i try to only race when the only people at risk are myself and the person i'm racing.. although i have raced with someone in the car.. we are probably all guilty of this.

i had a civic trying to race me one day in rush hour traffic.. i wouldn't bite.. he reved up from a stop started to take off again and traffic came to a stop they locked up their brakes and slid into the back of a truck.. w/ 3 people in the car.. they were ok.. they just tapped the truck.. but still racing w/ any other cars around is asking for trouble

what i think is craziest is people racing down westhimer (main strip in houston) there are sections where there is no incoming traffic.. but just about every weekend you see a wreck through busy intersections w/ cars coming in and out.. i saw a new z28's rear half sitting on the median one night .. i couldn't see where the rest of the car was.. probably towed off.. w/ glass and everything else spread across 3 lanes

 

It's a choice. With the law the way it is you are really taking a chance, because you are betting not only on what happens to you, but what happens to the other guy.

Late night, six lane freeway, straight as an arrow - clear, good weather, no traffic - none, not another car in sight except for the guy in the other S2K revving at you. OK, let's go for it. We are having fun. Door handle to door handle 100.....110.....115. He hits a small piece of steel laying in the road. Hard to see at 120 in time to do anything about it. Not large enough to do any damage...................except to the tire. Left front blows. Car swerves left then right as the driver overcorrects. Back to left and hits the concrete bridge pillar head on. S2K is now 4 ft 3 inches long. Driver is dead. Everything was so perfect, how did it go so wrong?..................you wonder as you are led to your cell after being convicted of manslaughter.

Chances of this happening. Real small. Probably real, real small. Do I still street race? Very, very rarely. Maybe once a year. Is it smart? With two kids at home that like having dad around, not really.

It's a choice. Just be sure you are aware of what could happen. I hope all of you stay safe whatever choice you make.

 

In case anyone has not noticed... driving is a priveledge and not a freedom. I challenge anyone to find a line in the constitution that says driving is a natural and immutable right. The reason we have officers of the law is to enforce laws made by political figures that you the people have elected. The laws are there to set a standard. How can a judge or other public figure enforce right or wrong without laws, speedlimits, etc. Without standards we would have anarchy... and quite frankly I don't trust the judgement of every person out there....

While the power that police officers exercise is abused on occasion a lot of the guys out there in blue are really trying to do a good job and keep things safe (like when some raving psycho holds up the local diner you might happen to frequent). I respect these guys (unless they are complete asses to me when i get pulled over... which i have more times than i care to share)

Quite frankly, I have to agree that racing in any situation is dangerous especially on the street. Just because the road immediately visible to you is clear doesn't mean the street in front of you (120mph x time racing) is clear. All it takes is one person taking a walk at some strange time of night, someone pulling off of a side street, or someone heading home for their night job to throw much danger into the situation.

Of course i'm not going to sit back and bullshite you by telling you I have never street raced or that I won't any time in the future but I will take responsibility for my actions. I will stand up in court and say yes it was my fault for initiating a street race and causing X persons death even if it was not my car directly that hit the person. I don't see how anyone with a conscience could do otherwise.
If you take part in activities that increase the danger to those around you be it, street racing, drinking and driving, excessive speeding, etc. be prepared to stand up and be responsible for whatever damage you or those around you cause! Just remember that driving is a priveledge in the first place and speeding....racing... or other activities outside the normal realm of that priveledge are your responsibility. It's a hard but inescapable fact of life.

 

Oh and for almost 2 years I spent time retrieving (yes cutting) tissues from organ and tissue donors at hospitals in my area all the way to knoxville. I've seen more dead accident victims than anyone would care to know many of which were a result of street racing. As i would spend time retrieving many deep tissues (bones, tendons etc.) I was lucky enough to see what kind of damage car accidents do to internal organs, bones, etc.

It might be easy to trivialize the possibility of one person walking out in front of your car as you race in a seemingly deserted or "safe" area but there is nothing like having to work over that person's dead body knowing that they too had family, friends, and co-workers that cared for them.

 

People die racing. Legal racing or not, that is a fact. Racing people you don't know is risky. Racing people you know is risky. Racing on private roads is risky. Racing on public roads is risky. Racing in general is risky, no matter how you pursue it. What is the difference to the victim if they get hit in the head with a F1 wheel, fly off a cliff, or hit a curb, flip, and burn? Dead is dead, and how you get there is your choice. I prefer to die in bed, maybe from pneumonia or something. I prefer to drive my car in a way that protects those around me. I also like to race. I live in a big city, where the chance of me being shot or stabbed for a few dollars in my pocket is a very real possiblility. Do I want to die without having lived? No. Is racing living? To some.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 99GT
[B]People die racing.

 

One of the important differences though is the person attending the F1 race chose to do so knowingly accepting that risk. I highly doubt someone walking down the side of the street or pulling out of a side street expects at any minute someone's car to come flying by them at 100+ miles per hour.

yes i will hurl as well

 

Well, I seriously doubt most F1 spectators consider death an acceptable way to end the day.

I was trying to convey people do things despite the risks. I was not suggesting that innocent bystanders are fair game.

Of course I would hate for anyone to die because someone was racing on a public road. I think we all agree on that. I personally don't race when/where other people/cars are present. Kind of solves the problem for me. People who race their car, legal or otherwise, DO need to be aware of the risks associated with that behavior. This thread highlighted some of those. The original post, however, implied that people are not aware of these risks.

Of course you are responsible for a death caused by the car you are racing illegally. You are engaged in an illegal activity during which somebody was injured or killed. The responsible parties are the people involved in the illegal activity. Cut and dried to me. Kind of like going with while someone robs a bank. If they shoot and kill someone, you are at the very least an accessory to murder, and if the other guy gets away, you will most likely stand trial for murder. If one doesn't understand that, then one might be racing down city streets in the middle of the day.

 

There is a wealth of good and intelligent advice in this thread from Bieg, djohnston, Slither, ccarnel and others. I can't believe that anyone could argue with what they say.

I wish more people would listen.

 

anyway, teenagers in my neighborhood get on top of their friends' cars and hold onto the edges of the roof screaming and laughing while the cars pass by me after i get off the bus. he he