Street racing is an illegal form ofmotor racing that occurs on apublic road. Racing in the streets is considered an ancient hazard, ashorse racing occurred on streets for centuries, and street racing inautomobiles is likely as old as the automobile itself. Street racing is popular and hazardous, with deaths of bystanders, passengers, and drivers occurring yearly.
Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well-coordinated races are planned and often have people communicating viatwo-way radios orcitizens' band radio, and usingpolice scanners andGPS units to mark locations where local police are more prevalent. Opponents of street racing claim street races have alack of safety relative to sanctioned racing events, as well as safety risks arising fromtraffic collisions resulting in injuries and deaths, legal repercussions and harm to bystanders.[1][2][3][4] Street racing is distinct from the legal and governed sport ofdrag racing.
Car meets are gatherings by car enthusiasts (and sometimes street racers) with the purpose of meeting to share their passions with others. While some car meets may involve street racing, many meets may recommend not to race at all.[5] This is usually to prevent attracting attention of local law enforcement. Some car meets are held at closed racing circuits.
The sport ofdrifting andtōge (also transcribedtouge) racing, primarily fromJapan, is now more popular in other parts of the world.[6] Tōge— Japanese for "mountain pass", because these races are held on mountain roads and passes— generally refers to racing, one car at a time or in a chase format, through mountain passes (the definition of which varies per locale and racing organization).
"Sprints", also called "cannonball runs", are illegalpoint-to-pointroad rallies that involves two or more racers. They are inspired by authorized European races at the end of the 19th century. These races fell out of favor when the chaotic 1903Paris–Madrid race was canceled atBordeaux for safety reasons after numerous fatalities involving drivers and pedestrians. Point-to-point runs reappeared in the United States in the mid-1910s whenErwin George Baker drove cross-country on record breaking runs that stood for years. The termcannonball was coined for him in honor of his run when a local reporter gave him the nickname comparing him to the Cannonball Express locomotive of theIllinois Central Railroad.[7]
In sprints, drivers will race from one part of city to another, one part of the country to another, or across a country. Whoever makes the fastest overall time is the winner. An example of a sprint race was the illegalCannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash in the 1970s, also known as "The Cannonball Run", that long-time automotive journalistBrock Yates founded. The exploits spawned numerous films, the best known beingThe Cannonball Run. In 1984, Yates created the family-friendly and somewhat legal versionOne Lap of America where speeding occurs in race circuits and is still running to this day.[8]
TheGumball 3000 and Gumball Rally are present day examples of long distance sprints. These rallies mostly comprise wealthy individuals racingsports cars across the country. With the city changing for each rally.[9]
Globally, an "official" lexicon of street racing terminology is difficult to establish as terminology differs by location. Examples of this diversity can be found in the various words utilized to identify the illegal street racers themselves, includinghoonigan andboy-racer (New Zealand andAustralia),tramero (Spain),hashiriya (Japan), andmat rempit (Malaysia).
There are various motivations for street racing, but typically cited reasons include:[10]
Dangers can include serious injury, legal consequences, and death. Between 2000 and 2018, at least 179 people died in street racing–related accidents in Los Angeles.[11]
Additional dangers provided by theKent, Washington police department are as follows.[12]
Because vehicles used in street racing competitions generally lack professional racing safety equipment such asroll cages andracing fuel cells, and drivers seldom wearfire suits and are not usually trained in high-performance driving, injuries and fatalities are common results from accidents. Furthermore, illegal street racers may put ordinary drivers at risk because they race on public roads rather than closed-course, purpose-built facilities.[12]
Because racing occurs in areas where it is not sanctioned, property damage may occur. As the street racing culture places a very high social value on a fast vehicle, people who might not be able to afford fast vehicles may attempt to steal them, violently or otherwise. Additionally, street racers tend to form teams which participate in racing together, which may ultimately contribute to organized crime, gang activity or prostitution.[12]
The predominant age range that participate in racing are those aged between 16 and 25.[14] Male minorities that come from mid to lower social class are more likely to partake in street racing. Results from a survey of 2,395 street racers showed that 33% did not own a driving license and that 14% had been involved in a crash.[15] Crashes usually happen during the night or in the early morning. Street racing constitutes only a small fraction of total car crashes, though street racers also constitute a very small fraction of total drivers. The urge for educational programs to teach people about the negatives of risky driving can minimize the rate of street racing. By doing so, this can help lower the rate of crashes by teenagers.[16]
