EDITORIAL: Street racing proliferation calls for action
May 6-Street racing is nothing new. Since the advent of motor vehicles, people have been trying to make them go faster and tested their ability against other thrill-seekers.
But an incident Sunday along Mill Plain Boulevard is a reminder of the foolishness involved. As a headline in The Columbian reads, "Street racing crash Sunday in east Vancouver injures 2: Crews extricate woman from vehicle wedged between pillars in a 'complex rescue mission.' "
According to reports from the Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver Fire Department, a 2021 BMW X3 careened into a King LASIK sign and became wedged between two pillars; a 2017 BMW 430i struck a nearby light pole; and a 2019 Corvette sustained significant damage.
Those are some pricey consequences for a few moments of excitement. And they highlight the idiocy of racing passenger vehicles on public streets.
As the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety wrote in a report last month about street racing: "It involves reckless behaviors such as excessive speeding, illegal drag racing, street takeovers, and weaving through traffic, which endanger participants, pedestrians, other drivers, and emergency responders. Beyond immediate safety hazards, these activities can disrupt traffic and contribute to a sense of insecurity within communities."
They also contribute to more than 10 percent of traffic fatalities each year throughout the nation and place all participants at risk. Last year, an 18-year-old driver was killed when he lost control at more than 100 mph on Interstate 5 north of Everett; a 20-year-old friend was later charged with vehicular homicide, as his actions were deemed to have contributed to the fatality.
In addition, when it comes to auto insurance, we all pay for reckless drivers.
Washington, in recent years, has taken steps to curb such recklessness. "It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to race any motor vehicle or motor vehicles upon any public highway of this state," reads the Revised Code of Washington 46.61.530. And in 2023 the Legislature added provisions regarding off-street racing, drifting and educational campaigns about the risk involved.
Lawmakers also allowed for the impoundment of vehicles involved in racing. A second conviction for reckless driving can lead to forfeiture of the vehicle.
When the stringent laws were passed, Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek and a former state trooper, said: "Our streets are so unsafe now. I just think people share a total disregard for our laws. I just really think it's time that we do something. We need to send a strong message to those that are putting others at risk by their reckless behavior."
But with numerous websites dedicated to promoting street racing and with Hollywood movies celebrating the practice, it can be difficult for common sense to prevail. Law enforcement officials throughout the country report an increase in racing, particularly since the 2020 arrival of the COVID pandemic left streets relatively empty - at least temporarily.
Judging from media reports, street racing is more prevalent in other parts of the country, but organized activities complete with spectators are common in all regions. And as one analysis surmises: "Street racing causes hundreds of preventable deaths and immense societal costs each year."
That demands public awareness and education for would-be racers. Even if street racing is a natural extension of car culture, it is a foolish and dangerous one.
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