area for the import street racing scene in the mid-late 90's. And it was a huge area for illegal drags back in the 60's and 70's too. I've had friends and family die from street races. I've seen friends and family go to jail for street races. Los Angeles County now repo's your car if you're caught street racing. You don't get your car back, they take it for good and auction it off. I'd like to see other places follow suit. It's flat out IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR. People compain about there not being anywhere legal for them to race in their area. Then step up and do something about it. There's a difference between a "racer" and someone who loves to race. You call yourself a street racer, I don't consider you a real racer, and neither does the rest of the racing world.

 

[KevsfastZ]

I'm not sure if anyone has said this because I didn’t feel like reading through 4 pages, but I think the simplest way would to put more drag strips where street racing is popular. I must admit, I DO street race BUT, I NEVER do it if there’s ANY traffic what’s so ever. I always make sure that it is a safe to do and that I know the roads. Now as for other people I notice that the cool thing to do now is to drive EXTREMLY aggressive which I do not agree with. But I really do think that if there were more local drag strips, street racing would drop dramatically

Kev D

 

[a6m5]

There is no way to stop illegal street racing. As long as people have cars they will race them.

I agree with this take. However, as Kev noted, I think increased access to local racing facilities would help little bit.

 

[nick_1663]

I'm 18 years old and I'm afraid of getting my liscense, because in 2004 on from August 21 to the 30th I lost 5 friends do to car accidents. The first killed my friend Ciera, Max, and my friend Ashley. They were racing a CRX in a Mercury Mountaineer and went around a blind corner at about 85 and veered off and snapped a telophone pole in half.

My other two friends were hit by drunk drivers while they were on there way to school. Both were to be seniors in high school this year.

So it kinda scares me to get my liscense cause you dont have to be the one driving like an animal or driving fast (like what happened to my friends Jose and Dave) to get killed.

 

[Joey D]

I used to street race, until I saw how stupid it was. Not to say that I still don't drag somebody off a light for kicks and it's usally just up to the speed limit. But way back when, when I went to street races it was nuts, doing 120 down a public road certianly is exciting.

I see people do it now and I just let em go, there is no reason to even try and stop it because you won't. I tell buddies of mine that it's stupid but they just ignore my warnings. I've been there. I've seen friends wreck badly and almost die.

That's why I'm glad I have a slow SUV, I won't get to any trouble this way. Hell it will only go 95mph and if you've ever driven in Michigan thats the flow of traffic on the freeway.

A thing that's really becoming an increasing problem is these damn drifters. They will do it all over these roads around my house, since there are some good roads to do this one. But if scares the beejesus out of me when I'm driving along and I see a car flying at me sideways. That is why I hate the drift culture so much, they are just idiots.

At my brother's high school they slide around all the time, I've been up to the high school to watch my brother's baseball games and I come out and there they are sliding around in the parking lot. I'm just waiting for the day they slide into my truck, so they can get a taste of hell on earth feels like. *Note I'm typically a good kid, but mess with my truck and I turn into El Diablo.

The tracks around here don't want drifter either because they all suck and it causes a ton of clean up work for the track. Also they lose actual drivers on a count of them.

But you won't ever stop street racing, it's been around since my dad was a kid. But all you can do is hope they come to there senses and stay out of crowded areas. Also that the drifters start to wreck their cars so they will quit being idiots.

 

[a6m5]

I'm 18 years old and I'm afraid of getting my liscense, because in 2004 on from August 21 to the 30th I lost 5 friends do to car accidents. The first killed my friend Ciera, Max, and my friend Ashley. They were racing a CRX in a Mercury Mountaineer and went around a blind corner at about 85 and veered off and snapped a telophone pole in half.

My other two friends were hit by drunk drivers while they were on there way to school. Both were to be seniors in high school this year.

So it kinda scares me to get my liscense cause you dont have to be the one driving like an animal or driving fast (like what happened to my friends Jose and Dave) to get killed.

That is horrible and I'm very sorry to hear that.

As long as you're an careful driver, there shouldn't be any problems. If someone tries to race you or goes roadraging on you, just get away from them. That's all you need to do.

 

[Joey D]

I'm 18 years old and I'm afraid of getting my liscense, because in 2004 on from August 21 to the 30th I lost 5 friends do to car accidents. The first killed my friend Ciera, Max, and my friend Ashley. They were racing a CRX in a Mercury Mountaineer and went around a blind corner at about 85 and veered off and snapped a telophone pole in half.

My other two friends were hit by drunk drivers while they were on there way to school. Both were to be seniors in high school this year.

So it kinda scares me to get my liscense cause you dont have to be the one driving like an animal or driving fast (like what happened to my friends Jose and Dave) to get killed.

Sorry to hear that, but they were racing a big Mercury SUV against a crappy 90's car? Sounds like there was something more to it then a spur of the moment race.

 

[ND4SPD]

Sorry to hear about that too, but the word "racing" and "mercury mountaineer" is an oxymoron.

 

[nick_1663]

Yeah i know the kids name driving was Brett and his friend Satiago was the passenger. They both walked away. Its horrible coupled with the loss of my mother on Febuary 5 2005 not do to cars sleep apnea. So its really rough times but im trying to move on. My mom was 38.

Max was 17. Ciera was 15. And Ashley was 15. I'll dig out the newspaper article b/c I think they were friends Brett and kid who was driving the CRX I'm not sure. I'll check.

 

[JohnBM01]

I want to get to Blazin's point about drifters. Now as a motorsport enthusiast, I think it's pretty cool. I'm not a "fanboy" on drifting, but from what I've seen, it's pretty cool. That doesn't mean that one should train on city streets trying to be the next Keiichi Tsuchiya. Even if I wanted to get in on the act, I'd do this at a race track. Only one near me here in Houston is probably Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, TX, USA (maybe 20 minutes east of downtown Houston).

I like drifting, speaking as a motorsports enthusiast. And to say that tractor pulling is a motorsport, but not drifting is like saying that American football is a sport but, not golf. I'm not stereotypical about drifters, Then again, I'm not stereotypical of almost any motorsport. So I'm not talking about drifters like "high school kids with elementary school brains who prefers Civics over Camaros." The drifter thing should be at race tracks for one important reason- so that you don't hurt or kill anyone who may be driving home from work or school. Duke (formerly Neon_Duke) had a thread about why there is an anti-drift faction. And the thread basically had a video of a guy in some car drifting his car onto a turnpike or feeder road. There's a time and place for stuff like this, and city streets is not one of them. There are too many risks to you and anyone within limit of you.

I think Japan has the right formula, though. I've heard of drifting events on go-kart tracks usually within most major circuits like Suzuka and Tsukuba. Should America follow suit to try to get drifters off the road and onto the track by using this deal Japan perfected?

 

[eSPy]

what theyve been doin here in ontario, is police endorced track racing. keeps ppl of the streets and still lets them have fun with their cars.