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For teens, risk taking is common. And sometimes it can be deadly. An estimated 3,500 teenagers will lose their lives in fatal cars accidents this year, and 39 percent of these deaths are due to speeding.
So why do teens insist on street racing? Some say it’s the adrenaline rush. “It’s indescribable really. It’s just like power,” says Paul Smith, 18. Paul was sent to jail and had his license suspended for street racing. Justin, 22, agrees: “Adrenaline, you can’t beat it. It’s the worst drug; you know, you got some, you want more. You got power; you want more. You never stop.”
Some teens race for money, others do it just for pride. One night Elaine Jackson was out driving. A friend of hers was right on her bumper. In the spur of the moment, she wanted to prove her car was faster. “My pride got to me, and I had to prove it to him. So I was just sitting there, you know, had a lead foot, and just took him around this turn, and thought I could take it, and just hit the curb, popped my tire and I just spun out,” she says. She spun right into a telephone poll. She was lucky. Everyone walked away without a scratch.
Not everyone is as lucky, however. Len Pagano, president of the Safe America Foundation, attributes it to feeling overly confident behind the wheel. He says: “We all have this false sense of security when we’re in a car that we’re protected from things outside the car. The one thing we don’t recognize is that’s usually true when we’re traveling 30, 40, 50 miles per hour, it’s just not the same reality at 80, 100, 120 miles per hour.”
He says for some kids, speed is exhilarating, and the risk of dying isn’t very real. Justin takes a fatalistic approach to it, “It’s bound to happen, but you only live once I guess.”
Experts say one solution is to get your teens involved in hobbies that offer an adrenaline rush, but aren’t life threatening, like skiing, mountain climbing or surfing. And if you find out that your child has been racing, take away the keys. “You owe it to your teen and yourself and your community to take away their keys. It’s not an option; it should be done,” says Pagano.
Elaine learned the hard way. “If you make that mistake, you’re just gonna have to deal with the consequences.”
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By Amye Walters
CWK Network, Inc.
A passionate link between driving, excitement and freedom is integral to many Americans. The mind’s theater regarding driving often blossoms at a young age in America. And vehicular enthusiasm is undoubtedly tied to the need for speed. From Hot Wheels to Big Wheels, we share this enthusiasm with our children starting in the youngest years.
The allure for fast things permeates many elements of society. Consider Racing Stripes, a computer-animated, live-action family feature film that Warner Bros. is releasing in January 2005. In the movie a zebra voiced by Frankie Muniz hopes to break into the world of horse racing.
Should it come as a surprise that young drivers are enamored with driving over the speed limit? The specialty automotive industry accounts for $29 billion in retail spending annually. This automotive aftermarket provides products to enhance performance, appearance and handling of all types of passenger cars, light trucks and recreational vehicles. And, despite the costs, new drivers are embracing the opportunity to change and improve the performance and appearance of their vehicles.
Groups like Racers Against Street Racing (RASR) try to promote legal alternatives to illegal street racing. They encourage racing enthusiasts to race only on sanctioned racetracks where an official time slip will provide “real proof” of a car’s aptitude.
- Wally Parks founded the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in the ‘50s so illegal street racers could turn to organized competition.
- Some “Street Legal” events at NHRA tracks will draw as many as 700 racers.
- In 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that police listed street racing as a factor in 135 fatal crashes.
- In 2001, more than 800 citations for illegal street racing were issued in California. In Florida that same year, 7,216 citations were issued for racing on the highway.
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By Amye Walters
CWK Network, Inc.
Parents must be aware of entertainment products that glorify extreme driving and illegal street racing including DVDs, home videos, and computer and video games. Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. T he National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers a crash to be speeding-related if the driver was charged with a speeding-related offense or if an officer indicated that racing, driving too fast for conditions or exceeding the posted speed limit wa s a contributing factor in the crash. In 2003, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 13,380 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation.
- Motor vehicle crashes cost society an estimated $7,300 per second.
- In 2000, t he costs of speeding-related crashes were estimated to be $1,281 per second.
- Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 20.
- Nationwide statistics show that 49 people are injured for every 1,000 who participate in illegal street racing.
In addition to the physical dangers street racing poses to racers and innocent bystanders, share these potential consequences with your child:
- Racers face possible arrest and jail time.
- Racers might have their car impounded for 30 days.
- If convicted of street racing or aiding and abetting a street race, you can be imprisoned for up to three months and fined up to $1,000. Spectators are subject to penalties as well.
- The police or Department of Motor Vehicles can revoke a racer’s driver’s license.
- Your car insurance may be cancelled or the rates dramatically increased.
- Cars in and around illegal street races are often issued equipment violations.
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