Street racers aren’t criminals. To me, being a criminal means intentionally hurting people, scamming, stealing, or exploiting others. Street racing is illegal, sure, but most people do it as a hobby because they love cars and racing and just becuase you break the law doesn’t make you a “criminal”. I hate how games like Need For Speed always paint racers as villains when the reality is way less black-and-white.
This is just from an initial search, with strict query:
Known Cases in 2024 of Bystander Deaths or Innocent Victim Deaths in Street Racing-Related Crashes
St. Louis County, Missouri – April 2024 Construction worker killed in work-zone by street racing crash Two 18‑year‑olds racing; one lost control and struck construction workers. One, Christopher Johnson (34), was pronounced dead. https://www.wdtv.com/
Portland, Oregon – Fatal crash killing innocent bystander Young mother (Ashlee McGill, 26) killed She was struck by a vehicle that lost control during an illegal street race while she was a bystander (had no involvement). https://hoodline.com/2024/05/portland-man-sentenced-to-3-years-for-fatal-street-racing-crash-that-killed-young-mother/
Grand Prairie, Texas – August 10, 2024 Family killed by alleged street racer Four family members (parents and two children) killed when their car was struck by alleged street racer returning from Six Flags. https://people.com/four-family-members-killed-after-street-racer-slams-into-their-car-8695681
Kansas City, Missouri – December 2024 Two innocent people killed in street racing crash A street race (Chrysler 300 vs Charger) resulted in collision with a Honda HR‑V turning onto another road; both people in the Honda died. These victims were not part of the race. tonyskansascity.com
As someone who grew up in the racing community (at tracks designed for it), I’ve watched the safety improvements dramatically improve over my lifetime, and the number of attendee injuries drop to near zero and yet we still have crashes that exceed the math of safety engineers.
I’ll add my personal experience. A couple jackasses were racing on a residential street in a major US city. Where 2 cars can barely squeek past each other at a walking pace.
One of those jackasses sideswiped my parked truck, and hit it so hard it bent the lower control arm. You know, things that are designed for major forces. $5000 in damage to my parked vehicle that my insurance paid because the prick ran off (not sure how they did that).
Imagine the smear that would’ve made of a human body.
I work very hard to not insult people here and rather to critique their statements. But in this case, get fucked with your selfish bullshit.