Why the sudden focus on street racing over the past few years?

[alkemyst]

The numbers for fatalites caused by street racing is less than a half a percent, yet so much laws and fines are in place to nail those not causing any trouble.

It's like the DUI/DWI laws that has everyone duped into believing people are dying left and right from drinkers on the roadways.

People are so quick to accept these things without knowing what they are really about.

Just a rant.

Å

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
The numbers for fatalites caused by street racing is less than a half a percent, yet so much laws and fines are in place to nail those not causing any trouble.

It's like the DUI/DWI laws that has everyone duped into believing people are dying left and right from drinkers on the roadways.

People are so quick to accept these things without knowing what they are really about.

Just a rant.

Å

but i see nothing wrong with preventing deaths that are completely preventable.

 

[dandragonrage]

Originally posted by: sniperruff
but i see nothing wrong with preventing deaths that are completely preventable.

Let's ban cars, planes, trains, thrill rides, and anything else dangerous.

That said, I don't necessarily condone street racing. In fact, for the majority of circumstances, I do not.

 

[alkemyst]

these laws prevent nothing though. They are usually targeting those that would not have been hurting anyone...that's the rub. It's a big revenue gainer though...the average DUI makes the city about $5-6k for a first time offender + whatever the car can bring at an auction if you live in an impound state. Street racing is $1000 and a 6 month license loss in most areas + potential vehicle impoundment.

 

[Bignate603]

How is it statistically like DUI? If you mean DUI isn't a big deal check out this

Here's one statistic from it...

During 2005, 16,885 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 39% of all traffic-related deaths

All of deaths related to DUI and street racing are completely preventable, meaning that legal pressure will have an effect. Personally I feel that street racing is stupid and irresponsible and every driver caught doing it should get a pretty severe penalty. I'm tired of having ricers weaving through traffic racing each other, or hearing vehicles using my packed road as a drag strip. One pedestrian got hit right in front of my apartment because one of those ricers was showing off and hit him.

Originally posted by: dandragonrage

Originally posted by: sniperruff
but i see nothing wrong with preventing deaths that are completely preventable.

Let's ban cars, planes, trains, thrill rides, and anything else dangerous.

That said, I don't necessarily condone street racing. In fact, for the majority of circumstances, I do not.

There's a difference between dangerous and needlessly dangerous to others. I 4 wheel and put myself at risk doing it. However, I would never dream of doing it in a place I could hurt someone else that wasn't choosing to participate.

 

[alkemyst]

you realize how insignificant 17,000 lives are esp with the impact the laws have? Look into how many of those fatalities involved other than the driver and it gets even smaller. Most DUI accidents are single vehicle (the drunk's).

Number of deaths, 2005 by rank

Heart disease: 652,091

Cancer: 559,312

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 143,579

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 130,933

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,809

Diabetes: 75,119

Alzheimer's disease: 71,599

Influenza/Pneumonia: 63,001

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 43,901

Septicemia: 34,136


I am not saying go street racing or drink and drive, but these movements have people really duped as to what a problem is and they aren't seeing the tons of people being ruined over something as little as 'peeling out' unintentionally being considered enough to be booked for street racing.

 

[Q]

alkemyst you dumb boy

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
you realize how insignificant 17,000 lives are esp with the impact the laws have? Look into how many of those fatalities involved other than the driver and it gets even smaller. Most DUI accidents are single vehicle (the drunk's).

my point is, DUI/speeding laws deter people from driving dangerously and killing innocent people. sure the number is not that significant, but then again, they are completely preventable.

Text

and the money fixes our roads. win-win.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm for helmet laws for motorcyclists.

Just thought I'd throw that on the fire. 😛

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
you realize how insignificant 17,000 lives are esp with the impact the laws have? Look into how many of those fatalities involved other than the driver and it gets even smaller. Most DUI accidents are single vehicle (the drunk's).

Number of deaths, 2005 by rank

Heart disease: 652,091

Cancer: 559,312

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 143,579

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 130,933

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,809

Diabetes: 75,119

Alzheimer's disease: 71,599

Influenza/Pneumonia: 63,001

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 43,901

Septicemia: 34,136


I am not saying go street racing or drink and drive, but these movements have people really duped as to what a problem is and they aren't seeing the tons of people being ruined over something as little as 'peeling out' unintentionally being considered enough to be booked for street racing.