Part of a popular road inAbuja has been cited as a venue frequently used by street racers.[17]
Illegal street racing inSouth Africa has been a problem for a long time, mostly inCape Town.[18] Street racing harms members of the local community due tonoise pollution, creating road hazards and traffic collisions.[19] As of 2022 the authorities are developing measures to be taken to address illegal street racing.[20]
In Brazil, street races are commonly known as "pegas" or "rachas".[21] Since 1997, the National Traffic Code of Brazil prohibits street racing, stunts, dangerous moves and related competitions in public streets; racers may have their driving licenses and cars confiscated, besides paying a fine and going to jail from six months to two years.[22] Popular street racing venues are often discovered by police after receiving information fromCrime Stoppers.[21] In such cases,plainclothes officers are first sent to check if the information is correct. If so, the roads leading out of the place are blocked and the competitors arrested.[21]
In Canada, a driver convicted of a causing a street racing fatality can be sentenced tolife imprisonment as a maximum term, with full parole possible after serving 7 years in prison. A driver convicted of injuring another person in the course of a street race is subject to a prison term of at most 14 years.[23]
There is a strong racing culture inCalifornia, particularlySouthern California.[13] It is considered to be the birthplace of North Americandrag racing.[24]
In some cases, this popularity has led to tough anti-street racing laws which give stricter penalties (includingmisdemeanors for attending race events) than normal traffic citations.San Diego was the first US city to prosecute spectators attending street races.[25] Penalties for violating street racing laws may include impoundment and possibly the destruction of the offending vehicle and the suspension or revocation of the offender'sdriver's license.[25]
Some police departments in the United States have also undertaken community outreach programs to work with the racing community to educate them to the dangers of street racing, as well as to encourage them to race in sanctioned events. This has also led to a campaign introduced in 2000 calledRacers Against Street Racing (RASR), a grass-roots enthusiast group consisting of auto manufacturers, after-market parts manufacturers, professional drag racers, sanctioning bodies, race tracks and automotive magazines devoted to promoting the use of safe and legal raceways as an alternative to street racing.[26][27]
In 2015, police conducted a raid, arresting 13Hong Kong residents, who were fined and sentenced to between one and four months' jail, after being caught driving at up to 275 km/h (171 mph). The drivers, who drove a fleet of luxury sports cars includingFerraris,Lamborghinis andMcLarens, were arrested at the border inShenzhen trying to return to Hong Kong.[28]
The law under which this arrest took place was enacted in 2010 after Hu Bin, aHangzhou student, mounted the sidewalk in a street race, killing a pedestrian. A public outcry ensued, as Hu came from a wealthy family, while the victim was his family's sole income earner.[29] Hu was sentenced to three years in prison and was fined 1.1 million yuan as well as an unspecified driving ban.[30]
Street racers, known natively ashashiriya (走り屋),[31] often run their cars onexpressways andfreeways, where they are known askōsoku battle or commonly known asRoulette-zoku as they drive round and round in circular motions and frequently occur on theShuto Expressway inTokyo.[31]
The most notorious group to be associated with street racing was Mid Night, who became world famous for their speeds, at times exceeding 300 km/h (190 mph).[32]With heavier punishments, increased police presence on roads, crackdowns in meeting areas and the installation of speed cameras, expressway racing in Japan became an extremely rare sight compared to its heyday of the 1980s and the 1990s.[citation needed]
One of the contributors to street racing in Japan is the overcrowding and limited availability of racing circuits. Such circuits may also cost as much as¥20,000 for private use, while the highway tolls are much cheaper, averaging at less than¥1,000.[31]
Street racing inMalaysia is illegal, as is watching a street race; this is enforced by theRoyal Malaysian Police. Many streets, roads,highways andexpressways inKuala Lumpur,Penang,Johor Bahru, and other cities or towns in the country have become sites for racing. Among the participants are teenagers driving modified cars or riding motorcycles.
Motorcycle street racers in Malaysia are known asMat Rempit. These Mat Rempit are infamous for their "Superman"stunts and other feats performed on their motorcycles. They are also notorious for their "cilok", a kind of racing in which racers weave in-between moving and stationary traffic at high speed.
In addition to doing their stunts and racing around, they have a habit of causing public disorder. They usually travel in large groups and at times raid isolated petrol stations. They can cordon off normal traffic flow to allow their friends to race along a predetermined circuit.
