This thread has been created to reveal and discuss what can happen when people street race and drive wrecklessly.

First off, I--nor Z28.com--is preaching. I am guilty of street racing and driving wrecklessly myself. I know how addictive the urge to open the car up on the road is. The thrill and rush of adrenaline is intoxicating and blocks out all common sense. I am lucky that I haven't killed anyone, wrecked the car, nor been stopped by the police. Though I typically scan the area around me to make sure I don't see any apparent dangers before I open the car up, this is an exercise of ignorance and immaturity on my part.

The only way racing, drifting, or any other type of extreme driving on public roads would be safe is ONLY if the road was closed for an event with safety measures placed to prevent spectators from getting hurt by an accident, and minimize injury to the drivers.

This thread will display articles, pictures, testimonials, and accounts of street racing accidents and results such as when the police get involved.

Members, if you have a personal account to share, please post it here and include pictures.

WARNING: PICTURES SHOWING DEATH AND EVERYTHING GROSS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.

We are trying to impress and convey the dangers of street racing and wreckless driving, and this CAN be accomplished without showing victims with their bodies torn apart.

We encourage mature discussions about this topic. Members, if you post about an incident you were involved in, don't get defensive if you get your butt chewed apart for acting foolishly. Just be happy you're alive to be getting "yelled at" by your fellow members here.

On the same token, if a member posts about their foolish acts, there is no need to ridicule him/her/them and demean them. You CAN scold without personal attacks. This thread is a place for all members and guests to share and learn from experiences of others...not to post argumentative and negative remarks. In essence, Z28.com does not want arguments arising from topics and experiences shared here. We must all be appreciative that members have stepped up and reached out to share their incident with us.

If we can prevent just ONE street race, we have succeeded in preventing the destruction of a life.

For those that, like me, have the addiction, learn from what is shared with you here. Whenever you are presented with a challenge to street race, or have the urge to do donuts in a parking lot (etc), recall the images you see here and the stories shared. Hopefully, your common sense will overpower your urge and testosterone, and persuade you to lift your foot off the gas pedal and swallow your pride.

Finally, the web is flooded with videos showing ricer wrecks, etc., with music. These videos mocking or trivializing accidents will be removed from this thread since this is a serious subject matter, and we want to maintain the integrity of this thread.

 

The results of wrecklessly racing another car (WS6 against a Cobra). F-bodies are not indestructable! A lesson the driver learned the hard way. Don't destroy your life, nor the lives of others.....not to mention a beautiful car!

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/accident_story/5-5-01.html

 

I will share my own story and the reason I do not street race any longer. This was my own stupidity and honestly I am thankful that I did get caught because if I continued to do it I could have killed someone which I wouldnt have been able to live with myself if that happened. Now to the story I was driving along a four lane street/highway in town when I came to a red light next to some motorcycles. I know a few people that have bikes so I thought I probably knew some of them and thought I would show off lol. So I took a quick look around and didnt see any police officers and turned on the nitrous switch. I thought to myself if the guy goes then I will go with him, and he did. Well after about an 1/8 of a mile I had him by my car length and then I noticed the ever so unwelcomed red and blue lights from an unmarked silver Crown Vic. He pulled both of us over and got us for drag racing and me in excess of 100 mph in a 45 mph zone. I went to jail and was there for 6 hours which was the longest 6 hours of my life You really take your freedom for granted until it is taken away from you and there is nothing you can do about it. It took a lot of money and a lawyer to keep me from losing my license and being in a lot more trouble than I ended up with. It opened my eyes to street racing and some of the consequences that I always said would never happen to me. I think back about the whole situation and what all could have went wrong and what could have happened. If I or the guy on the bike lost control he would have surely lost his life and I would have taken it If that would have happened I would surely not be here typing this message to each and everyone of you. For that I am thankful and I vowed not to street race again.

 

Bout time we get a sticky like this!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

No one can make your mind up for you (message to everyone!). All we can do is put everything on the table for you all to consider the possible costs and consequences.

