So, whats with all these frenzy regarding street racing?

How come its not legal

already? Why are authorities so afraid to give racers a chance to make a name for themselves?
How, and more importantly, when, it could all become a legal activity? (Popa 1). Its all for the
thrill. When you get behind the wheel and you know that the next 10-15 seconds are high risk
high reward, it does something to your mind. It puts you into a zone that only you are
experiencing with your car. There may be a passenger or two with you, but it is the one behind
the wheel that is giving the commands. You are the pilot of your machine. The wheels screech
and you are pushed into your seat. You let out a smile or you kept the serious look on your
face. You grip the steering wheel with both hands, have fingers on the paddle shifters, or have
one have throwing the car into one gear after another. The straight line seems endless but you
know that it will be there faster than you can think about what you ate for breakfast. The rush.
The rush is all you can think about. It is all you can feel. You crave it and dont want it to stop.
It is your drug, your moment of nostalgia. People ask whether you win or lose, how was it?
Imagine that you are on the Raging Bull ride at 6 flags. You know that it is not going to
last long. You know that the ride is fast. You know that there is a risk of something going
wrong at that high of speed, but you do it anyways. Once you get off and you realized that you
survived, you want to go again. Maybe you think what could you do to make it more fun the
next time? You potentially can throw your hand up into the air or scream at the top of your
lungs. It all is done to make the ride more exciting. That is similar to Street Racing. That
straight away is you ride. Youre at the beginning and you see the end. All that matters is that
you make it to the end in 1 piece but you do it the fastest. It is an addiction. Actor Idris Elba
states I'm addicted to speed, it's no secret, but whilst travelling, listening, learning and telling
these amazing stories, what surprised me the most, was just how far people are willing to go,
the risks people are willing to take, to satisfy that addiction."
For a racer it is exhilarating to be a part of the entire process. Getting the car from the
beginning and imagining yourself in a finished product alone gets the adrenaline flowing. A lot
of people race for many different reasons. Some do it for the obvious thrill. Some others made
do it because they have a competitive nature and a genuine love for cars. Others may do it
because they can get some sort of personal gain from it such as winning money, respect, or
another car. Whatever the motive may be, the common ground that everyone has is the want
for excitement. There are many different types of cars people choose to use when they race.
Typical types are either American Muscle or import. A muscle car would be a Ford
Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, or Dodge Charger. import car would be some this
that is foreign. Most commonly used are cars from Japan or Germany. Nissan and Toyota and
Honda are commonly used cars. A high end rare car from Nissan would be the Nissan GTR.
Another Nissan product would be the Nissan 350Z or 370Z. Toyota has its Supra and Honda has
its Civic that could be the poster child of street racing.
A lot of thought goes into the creations that take the streets at night. The entire car
gets evaluated from day one. There are many key components that make another reason why
people street race. The fact that people use what they drive up with as a meat of skill and
talent. Cars that people race are viewed as works of art and imagination. The color scheme,
lines and shades all are a part of the look.
There are many people that are involved in the world of street racing. The people
involved can be anyone.
The real racers operate in the early hours of the morning. They descend on
vacant pavement in industrial areas or remote roads in far corners of their cities,
run their races, and vanish into the night as quickly as they appeared. Their cars
are fast. Very fastlike 10 seconds or quicker. Several of these cars make 1,000
hp to the wheels and are capable of reaching speeds of 150 mph on the street in
a quarter-miles distance. (McGann 1)
Your neighbors, aunt or uncle could be one of these late night early morning racers. But
its not just the racers themselves that are involved. There are law enforcement officers as well.
People since the dawn of the automobile have needed fast cars. 1920s and 1930s was the era
of Prohibition and the bootleggers bringing whiskey in from Canada or transporting it across
"dry" states needed faster cars to outwit the police and federal agents. Junior Johnson also
states You had to have fast cars to haul your whiskey to the people and to get away from the
revenue and the ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control commission] and the federal officers," says
Junior Johnson, a former bootlegger from North Carolina who became a legend in the world of
Nascar racing. He is a great example of someone who was willing to test the limits of a car to
achieve something he wanted to do. Granted, bootlegging is different from street racing but it
is still illegal in their respective time periods. He is someone who could not give up the need for
speed either. He ended up becoming a NASCAR driver and they drive faster than many in the
world.
Where racers street race can be in a variety of places. Even after the invention of
permanent circuits, street racing has endured. Sadly, there are far fewer legal street races (with
roads closed to traffic and temporary berries set up) staged then there are illegal ones
