What exactly is street racing? According to my sources it is any of the following: “… two guys showing up at a stop light and trying to out-race each other." (Armijo) or “an organized race,” (Thompson) where upwards of twenty or thirty people show up to race each other. Oftentimes, the racers will place bets on which car will win, or even on how long until the cops show. Normally, a race isn’t organized and typically goes like this: a driver will pull up to a red light, and rev his engine to another driver to signify that he wants to race. If the other driver accepts his offer, he too will rev his engine. Then, the light turns green and the drivers jam the accelerator pedal. Most of the time, a street race like this is a short one that ends when it is clear who the winner is. These types of races are very dangerous and can cause many accidents. Street racing can be considered a form of aggressive driving.
Each year, until about 5 years ago, the number of deaths and injuries related to Illegal Street racing had increased steadily. Due to new laws and increased incarceration, the numbers now have begun to go down. “Nationwide statistics show that 49 people are injured for every 1,000 who participate in illegal street racing.” (NHRA). To further support this trend, some data was taken from San Diego’s traffic statistics and from The Florida Department of Highway and Safety for motor Vehicles:
In San Diego, where the street-racing problem has been termed "epidemic," 16 deaths and 31 injuries were directly related to Illegal street racing in 2001. The city's attorney's office prosecuted 147 illegal street racing cases in 1999, 161 in 2000, and 290 in 2001. In 1999, the Florida Department of Highway and Safety for Motor Vehicles reported 28 accidents related to illegal street racing, with 2 fatalities and 27 injuries. In 2000, the agency reported 39 racing accidents, with 1 fatality and 55 injuries. In 2002, there were 48 racing accidents, 1 fatality, and 60 injuries. (NHRA)
For the data set from each location, the number of deaths and injuries related to illegal street racing has increased with each year that passed. But why was there an increase street race related accidents and injuries?
What’s a better trendsetter then a good old Hollywood movie? Every time a good movie comes out, there is usually going to be movie spoofs and copycat films. In the case of street-racing movies, many moviegoers wish to experience the same thrills that the movie characters felt when they raced their cars. “`Movies such as The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious do more harm than good; it promotes street racing,’” (Armijo). “The thrill of the illicit races were depicted in last year's box office hit `The Fast and the Furious.’ But street racing doesn't always have a movie's happy ending” (Powell). After the movie’s release in 2001, there was an increase of street races, and when the second movie came out in 2003, there was another rise in street races. (Armijo). But this can’t be the only reason for the increase in street racing.
According to RaceLegal.com, the number one reason to street race for teenagers is that they seek a thrill. They are ‘looking for something to do’ and feel that by street racing, they can give themselves an adrenaline rush and have fun by doing something illegal. In some ways, teenagers may even feel passionate about racing and to them it may be a “popular pastime” (Thompson). To add more substance to this, a writer for the Los Angeles Time said the following in one of his articles:"A large percentage of the draw and the fun is getting chased by the cops, we can't stop street racing any more than a stop sign stops a car." (Haberman). Street racing is dangerous, and dangerous situations give people a sense of fear, which in turn causes adrenaline to enter their blood stream. The California Highway Patrol lists this reason among a list of several reasons that teenagers may engage in this type of activity.
Teenagers also feel that they have to prove themselves to one another. Another excerpt from the L.A. Times, proves this point, “`The big adventure in street racing is showing off in front of your friends,’ [a racer] said, adding that, `without the friends, the racing is far less fun.’” (Haberman). They enjoy the compliments they receive after winning the race. You could probably imagine that those include anything from “That was an awesome race!” to “You went so fast that your tires almost melted!” It’s compliments like these that make the racer feel good about himself and may make him want to race again.
Through racing, teenagers can receive attention from their peers and ultimately achieve status as an established racer. Having a fast, expensive, and good-looking car will earn them respect on the road (and attention from the police). With street racing, teenagers can easily create an `awesome’ car for themselves which both brings them physical and emotional satisfaction and fame and status. And when fame and status come, popularity and materialistic wealth will follow. For some of America’s youth, this reason alone makes it worth it to race illegally.
The reasons for the increase in the trend of illegal street racing may truly be unknown, but we can all speculate about the reasons. Through speculation and research, I’ve concluded that illegal street racers race for three main reasons: they race because Hollywood and the movies make it seem cool, it gives the racers a thrill and an adrenaline rush, and the fact that winning races makes you feel good and brings you popularity.
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