Lyger, when you do find you "must" race, I just pray that you will have the presence of mind to know when to let off the pedal to avoid a potential wreck.


Eric, "94 Formulabird" shared an incident, that though he wasn't involved with, still will impact him (in ways to be revealed in time).
https://www.z28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120190

 

of course, i may race but i a;so know my limit and when to let off.

 

How many have seen racers blowing past you on the freeway? I see it a lot. Fortunately they never ended like this! But, unfortunately, as seen by the number of news articles, things do turn bad often. The German autobahn is considered one of the safest freeways in the world. But no matter how well designed and built a road may be, the human element, mixed with a lack of driving experieince often result in deadly consequences.

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/accident_story/7-8-01_flip.html


This was a recent tragedy that occurred in Feb 08. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/16/drag.race.deaths.ap/index.html
At least five others were injured in the gruesome wreck along a flat, isolated stretch of highway about 20 miles south of Washington known for illegal races.

About 50 people were gathered before dawn along Route 210 as two cars spun their wheels, kicked up smoke and sped off, said Prince George's County police Cpl. Clinton Copeland.

Fans had spilled onto the smoky, dark road to watch the cars drive away when a white Ford Crown Victoria unexpectedly came up from behind and smashed into them.

"There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," said Crystal Gaines, 27, of Indian Head, whose father was killed.

Police interviewed the Crown Victoria driver, but no charges were pending, Copeland said. Authorities were looking for the drivers of the two cars involved in the race.

The combination of the smoke and the dark morning likely meant the unsuspecting driver could not see the crowd, police said.

A tractor-trailer that came by shortly afterward may also have struck someone on the roadside as it tried to avoid the crash scene, according to investigators.

The Crown Victoria, which had a crumpled hood and a partially collapsed roof, ended up down an embankment with one of the victims lodged inside.

Bodies covered by white sheets lay in the road and on the shoulder across a 50-foot stretch of the road later Saturday morning before they were removed by the medical examiner. Watch sheet-covered bodies lying along road »

Shoes were strewn about in the grass, and a pair of dark skid marks scarred the highway.

"It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen," Copeland said. "This is a situation that could have been avoided, and it's a very tragic situation."

About 50 people were watching the race, Gaines said, and she saw the Crown Victoria approach without its lights on.

She grabbed her daughter, pulling the girl to safety. But her father, William Gaines Sr., 61, had a broken leg, and was not able to get away in time. Afterward, she found his body on the road.

"He wasn't breathing; he wasn't moving," Gaines said. "His body was in pieces."

Her brother, William Gaines Jr., was also there. The car came through so fast that "it just ripped people apart," he said.

"I didn't even see the car. All I heard was stuff breaking," he said.

Police could not confirm whether the car that struck the crowd had its lights on.

The victims' ages ranged from their 20s to 60s, police said. Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, and an eighth died later at a hospital. Police said a body found in the car was one of the spectators and not a passenger, as they had previously assumed.

Route 210 is a thoroughfare with two lanes in each direction and few traffic lights along the stretch where the accident occurred. The road is flanked by some businesses but has little traffic in the early morning, Copeland said. The speed limit is 55 miles per hour.

John Courtney said his brother, Mark, 33, of St. Mary's County, also was among the dead. He identified his brother from a digital image police had taken.

"He liked going to the race track, watching races," Courtney said. "It's going to take a toll on my family for a long time."

Marion Neal feared her 42-year-old brother was among the dead and was awaiting images from the police.

"It's a tragedy," she said. "I don't like racing, but that was his hobby."

 

there will always be street racing if there are cars on the road period. Fast or slow it will happen, whether it's two high school girls messing around in their brand new Corollas the day after they get their licenses or an organized illegal event...it's just guna happen and people will have to learn for themselves not to do it...no matter how many bloody pictures and totaled cars you show the public, street racing is going to happen irrelevant and people will never learn

 

I am not for street racing. In my younger days when I lived in Staten Island, N.Y. I was all for it but we did it on deserted roads with no side streets.
It was kind of organized back then, we would meet at one of a couple of diners on Tues. or Thurs. and a race or two would be arranged. Then everybody would leave and go to the race site. I swear the scenes from the movie American Graffitti were typical of what went on. The cruise down the streets, the diner meetings, the races etc. George Lucas must have lived in the same enviroment.
Things are different now some guys are racing on busy streets where there are all kinds of traffic and people around.

