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Teen Years

It's a Drag Street racing puts lives at risk. And that's no thrill. By Marcel PrzymusinskiPublished: March, 2003

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Last April, two teens died and six people were injured in a street racing accident in Chula Vista. Six months later, two more teens died in a street racing accident in San Diego. And in December, three people died in another street racing accident in Pomona. Such tragic incidents are becoming more and more common as the illegal practice of street racing is growing in popularity across the country, especially among teens. Though authorities have struggled to stop racers by installing bumps on popular racing streets and trying to bust ongoing races, their efforts have been largely unsuccessful. In desperation, some cities, including Fontana and San Diego, have set up legal racetracks where races can take place in a somewhat safer arena than a city street. Yet illegal street racing continues to be a problem, contributing to the already staggering statistics on teen car accidents, which are now the leading cause of death for teens ages 16 and older. So what makes street racing so exhilarating that many teens are willing to risk their lives for the fleeting thrill of rocketing down a quarter-mile stretch of pavement at warp speed? According to racers, the adrenaline rush that racing provides more than compensates for the risk; in fact, it is the very danger of racing that draws many teens to the sport. Movies like "The Fast and the Furious," which depict the street racing lifestyle as exciting and glamorous, further contribute to this fascination with speed. It's an addictive rush, a thrill that often consumes the racer, becoming an all-encompassing obsession. Some racers even dismiss the risk of death by saying that they wouldn't mind dying in a race because they would at least die doing what they love. That's a dangerous, unnatural attitude that seems to be rooted in today's violent, action-oriented culture. Teens are hit with a media frenzy of action in its most unrealistic forms: movies like the James Bond series and the recent release "Gangs of New York," which glorify violence, honoring characters who exhibit extreme bravery in deadly circumstances. Viewing such characters, who often ruthlessly kill others and seem to thrive on the ever-present threat of their own deaths, as idols leaves many bored by their own dull, secure lives. This is what drives many teens to racing. Some deliberately seek it out, desiring to display their courage in an arena in which death is always a lingering possibility; others are pressured into it, accused by their friends of cowardice if they rationally decide that their lives are too valuable to throw away in a drag race. Teens can't be blamed for wanting to race. In many ways, the media drive them to it, and once they begin racing, the "need for speed" becomes an addiction; soon, everyday life becomes insufficient, unable to provide the adrenaline and excitement of risking one's life. Our society needs to seriously examine the morals our media convey, but in the end it is up to teens to realize that their lives are worth more than a childish display of bravery. Marcel Przymusinski is a student at Troy High School in Fullerton.

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