Illegal drift racing often takes place on dangerous hill roads such asBukit Tinggi,Genting Highlands,Cameron Highlands orTeluk Bahang, Penang. Meanwhile, illegal drag racing takes place onexpressways such as theSecond Link Expressway inJohor Bahru. Illegal racers are subject to punishment by their over-modified vehicles which do not follow road regulations in Malaysia.[33]
In Turkey, street racing is illegal. Since the 1960s, street racing has been a sub-culture of theBağdat Avenue inIstanbul, where young wealthy men tag-raced their importedmuscle cars. Towards the end of the 1990s, midnight street racing caused many fatal accidents, which came to a minimum level due to heightened police enforcement.[34]
Street racing has been a sub-culture of Albania since the 1990s following thecollapse of communism.[citation needed] Street racing became more organized in the 2000s, and gained public recognition during the 2010s because of magazines likeMax Power. The roads nearSkanderbeg Square in the national capital ofTirana are the most popular spot for street racing.[citation needed]
One of the first automobile races ever recorded took place in France. Organized byLe Petit Journal in France of December 1893, the newspaper aimed to create a race to show the viability of horseless carriages as a means of transportation for the average person. Of the constructors, first place was awarded jointly toPeugeot andPanhard et Levassor, whose vehicles “came closest to the ideal.” During the day long rally fromParis to Rouen, seven dogs were run over and killed, a cyclist was struck by a car and injured, and one of the drivers was seriously injured as he was scalded by an exploding boiler.[35]
On 1 February 2016, two street racers disregarded several red lights and killed a 69-year-old pensioner, a father of two, when one of the drivers rammed his vehicle on theKurfürstendamm in Berlin. In February 2017, theLandgericht Berlin sentenced the two drivers for collaborative murder, in the first murder conviction for street racers.[36] The verdict was appealed to theFederal Court of Justice as it was not clear the drivers had driven with deadly intent or criminal negligence. The second trial was started over in August 2018 at which time the drivers had spent two years in detention.[37] The second trial was annulled[38] and a third trial started in November 2018.[38] They were again convicted of murder in 2019. The verdict was again appealed to the Federal Court of Justice, who upheld the murder verdict against the main perpetrator in June 2020.[39]
The first ever street race in Greece happened in 1907 atSyngrou Avenue, in the city ofAthens, betweenPrince Andrew and Nikolaos Simopoulos, son ofAnargyros Simopoulos, back when only 7 automobiles existed in town. The street race ended with the death of a 25-year-old woman and caused the first ever car crash in Greece.[40]
Street racing has been a sub-culture of Greece since the 1970s. Street racing became more organized in the 1980s, and gained public recognition during the 1990s and 2000s through print media such as the Max Power magazine.[citation needed]
Until the mid-1990s, the Greek police did not strictly enforce bans on street racing. That changed when Greek medial reported a serious car crash in Limanakia in the 1990s. This completely changed street racing culture in Greece, with stricted police enforcement of the activity. For that reason a police unit calledSigma squad was created in 1995 which drove high-end sports cars like theBMW M3, theAudi RS2 and thePorsche 930 Turbo.[41] The unit was disbanded in 2005 after various crashes and lack of funding.[41]
Italy has a long tradition about street racing and tuned cars.
In the 2010s, track days at theAutodromo Nazionale di Monza become more popular with car enthusiasts with burnouts in the tunnel attracting many spectators. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, legal car meetings became popular in Italy.[42] Injuries are still prevalent, such as a BMW driver who hit a crowd and injured some people inTurin in November 2018.[43] Street racing is still popular in Italy, and can divided into highway street racers andTōge racers.[44][45]
In Portugal, an association of volunteer enthusiasts called Superdrivers, fight for sanctioned racing events to happen every weekend and opposes street racing. They complain that legal racing is only available once or twice a year and under restricted conditions.[46]
Street racing in the United Kingdom is illegal under theRoad Traffic Act 1988.[47] The punishment for a conviction of motor racing and speed trials on public ways is a mandatory driving ban and a fine not exceeding £2,500.[48]
The city ofBirmingham has been described as the street racing capital of the United Kingdom.[49]
Street racing in Australia occurs across the country, most notably in certain suburbs of major cities and semi-rural New South Wales and Victoria. People who participate, specifically the drivers themselves, are referred to as 'hoons'. The term is also used as a verb to describe reckless and dangerous driving in general ("to hoon" or "to hoon around").[50]
Laws exist in all states and territories that limit modifications done to vehicles and prohibit havingnitrous oxide hooked up to a car. In most states and territories, P-platers (provisional drivers) are not allowed to drive vehicles classified as "high-performance", such as those with apower-to-weight ratio greater than 130 kilowatt per tonne.[51] In most states, further laws impose strong penalties for street racing such as confiscating or impounding the vehicle and loss of license.[citation needed]
New Zealand has strict rules on vehicle modifications and a registered engineer must audit any major modification to his/her car. Unofficial street racing remains illegal in New Zealand, however it is common. Participants are commonly referred to as 'boyracers'. Despite its popularity, rates of incident due to street racing in New Zealand are relatively low.[citation needed]
In the 1970s the moviesAmerican Graffiti andThe Hollywood Knights played a key role in the expansion of street racing.[citation needed]
Street racing has been a popular theme in many movies spanning different generations and genres.[52]
Street racing has been frequently featured invideo games throughout history with street racing being a popular sub-genre ofracing games.[53]
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