Posted on 02/16/2008 8:15:53 PM PST by jdm
I may be overly sensitive on this subject but my first reaction is that these victims of a Maryland street-racing incident were unlucky, undeserving and incredibly foolish:
“A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch a drag race on a suburban road early Saturday, killing eight people and injuring at least five, police said.
Police said the white sedan was not involved in the street race but accidentally drove into the crowd of about 50 people that had spilled onto the highway to watch two racing cars speed off.
***
According to police, two cars had lined up for a race on the smooth and relatively flat and straight stretch of highway. They spun their wheels, kicking up smoke, then sped off, Copeland said.
The crowd then moved into the road to watch the cars drive away. The combination of the smoke and the dark morning likely meant the driver of the approaching white sedan could not see the crowd. No charges were pending.”
Based on the preliminary report, I feel more sympathy for the driver of the sedan and his deceased passenger than I do for the pedestrian victims.
Street-racing has become an epidemic in large and small communities and has resulted in many deaths. Post-2001 statistics are hard to find because few agencies record street-racing accidents, but there are anecdotal estimates that at least 50 people a year are killed and many more injured as a result of street-racing. This 2004 DOJ publication almost foreshadows what happened in Maryland (pp. 17-18):
Street races typically involve racers and spectators meeting at a popular gathering place, often on a relatively remote street in an industrial area. Here they decide where to race; they then convoy to the site, where a one-eighth or one-quarter mile track is marked off. Cars line up at the starting line, where a starter stands between them and drops his or her hands to begin the race. Several hundred spectators may be watching. Unlike racetracks that allow spectators to observe races in a safe, closed environment, these illegal street races encourage spectators to stand near possibly inexperienced drivers and poorly maintained vehicles–a combination that can be deadly for onlookers standing a few feet away from vehicles racing at highway speed.”
Unfortunately, many people and even some in law enforcement think of street-racing with the nostalgia that reminds us of James Dean and Happy Days. Those days are long gone.
How do I put this delicately? The passenger wasn't a passenger until after the accident.
>Based on the preliminary report, I feel more sympathy for the driver of the sedan and his deceased passenger than I do for the pedestrian victims.<
Did you notice the part where this idiot was driving WITH ONLY HIS PARKING LIGHTS ON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?
He really ran well ahead of me from 70 to (redacted speed figure), when the upper electronic limit seemed to shut him down. We hit the corners and he was all mine.
I have upgraded 7 series brakes with slotted rotors, Bilstein shocks, 7 series wheel bearings and steering that makes the wheel feel as rigid as a bowling ball rolling across a milled iron plate. I rarely use the brakes outside of aborting an attmept to pass, preferring to use the transmission, shifting up between 6.5 and 7K, redlining it up to a limit of +/- 100 around 9...
$400 tires driving like that don't last a long time, though. But, a day at the track when you can really let 'er rip without concern for traffic and that irritating, rusty old VW hippie bus in the way, can cost you a few bucks, but it is REAL.
I could never figure NASCAR, where everything is so politically correct in the engineering department. I like more of the Sebring style where everything is much more open. Let the best men, mechanics and cars win the race!
The e-28 is pretty rare I think, you could get some nice $$ for that.
The idiots who were struck were gathered in the middle of a two lane highway in the middle of the night.
Yet here in Maryland, the survivors families will clean up civilly in front of PG jurors.
Did you notice the part where this idiot was driving WITH ONLY HIS PARKING LIGHTS ON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?
The guy came upon a mass of people in the middle of a highway. They’re lucky each and every one of those maroons were killed.
Get out of the road.
The e28 M5 is pretty rare, too much fun to part with.
There are a few 535s, 528s around still.
My ragged two door daily driver e30 M3 is even more rare and does cost for upkeep, but it is a total joy to run and it gets damn good gas mileage when it is kept tuned properly. My first two months of having it, I went through a set of tires, warped a brake rotor and had to rebuild the transmission.
The 5 series M is garaged, waxed, detailed, mechanically pampered like an OBG/GYN examining the queen of England - - only to be treated like a whore under very special conditions, and boy, what a brazen slut she is!
>The spectators are saying this to justify their inexcusably risky behavior. I doubt there’s an ounce of truth to it.<
Given your superior mind reading skills, what chance do witnesses have?
LOL! Well said
Given your superior mind reading skills, what chance do witnesses have?
But they sold you hook, line and sinker. OJ is innocent, too.
You’d make a good juror in PG.
The alternative conclusion is that the guy in the sedan DID have his lights on but was driving too fast to see people standing in the middle of a flat, straight road.
The alternative conclusion is that the guy in the sedan DID have his lights on but was driving too fast to see people standing in the middle of a flat, straight road.
Why do you persist in your assertions about the headlights?
YOU DON’T KNOW!!!
If you can not stop your car within the range of your headlights, YOU’RE DRIVING TOO FAST!
(Yes, even a stationary object!)
I’m not defending the spectators in the road!
Why do you persist in your assertions about the headlights?
YOU DON’T KNOW!!!
Then you ‘should know this’;
If you can not stop your car within the range of your headlights, YOU’RE DRIVING TOO FAST!
(Yes, even for a stationary object!)
I’m with you, Senator.
Per the article, there was considerable smoke created when the racers burned their tires just prior to taking off.
There could have been visibility problems. Witnesses might have seen the reduced glare of the headlights in the smoky haze and thought they were parking lights. Fog acts like that also.
The early reports are always to be taken with a grain of salt. The forensic investigation will show the position of the headlight switch, and witness testimony, when compared will give a better mosaic of how events actually unfolded. There may even be cell phone pictures, etc. of the seconds after the crash which will help to determine people placement,condtions of smoke, etc.
What was really odd was that the dead person in the car was originally reported to be a passenger. Turns out it was a spectator. I hate to contemplate the physics of that.
“Was that on drag radials or street tires? What sort of power are you putting to the ground?
I have the stock Saleen SC on mine (6psi). I dyno about 403 rear wheel hp (475hp at the crank)”
Street. 465 to the ground.
W/your horses and, as I understand it, better traction, you would probably beat a stock Cobra.
“All across the country, race tracks open to the public have been shut down, due to noise, crowds, safety... etc. Now people are racing in the streets. Go figure.”
Exactly. The track I’ve gone to, Englishtown NJ, is feeling the heat from new homeowners moving into the area.
It’s only a matter of time before the owner feel it isn’t worth the hassle when he could get a bundle for the land.
In my local paper it said the father was 61!? Pretty goofy family behavior at 3:40 am.
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