This^^^^ I agree with most of these statements here first off.

But...just to play devil's advocate a little. Street racing is not always safe and occuring in unpopulated areas, and there is no way to ensure that it is or that it stays like that. You can't have rules/laws and not enforce them, and you can't have a majority rule population without such laws. Simple fact is that not everybody street racing are mature and resonsible drivers that go out of town to race, obviously. How do you account for the ricer mentality of racing down sunset boulevard? Most police officers have discretion for this reason, they can discern when and where they think they should or shouldn't apply the law to its fullest extent. When they don't go after street racing they hear about it from their local constituents (i.e. baby boomer generation who pay the bulk of taxes (yes that's right, the very generation that sensationalized car shows and muscle cars and smokey and the bandit are the same ones shaking their fists now lol-and wearing police sergeant stripes too I might add ).

When police don't intervene, half the community calls the police service (or shows up while shaking their fists ) and complain that the police aren't doing their job, and are letting kids run all over the streets in their damn sports cars lol. I agree that penalties shouldn't be so stiff either (they're right out of their minds in this department in some states and provinces), but the minute you stop policing street racing, is the minute you have a very REAL problem on your hands imo. I'm just being realistic, not all of us love cars and racing (which is unfortunate ).

As much as I'm a car enthusiast, we live in a society where a lot of people are NOT, and just want safe streets. It's hard to convince people that street racing is safe and fine, when the bulk of what they see is not. Blame those f***ers driving like asses in town with their fart cans. Police on occasion do respond to public interest from time to time, believe it or not, and some people out there (who have equal say and share the streets disagree with some of us "street racers" through and through).

To have a logical discussion, one has to use logic sometimes. It's the stiff penalties that make it possible to drive to work every morning without inadvertently rolling up in the middle of a ricer vs. ricer showdown. Between "racers" with under five years COMBINED driving experience behind the wheel, looking to risk everyone else's life. Great! I'm just saying that not ALL racers are intelligent and courteous, and so the laws apply to all for that reason. What you let happen yesterday on the freeway, WILL happen the next day in town, around your children, in your front yard. So in a nutshell, imo, if you play the game make sure you are prepared to lose sometimes, both to your rival, and to the police. Pay your tickets and support the nation. If you truly are street racing in a perfectly safe manner and are seasoned and experienced, you won't get caught nearly as easily as the morons will, imo of course. A lot of cops let mature/responsible racers go with a warning, and they often appreciate compliance and when people make an attempt to go out of town to race. Hell I was racing my buddies Mustang and we were both let off with just a warning and told to "take our Mustang/Camaro competion out of town" lol. We were in a bad spot to race though in reality, and so we got shut down (with good reason imo) before anyone got hurt or embarrassed (i.e. Mustang jk.)

To me if you are going to street race, you should know the risks, and the population isn't shrinking so that isn't about to change anytime soon. Personally I think we need more tracks. Hell a lot of you guys complain, but imagine being where there is no tracks and you can't street race without having your vehicle taken, like me. I understand people's feelings about this though, and I do agree that street racing can be done safely, but we still need regulations (aka- laws) just like at the track, but maybe not so damn strict would be nice. If you go out of town, and race responsibly I think you should be given a slap on the wrist if you get caught, like a speeding ticket or something. Anything more is just a money grab imo.

Sorry for the long *** rant, but it's just too easy to say "yeah police should leave us alone" when there is obviously much more to it than that. If we can't even see why things are the way they are, how we ever going to change 'em? Both kick *** rides though and thanks for posting.

 

Good post, i agree entirely.

As much as i hate to admit it, we need strict street racing laws and we need speed limits, because there a lot of morons out there. We also need the discretion of officers in when and where to enforce things.

I consider myself a generally safe and responsible driver. I don't do stupid **** in traffic, don't race or speed excessively in busy areas, etc. I have a terrible driving record (all speeding tickets), many of which have been given to me in the late night/early morning hours.

In the last 5 years i've had at least 5 tickets when there was no one on the road but myself and the cop. When i'm doing 60 in a 45 zone with no one around at midnight or later, is it really necessary for Officer Dickydoo to pop me with instant on radar, from a ******* corn field, and come give me a ticket?

I've dealt with a lot of cops, unfortunately. A few were very cool, logical guys not in it for the power. Most (especially the younger ones) are just the opposite, and like to cause issues, feed their ego, and hide behind the badge.

As time goes on, i've come to realize that if the conditions are right, it's not worth dealing with them. Little to no traffic, room to run, knowledge of the area, and a jump on the cop are all you really need. I've done it a few times, and unfortunately i'm sure i'll have to do it a few more.

Here's a story of one of the better ones (posted on a BMW forum because this was soon after my last BMW):

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1410738

 

I will tell you who screws it up for us...The kids on the crotch rockets doing a wheelie in the parking lot and the ricers that think its cool to do burnouts in the parking lot. I can honestly say I've never seen a situation where it was the domestic car owners' fault that we get runned off or busted.

Gotta love when two cars agree to race the WHOLE parking lot thinks they need to go out and it ends up being an obvious 34 cars with loud exhaust train following eachother.

 

I've thought about this and maybe there is a reason its not a good idea...but build a place like a drag strip (not as nice obviously) but a flat surface with fencing half way for us street racers to go. Leave it open 24/7 and just post a no trespassing sign WINK WINK. I for one don't want to go spend $20 plus gas to go to the track and run one time before I get kicked out.

 

Pull ricers over, impound their cars and give them scooters....problem solved.

BTW..when I run for office this will be my first task.

