Why Street Racing Is So Dangerous
Illegal street racing in the Los Angeles area is highly dangerous. Unfortunately, southern California has seen what law enforcement describes as “epidemic” levels of illegal street racing in recent years.
Why is it so dangerous? Many reasons.
5 Dangers of Street Racing
There are multiple reasons that street racing poses risks that are not worth taking.
1. Vehicles engaged in street racing are driving at exceptionally fast speeds.
Street racing vehicles often exceed 100 miles per hour, and reach speeds of perhaps as much as 200 mph. The faster a car is driving, the more damage it does if it hits another vehicle, person, or object. Speeding cars are more prone to accidents because they are harder for drivers to control.
Many street racing accidents where a car has crashed into another car are fatal to everyone concerned, both drivers and passengers.
Bystanders, drivers and passengers of vehicles not in the race, but in proximity to the racing cars, have all been killed by debris from a high-speed crash.
And it’s not just during a race that fast-driving vehicles are dangerous. Many participants in street racing hear about race locations on social media channels. They aren’t made public, to evade stepped-up law enforcement focusing on street racing. Once racers hear, they often race to the locations, at speeds in triple digits.
They often drive this fast on freeways, where the number of cars increases exponentially.
2. Street racing is often fueled with alcohol and other substances that can impair the ability of drivers.
News accounts often refer to the high amount of intoxicating substances consumed by street racing participants and onlookers alike. Alcohol, marijuana, and other substances can impair one’s ability to drive.
3. Collateral damage.
When race cars driving at very fast speeds hit objects and other vehicles, these objects and other vehicles become agents of destruction themselves. A car or truck hit by a racing car can careen across lanes, causing multiple injuries and deaths. In several street racing accidents, trucks have overturned.
4. Onlookers can be harmed.
Large groups of people have been known to gather to watch street races. If a spin-out or crash happens, flying debris and associated mayhem, like fire from burning gasoline, may injure large numbers of people.
5. Participants may underestimate the danger.
Law enforcement believes that street racing is powered by movies like The Fast and the Furious or video games. In popular culture depictions of street racing, no one is hurt, maimed, or killed.
Participants in illegal street racing in Los Angeles may believe there are as safe as video game heroes, who always live to race another day.
If You Need an Auto Accident Attorney in Los Angeles
Unfortunately, all too many people have been injured and killed in illegal street racing in Southern California. If you or a loved one is among them, award-winning Los Angeles car accident lawyer Andrew Ellis can assist you in finding justice.
Ellis Injury Law has been successfully investigating and litigating auto accidents in Los Angeles for more than 20 years. Contact us today at 310-641-3335 for a complimentary consultation. Put our track record to work for you: Our firm has won over $100 million in compensation for our clients over the last 5 years. We charge no fees unless you get paid from a settlement or verdict!
Additional “L.A. Street Racing Dangers” Resources:
- Meija, Brittny and Hailey Branson-Potts. “LAPD Trying to Put Brakes on Illegal Street Racing.” Los Angeles Times. May 10, 2015. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-racing-20150511-story.html
- Stevens, Matt, Frank Shyong, and Brittny Meija. “Deadly Street Racing Fueled by Social Media, Popular Culture, Police Say.” Los Angeles Times. February 29, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-street-racing-popularity-20160229-story.html