Do you think people who illegal street race are ‘bad people’?
Not bad people but bad choices. But you can street race right if you close off the routes still illegal tho.
Nope.
Yes. It puts other people - uninvolved, innocent people - in mortal danger. Also it puts other people’s property in danger. It’s selfish and ignorant.
Yes the are bad people. Why? Because they only care about their thrill over everything else. They cost everyone money when they inevitably have accidents. Even if they had to pay the cost of repairs for their car, they don’t pay all the other costs - police, emergency, road closure, road damage, etc. They willingly put others, innocent others, at life threatening risk. They never, ever drive as well and as in control as they think they do. Racing is fine but do it on a track that is meant for it. Then if you crash and maim or kill yourself, anyone else involved willingly agreed to be part of it.
There are no “bad people” but plenty of people who do shitty things. Here are some of those that street racers do:
- They endanger themselves and others
- They make a lot of noise
- They pollute, scar, and mark the streets
So probably “yes” if you want to define it that way.
Y’all are assholes who do asshole things.
Seriously why do y’all do this? You can rent time on tracks for cheap!
There is nothing cheap about track days unless you mean drag racing. And even still, you know most people’s cars won’t pass tech inspection.
The one held in my city is pretty reasonable. And if they’re not passing inspections to race on a track then they shouldn’t be racing on the street either.
Have you seen the average car on the road? There’s plenty of people driving cars in such disrepair they’re just as dangerous as street “racers” that won’t pass tech. I might prefer a speeder with an old drip over a dipshit that ignored the grinding noise and wore brake pads down to the backing plates
So that’s a completely different conversation. One that I think the US should have, mind you, since I agree that it’s wildly unsafe.
But my point is that if your car can’t pass inspection, it shouldn’t be on the road, and it definitely shouldn’t be racing, on-track or no.
North America does not safety inspect vehicles like Europe.
That’s my point? My state checks normal cars for OBDII codes and nothing else. One neighboring state does full inspection and fails for rust holes. The other neighbor has no inspection. Saying a street “racer” (which I keep putting in quotes because I’m positive most commenters in this thread aren’t talking about racing) that won’t pass tech shouldn’t be “racing” is acting like the bar is any higher for the average car being driven by someone texting and driving.
They are about the worst you can get in a car. For me, they are right next to those terrorist who drive into groups of people in order to kill them: they have no respect for other peoples lives.
Bad AND selfish. In generous quantities.
Yes. There are race tracks. You’re pretending there are no secondary effects or bad consequences.
“Police say two of the victims were innocent bystanders who were killed when the alleged street racer struck their vehicle and it burst into flames …He said the couple leaves behind four kids — ages 10 to 16… “They are deceased because of street racing. We also have one of the drivers who was street racing, he also lost his life,” said Fort Worth Officer Buddy Calzada. “We just can’t understand why somebody would continue to street race at a high rate of speed at the risk of losing their life or taking the life of someone else.””
Sorry what? I couldn’t hear you because of the fucking
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA FYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
outside
Road laws exist to make driving predictable. Breaking those laws makes you unpredictable, and thus a danger. If you want to race, find a track.
This is an aspect of driving that people don’t get. It doesn’t necessarily matter WHAT the laws are–there are so many ways to drive all around the world. What matters is that everyone follows the same ones so that they know what to expect from others. If people routinely ignore one law in a region and that’s part of the expectation, then everyone is just fine. It’s that one person who doesn’t follow the norms that is dangerous.
They will never go to a track. There are track days but that’s not racing. You can’t actually take your slammed 2002 Honda civic with the TEMU spoilers to race. Races are within controlled series with safety and technical requirements, as well as minimal driver training.
Uh…
You and I have visited very different speedways.
Where I come from, if the engine turns over, it is race eligible.
And if the engine doesn’t turn over, there’s a cool giant fire breathing robot we can still feed the car to.
Of course. At the very least. I can think of a few other words as well.
Motorcyclist here. Pretty much everything I say except stunting is also applicable to car drivers as well.
Speed is so damned much fun, especially on two wheels. Hit the straight and twist that throttle, and you are GONE!!!
That said, we have a name for people who do that on the streets - squids. They are the bane of our community, and give us a bad reputation in the general population.
Want to go fast? Hit up a track day and get some instruction to go with it. Or book some track time just to unwind. Or maybe - just maybe (depending on your local circumstances), find a paved secondary highway with no traffic.
But street racing? Stunting? Showing off? GET THE FUCKING FUCK OFF THE FUCKING ROAD YOU FUCKING FUCK!!!
‘Squids’ is a good daily-driver descriptor. I prefer to go straight to ‘organ donors’ usually.
Squids have always been gearless riders to me and my circle, not the name for reckless riders
Riding without gear is pretty reckless tbf
Yes, but the choice to ride naked will only kill themselves [and traumatize others] if they become a meat crayon. The gear doesn’t change what phtsically happens to others in accidents
Yes. Its risky for everyone nearby, there is literally no upside. If you want to race, take it to a track. Every track I have been to has some kind of open track night for like $20 entry and you get santioned racing with proper facilities and a safety crew on standby. Its moronic to do it anywhere else.
That would be a great option if tracks stopped getting bought out, torn down, and replaced with suburbs.
Also, even if you do have access to one, they have gotten very expensive and have strict vehicle regulations. Idk where you live that you can get on a track for $20 but where I live, one would be lucky to get on a (non-drag strip) track for $500.
Not defending street racing, but it isn’t that simple.
What I have seen is that if you get in with local car clubs, you can get autox runs for not much money. If you don’t mind dirt, rallyx or dirtx days are also a good way to get track time on a budget.
Yes, proper track days on a real circuit are expensive but when you look at the consumables like tires, brakes, oil, etc, the entry fee is minimal compared to the actual cost. Even when I had my mini, it was like that. It also really depends on the track. In Houston we have MSR and Grandsport, msr is pricey. Grandsport used to be rented for the day for like $2k and split between 10 or 15 people, that was cheaper than a speeding ticket.
Realistically, the street racing that occurs around me is all drag style highway blasts or streetlight races. None of these douches are doing circuit drives. So the $20 number wasn’t far off (at least it was before Royal Purple was shut down)
The problem of tracks getting closed is a major one. Nimby ruins it for everyone. The “racers” are also still to blame here. Its impulse control, and personal responsibility/accountability. Realistically too, a speeding ticket here is $150 minimum, plus court fees of $150ish, plus defensive driving course of $100ish so you are basically to the $500 figure anyways.
Once I actually stated meeting people in life who go out to the track, I saw street racers in a new light. I never admired them in the first place, but I started seeing them as absolutely pathetic, once I became aware of how easy and popular it is to take your car out to a track and actually push its limits and/or compete with others.
A lot of people like to go to the firing range, too. But you don’t see them doing target practice walking down the sidewalk. That’s essentially what street racing is.
100% yes!