17,000 people is quite a bit when it's completely preventable and when a good deal of those were not the ones that chose to take the risk. If it only killed the drunk drivers or the street racers I wouldn't care, they are adults who are choosing to take a risk. That's their problem. When a drunk or street racer hits and kills a family driving home that's a problem and in my mind it should be criminal.

I agree some tickets are unreasonable, but the threat of getting a ticket keeps people in line. Driving is a privilege, not a right. If you aren't going to be responsible about it you shouldn't drive.

/thread

 

[BassBomb]

Up north we got some laws that actually DO keep retards like this off the road.

If you are caught going 50km/h over the speed limit your car is instantly impounded, you are fined a big amount and then your license is taken away for awhile. This has already caught quite a few kiddies goin fast in their parents cars

 

[Billb2]

Ah! Chicago summers in the '60s. Saturday nights after midnight. Lawrence and the Lake. Pay off the cops and "run what ya brung" till dawn. Hell, they used to even trailer in cars!

Then there was Waukeegan ...and Skips ...and Scott's ( blocking off the Edens at 2am) ...and the painted strip on the East side of GNAS ...and...

I mean like nobody runs slicks on the street now!

 

[LTC8K6]

IIRC, they call an accident "alcohol related" for the most tenuous of reasons.

IIRC, some of them would not be termed that way by most people.

Say, you drive after having drinks with dinner. Your BAC is .03. You have an accident where a guy runs a red light and you t-bone him, killing him.

Alcohol related traffic fatality, right???

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: sniperruff

Originally posted by: alkemyst
you realize how insignificant 17,000 lives are esp with the impact the laws have? Look into how many of those fatalities involved other than the driver and it gets even smaller. Most DUI accidents are single vehicle (the drunk's).

my point is, DUI/speeding laws deter people from driving dangerously and killing innocent people. sure the number is not that significant, but then again, they are completely preventable.

Text

and the money fixes our roads. win-win.

I am talking about street racing here, and I have been asked not to comment on the above.

As far as this money going to roads...so is our florida lottery money (along with schools) but no one is seeing it in the right numbers...most of the money seems to be eaten by administration.

Now to mention that the state just denied the Indian's their new casino lineups that were guaranteeing the state 100 million per year min.

Meanwhile they are talking about having to cancel Holiday events due to the lack of taxes the housing fall has created.

 

[Aikouka]

They should stop these people. I've "ran into" my fair share of these street racing punks that not only race, but also tend to flaunt their arrogant selves around normal drivers doing whatever they please. Like at some points when I want to simply get ahead of them because I need to switch lanes... nuh-uh, they won't allow it as they speed ahead like their penis is being threatened. Last people I saw that were acting like they were racing, I simply speed matched the car next to me and blocked them in. I gave them a nice ol' wave when I finally had to turn off 😛.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
They should stop these people. I've "ran into" my fair share of these street racing punks that not only race, but also tend to flaunt their arrogant selves around normal drivers doing whatever they please. Like at some points when I want to simply get ahead of them because I need to switch lanes... nuh-uh, they won't allow it as they speed ahead like their penis is being threatened. Last people I saw that were acting like they were racing, I simply speed matched the car next to me and blocked them in. I gave them a nice ol' wave when I finally had to turn off 😛.

so you having road rage and 'blocking' others in is the right thing to do? Talk about irony.

Also you don't pass someone so you can then change lanes/turn. You fall in behind.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Street racing is a high profile topic that's easy to demonize to make yourself look good (if you're a lawmaker)

In California if you participate in a street race you face up to six months in jail, and your car confiscated and crushed and is a felony. Just WATCHING a street race is a misdemeanor and a $500 fine.

 

[Zenmervolt]

If you want to race, get an SCCA license and do it properly. Public streets are NOT designed with appropriate runoff areas nor with the safety of bystanders in mind. On top of that, there is no way to be 100% certain that the road will be clear.