 

I was unfortunate enough to have an accident under normal driving conditions. I think about it everyday and there is absolutely nothing I could have done differently and thats what scares me the most. I can imagine how things can go wrong very fast when you are racing, and the speeds are increased.
To me the most offensive part is the fact that many of todays street races have little to no regard for those around them. It is fine with me if they crash and burn, but to harm an unsuspecting individual or persons is wrong on all accounts. I liken it to walking down the street and getting mugged or maimed, you never saw it coming.
There are more than a few of you who think that you're driving skills and precautionary measures make it ok. You shall see what the other end of the sword entails, but you will also see where we are coming from if you are fortunate enough to walk away from such an event.
There are tracks everywhere, even if it is a little jump from where you live, thats half the fun making a day out of it, hanging out , tuning it in and watching everyone else run, then you get your turn in the staging lane and there is nothing like the rush of anxiety and then the blast of adrenaline as the lights climb down the tree. The track is where its at and the 20 bux it costs to run there is a helluva lot cheaper than any ticket or hospital bill, or lawsuit that you will eventually find yourself with if you continue to street race.
Although it was not from street racing I will link you to my story, and it can also be found under my sig under the link Seatbelts save lives. The other link is much more detailed and updated. Thanks for listening and think before you act!
www.freewebs.com/jacksstory

Jack

 

I have wrecked a car before due to my own stupidity. I had owned a 95 Grand Am. I was stupid and race a friend in a vacant strip of road. He beat me. On my way to leave I was trying to show off and took a 90* turn at 50MPH. Ended up skidding into a curb and tore off my rear passenger side tire and screwed up the suspension in the front. Luckily no one was around, but it was a costly mistake. I have yet to pull a stunt like that since.

 

I hear that the risk assessment area of the human brain is not fully developed until about 25 years, which means that there may well be some biological factors in a lot of these tragedies. Seriously, how many of the older guys on this site are the ones that say "don't street race?" Not that it's any excuse, just an interesting side note.

 

Sadly to say, I fear you are correct. Just like there will always be drunk drivers, alcoholics, and drug addicts. Thus, it would be ignorant to say street racing will stop. Surely, the only way to prevent all street racing is to take away everyone's cars! Never gonna happen.

But...if just ONE member or guest reading this thread makes a smart choice not to street race, and that choice possibly saved a life or more, then this thread was worth it's while. So folks....please don't take this as a message being shoved down your throat. It's just a brotherly advice saying you have a choice, and we hope make the right one when the time comes.

 

Gatorhead, unfortunately there aren't always tracks around. I live about 1.5 hours above NYC and the closest strip is still about 1.5 hours away. With the cost of land around here, noise ordinances and zoning restrictions (NIMBY is a big thing in NY) and other issues, there aren't any tracks around here.

And let's face it. A large reason we buy these cars and do the mods is because of the power and the takeoff. Having the power and not using it ever doesn't make sense. Buy a hybriod instead and save money on the gas. If they really are really serious about decreasing street racing, (which I'm all for especially since I know someone who was killed as a passenger in a car which was racing), you need to give people a somewhat convenient, relatively inexpensive track they can go to where they can get in multiple runs in a few hours. Many years ago in Calif they had problems with street racing and started the NHRA to provide a controlled safer environment for people to do this type thing. Even there, though, I bet the # of small tracks has been reduced.

 

Your kidding me right? It's right wing thinking like this that has allowed places like California to take your car away if it has been moddified, regardless of what you do with it. Thats as big of a bag of BS as the anti drug commercials...if you smoke pot...you won't go anywhere in life and you will die!!!! haha give me a break.

But cops doing 65 in a 25 is ok because they have lights...woop-dee-do.