 

I fully agree. I mean when its 2am on a deserted road back in some fields and its just you and your buddy going for a jaunt, why is it such a big deal? So many people street race everyday just like the number of people using illegal drugs everyday. It's sad that there are power-tripping officers that feel that they can purge the world of "criminals" one by one day in and day out. Doesn't it get old being "that cop?"

 

they don't allow it here but you never see them breaking it up in certain rural areas. to me, it's because they would rather have these guys risking it where only they will get hurt. If they get run up on it's because someone is reporting it. i'm not in that scene but hear the stories from those who are.

btw, you can blame all the cry baby's who sue in today's society for all the cracking down. ie passenger in racing car gets hurt or dies then family sues everyone. that's why cops don't "even" allow "safe" races.. if the cops don't do their job they will be named in the lawsuit as well. all about c.y.a. today's society the first words out of your mouth after an accident either in a car or on someone's property is "i'm suing". no one to blame but ourselves.

 

Hell yes. That **** pisses me off too! Too damn many people these days do not want to work for their money.

 

Haha, good points

x2 Yeah really. I mean who else is going to be in a parking lot right? Well other than innocents and police eating donuts lol.

That CAN add up to a fair amount for such a small amount of running.

Just like the Illegal marijuanna scene over in BC, Canada. Ridiculous that we are paying to charge, prosecute, and sometimes defend these guys that are making money off of something that could better be enforced as a legal substance, like alocohol. Billions of dollars of revenue to be had, reduction in crime rates (because dealing in "illegal drugs" brings in various other elements of organization into the criminal world), and more control over the substance itself. Like someone once said, "the law isn't an exact science, nor justice a simple thing"... Power tripping is the right way to put it in many cases me thinks.

x2 Another MAJOR issue we have is this. ^^^^ Even though up here things aren't quite so out of hand with suing, I can see the problem AND the burden on society when we back up the courts with b s like this. I guess everyone should make their buddies sign waivers maybel, jk. No, maybe that wouldn't work if the "buddy" was drunk when he signed...in fact, another reason to sue even perhaps lol.

 

Great discussion here. Im glad its not turned into a cop bashing thread like most topics of this nature would.

I for one hardly ever speed. When I take my fast cars out to play, I go to play. I go out where I know theres almost no traffic, out in the corn fields, plenty of room to brake, etc. Out here in Indy, id like to think most of the racing occurs late at night on the very open highway areas that are many lanes wide. Roll racing obviously, but still ok. REASONABLE is the word I live by.


One of the most agitating things to me is driving home from class or something while in heavy traffic right outside of town and someone in a near stock or riced out mobile blipping the throttle constantly and swerving in and out of lanes like its an autoX. That and just straight up ignorant terrible drivers. I saw someone slam on there brakes and lock up all 4 sliding through the middle of a red light and the cop sitting 2nd in line at the light did nothing. That kind of **** REALLY gets on my nerves.

 

I think you, the majority of people in this thread, and I are like the majority of good car guys...we know our ****'s faster than 90% of what's on the road, so there's no reason to be road rallying everywhere trying to show off. I know when and where to speed and endanger myself, and have the maturity to not do so in rush hour type traffic. There's nothing more aggrivating than sitting in traffic and getting egged on by some riced out import smashing the gas when there's a car 10 feet in front of me. Are we going to do a 45-55 pull and then immediately slam on the brakes?

 

Yeah I just really want to know whats going through their head.

 

It's always the cars that trap 83mph that act like hot **** in traffic, because it's the only place they can challenge people without getting their asses kicked.

Then they take off weaving through traffic like a moron and tell all their friends they smoked an LS1 (or for LT & I, a big turbo import)

 

So is the Fox a 9sec. car on motor? Cause he said at the end he pulled the Hawk "on the motor".

Does he run the 9.7 on both units?

If not that either means:
it is faster than 9.7 on the unit or the Hawk is not a 9sec. car.

 

The mustang owner said he pulled the hawk on motor....bs!! Sure sounded like he was purging before the run.

 

if that fox with a 410ci engine beat a 800+rwhp car ON MOTOR then its gotta be most amazing engine ever built... im thinking he obviously used the shot... maybe a 300 shot, maybe a 250. no way hes staying close on motor to a 800 rwhp car without a power adder himself... both cars sounded good though

 

I think a big problem is quotas. Quotas keep the police from fighting real crime and forces them to sit on the side of the road running their radar. This is why I never speed towards the end of the month.

good story too.

 

Those cars looked REAL good!

I gotta basically agree. He said he won on motor, but if that's the case, there's no way the Hawk makes anywhere near 800hp because that Mustang, though it surely makes good power, ain't ABOUT to clear 600rwhp on motor with that engine, unless it's RACE ONLY and it's surely not. All the time I spent around Mustangs tells me something's WAY off on his claim, or there's something way off on the Hawk rating.

On the other hand, maybe that's why the Mustang owner was holding so much paperwork and the car was hauled away... Not a street car??? Hmmm... Great video though, and I kinda liked the whole "cop" part because the racers seemed to take it in stride like it was some big joke. Still, 800hp beater... on motor? Eh, I don't think so. He'd need a race weight of about 2200 lb.

 

Actually there is no such thing as "quotas" as you put it. They do get torn a new one though if they have hardly any traffic infractions listed over the course of a couple months. A lot of officers make up for that kind of thing with excess criminal investigation work and criminal charges which, can keep the brass off their back. Not only that, do you realize what would happen on roadways if there weren't a deterrent? Think about all the barely certified vehicles out there that would be doing 90mph right beside your brand new (enter obligatory sports/muscle/super car here*)? Some cops are just dicks man, nuff said!

 

So basically there is quotas just not officially. If you were to get in trouble for not writing enough citations then you have some sort of quota. It might be unofficial, but there is something.