(Anderson 3). Abandoned factories serve as great places for uninterrupted driving. Some
street races can happen in the dangerous streets where there is a lot of traffic. In certain
circumstances one pedestrian can on the road can end up being in the way and become a fatal
accident in the waiting. Another popular racing spot can also be on the highway. The speed
are faster and it gives you a chance to open the car up. At speeds of 50-60 MPH the sounds are
low and the want to go faster is high. Nowadays speed limits range from 60mph in Hawaii to
80mph in Utah. Scot Keller, chief curator of the LeMay Museum in Tacoma, Washington, says
higher speed limits tend to be allowed in states with "vast open spaces". The question is now,
what about the places that dont have vast wide open roads. There needs to be a spot for
people to have free throttle the same as those in Utah or Wyoming. Look at all the cars that are
on the road at night. Traffic is lower and lanes seem wider. If there is no one in front of you on
the highway why not push it a little bit farther and a little bit harder. You want to have that
perfect moment, where it's just like, launch it, you're just all out. John has been racing for
about five years. "We'll all travel out there to that one spot and see what is going on. He
wouldn't tell us where these secret areas are, but he told us they are often on public streets or
in large parking lots around town. He said there are a number of different spots. People like
John are all over just looking for somewhere to find their 6 flags
With there being high reward for winning a race there is also very high risk. Every time
you start the engine move forward, everything is up in the air. Similar to when you were a little
kid running around the playground there were those times when you werent paying full
attention and you ran into another kid or ran into the playground set. You werent 100%
focused on the moment maybe just the outcome of where you wanted to be. Well that
happens in races of all kinds. The issue has come up, as the number of accidents related to
illegal street racing seem to be increasing, or at least becoming more noticeable to the public
(Gonzales 1). When things become more nontaxable to the public that means that the police
will be involved as well. More awareness is not what a races wants to see or hear about. The
lower the profile the better. Cops make it a priority to seek out the races especially if they are
in an area that has had complaints. Neighbors or fellow motorists can easily be the ones to
point out a gathering. Illegal street racing is a quickly growing culture throughout USA. At the
same rate of its growth, the government is cracking down on this ever expanding cult for more
reasons than speeding and reckless driving (Berenis 1). A lot of people dont like street racing
because it is unsafe and reckless (depending on what side of the wheel youre on) but is it
because they dont like the perception that is associated with known racers on the lime light?
Movie stars are some of the biggest promoters of street racing. The fast and the furious actor
and star, Paul Walker, was killed in a fiery car crash that left himself and the driver dead. They
were in a red Porsche Carrera GT going anywhere from 80-90 miles per hour in a 45 zone.
(Kelsey 1). There have been many more deaths of people of all ages and all across the country.
While racing you will be in the street. Along side that street you will sidewalks with runners or
bikers, people coming out of their driveways, and kids playing in their yards.
There's no database tracking street racing deaths, but a Google search hints at
the scope. Police say a 21-year-old man was killed while street racing in
Copiague, New York, on January 6; a Texas City, Texas, teen killed in late
December racing his best friend; a 60-year-old Bakersfield, California,
grandmother killed in an accident with street racers in October; a 15-year-old
boy killed in an accident with street racers in Elk Grove, California, in June. Those
cases are found just in the first 30 matches on a Google search of street racing
deaths. (Lendon 1)
If there was a course similar to how streets are set up like ones at certain automobile
companies testing grounds, the amount of deaths would decrease. I feel that a lot of these
deaths are caused by accident and with the amount of time someone has to evade a car or vice
versa the chances are slim. Yes, drivers should not be going at the speeds they are but boxers
get a ring to beat the pulp out of each other and NASCAR drivers have a curse but with a
different type of car in a different type of setting.
That being said, it doesnt really matter whether its illegal or not, as long as drivers
think they need to prove something or they just want to show off their tuned cars, street racing
will continue to exist (Popa 4). This statement says it all. Most drivers will always feel that
there is something to prove. Between proving and wanting a rush that can only be eased by
having your performance baby at your fingertips it wont end. Ingress you can compare it to a
smoke and they know no matter what that they will get the side effects the surgeon general
warns or but it doesnt matter. Give the racers a safe place to drive and things can be
decreased but until them engines and tensions will run high. Some call it the need for speed
and a lot want to play the park of the fast and the furious but not everyone is cut out for it.
Police officers will try and stop racers, neighbors can call on them it cent end and wont end.


























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