You claim that they "aren't hurting anyone", perhaps. But what if someone were to bring a firearm into a populated area and start firing without actually hitting anyone? Technically he isn't hurting anyone, but he is presenting a very real danger. Just as there are laws regarding the discharge of firearms, so too should there be laws regarding street racing.

ZV

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
so you having road rage and 'blocking' others in is the right thing to do? Talk about irony.

Also you don't pass someone so you can then change lanes/turn. You fall in behind.

Yet again you make a blatant assumption. Even before I moved right beside the car in the other lane, there was no way those two could've passed me. Also, in matching the car, I dropped my own speed from 5 over the speed limit, which in a sense is technically also making me a safer driver. You're only grasping for straws here... not surprising.

I kind of left one part out of that passing story... the guy was in a right turn only lane and I was in a straight or left yet he went straight and I intended to move into his lane as I recalled the lanes coming up changing into left turns only. The worst part is, then after 2 or 3 left turn only lanes, the right lane becomes a right turn only and you have to get into the left lane to go straight (but you end up veering to the right anyway... it's set up rather poorly). That's not the only thing; that guy ended up running a red light (it turned red before he even crossed the white line) because he was that a much of a dick to not want to "lose" to me in this supposed "race." He was also driving a Subaru WRX. Quite often do I see those cars driven by the "wannabe racer" crowd.

0/2 ... try again.

 

[ayabe]

Did the OP just get a ticket or something?

The only real story I've read that sort of raised my eyebrow was in CA a few months ago the cops impounded a bunch of cars just because people were gathered in a parking lot where street racing tends to happen, though no racing was occurring on this particular day.

That's a bit over the line IMHO.

Otherwise the laws should be harsh, it IS dangerous and should be discouraged in a way that gets peoples attention.

To Aikouka - I will apologize for the WRX driver on behalf of the rest of us WRX drivers who are very responsible and don't engage in that kind of BS.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: ayabe
To Aikouka - I will apologize for the WRX driver on behalf of the rest of us WRX drivers who are very responsible and don't engage in that kind of BS.

One of those cars that was racing in that other example was a WRX too 😛. Although, I don't think all WRX drivers are bad... heck, I'd drive one and actually looked at them before I chose the Altima.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
If you want to race, get an SCCA license and do it properly. Public streets are NOT designed with appropriate runoff areas nor with the safety of bystanders in mind. On top of that, there is no way to be 100% certain that the road will be clear.

You claim that they "aren't hurting anyone", perhaps. But what if someone were to bring a firearm into a populated area and start firing without actually hitting anyone? Technically he isn't hurting anyone, but he is presenting a very real danger. Just as there are laws regarding the discharge of firearms, so too should there be laws regarding street racing.

ZV

:thumbsup:

I was going to post an analogy using firearms, but you beat me to it.

Edit: People tend to see driving as a right rather than a privilege. They also tend to see things like firearms as deadly weapons but not automobiles. That's why we have people driving drunk, street racing, paying 95% attention to their cell-phone conversation and 5% attention to controlling their vehicle, etc. Since driving is their "right" and they're not a risk to anyone else, why should people who are impaired not be allowed to drive?

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
The numbers for fatalites caused by street racing is less than a half a percent, yet so much laws and fines are in place to nail those not causing any trouble.

It's like the DUI/DWI laws that has everyone duped into believing people are dying left and right from drinkers on the roadways.

People are so quick to accept these things without knowing what they are really about.

Just a rant.

Å

I swear to God you're bipolar.

 

[dirtboy]

Most often than not some innocent person or child is the victim of a street race, not the street racer. Why should people be allowed to do something dangerous, illegal and that leads to the death of innocent people? All because it doesn't kill enough people as compared to other things? That's a pretty weak argument.

Other than unintentional accidents, all those things you listed are diseases one contracts on their own. There's a big difference between dying of heart disease and a street racer smashing their car into them at 90mph.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: alkemyst
The numbers for fatalites caused by street racing is less than a half a percent, yet so much laws and fines are in place to nail those not causing any trouble.

It's like the DUI/DWI laws that has everyone duped into believing people are dying left and right from drinkers on the roadways.

People are so quick to accept these things without knowing what they are really about.

Just a rant.

Å

I swear to God you're bipolar.

Good thing you aren't a professional.