I think this thread has showed just how facts can be twisted to show a specific perspective...in this case that all street racing is bad...heck according to you even doing burn outs in a parknig lot is wrong...but there are empty parking lots void of cars...is that evil too? There is always two sides to a story and you should appraoch both to be fair. People die at drag strips all the time...suffice to say just as many at the strip as they do streetracing. More people die from talking on their cellphones while driving than streetracing. But those facts don't matter...because streetracing is the most pure of all evils...more children die each year from choking on legos than from a streetracer killing them...watch out lego's...here they come...pretty soon all lego's will have to be 6 inches by 6 inches so there are no more choking deaths.

wait I got it:

If we can make just ONE lego 6"x6", we have succeeded in preventing the destruction of a life.

OR

You can be FACTUAL and state this:

If we can keep 71,428 street races from occuring we have succeeded in preventing the destruction of a single life. (this is at least according to the statistics in california where out of every 500,000 thousand collisions...there are 168 caused by street racing and 7 deaths related to streetracing

Oh...and from what I could find on the DMV website...no one has died this year or last from doing burnouts in a parking lot.

*puts on flame suit...gets bible out.......commence the flaming and preaching*

 

Im sorry but if it saves one life getting someone to stop street racing then thats one life saved and it means a lot to us if it does. I understand your points and I also understand every death that may be caused by street racing may not get a statistic as a street race death. Lets be honest here since your wanting to be honest and throwing out numbers. If Im drag racing you on a city street and you lose control and hit someone head on and kill them or yourself, do you actually think the person your racing is going to come back and see what happened????????? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! So hmmm lets see the police and what not really dont know what happened so it goes on some other statistic such as wreckless driving or speeding. I know that street racing will never end just as said above but we feel the need to get some stories out there that has happened and maybe convince someone not to do it.

The 1/4 track is an 1.5 hour away from me as well but I dont mind driving that far in order to be safe and know that if something does happen to me on the track at least there is an ambulance in sight view that can maybe save me.

 

I here you Fanta. And I agree especially about the statistics, I just hate the bad rap that gets associated with "streetracing" to the point they start taking away peoples cars because they modify them...give me a break...where does it stop.

Like I said...do I do it..yes...do I condone it...certainly not. But, there is so many things that need to be considered before pointing the finger at streetracing is my point. Look at the facts...16-19 year olds account for 56% of ALL accidents...this is assuming the other 44% is every age but those three...why not just abolish giving licenses out until the person is 20 years old...my insurance would appreciate it.

 

There is in no way that I think the California law should be allowed. I seen a video just not a month ago where they impounded two cars for street racing and turned them into police vehicles and would not let the owners have them back. To me this is stealing and the government is allowing them to do it One car was a 03 Cobra and the other was one of the newer 350Z and both cars had a lot of money put into them. The police even took these cars to the local car shows and were gloating about taking these cars from their owners

I agree that younger kids have more accidents but just as the whole deal with street racing we cant punish all people for a couple's bad actions. There are responsible younger adults out there and those that get jobs while still in high school need transportation and that shouldnt be taken away from them. I was young once Still am at heart lol, and I have done many crazy, stupid, and ill thoughtful things while driving a car, and I can honestly say Im lucky to be alive. I would just rather see someone taking their challenges to the track instead of on the street where really anything can happen, and innocents can get caught in the middle and suffer consequences that they shouldnt have to endure.

 

I can't argue with valid points. Well Said.

 

fnf,

Consider this thread a discussion amongst a group that IS addicted to street racing--myself included. Just like AA, we hope that this thread can be an outlet or avenue for those that ARE hooked on speed--on public roadways--to talk things out.

No one here is condemning anyone who likes to street race. The intent is not to single out those that do street race. I too think that the many state laws strictly regulating modifications are silly. Hawaii has one of the worst and it drives us enthusiasts crazy.

Reason we started this is that this is a car forum so we're focusing on automotive issues. I guess this thread is the other side of the coin on the topic of this specific forum, "Street/Strip Racing."