Read this in the Beaumont, Texas newspaper this morning!!! "Drag Race Finish Line in Jail Cell" What used to be a simple traffic ticket offense landed a man in jail this past weekend. An officer saw the man racing against a truck on Dowlen near Delaware St. the police report stated. A police sargent said Monday recent legislation has made street racing an offense for which people can be arrested. "The legislation has changed. It's called drag racing now; it's no longer called contest of speed. As a result, instead of a speeding citation, you take a trip to the county jail and have a permanent arrest record" Drag racing is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by 180 days in jail and a $2000 fine, according to the Texas Penal Code. The article went on to talk about the local drag strip available for racing on Saturdays.
In NC they will cart you off to jail. If convicted ( I heard) they can sell your vehicle at public auction.
Hey, Not so bad, in some areas of Los Angeles California the law impounds your vehicle and crushes it! Great for grabbin, head- lines and gettin someone relected, will it stop drag racing, nah! Swankey Devils C.C.
Stupid asses. It's street racing, not drag racing. Otherwise John Force would be a felon. Stupid law.
Funny thing here is, yep, it's a law, they can (and will) impound your vehicle, and Yep; they will throw you in the pokey. and it's BEEN the law for a couple of years now, all on account of 1 particular asshole right here in My hometown of Austin that crashed his Trans Am into another car not involved in the race on 1/35 and Braker Lane. The car that was hit was severely damaged with injuries, and belonged to some family members of a legislator. Said Legislator pushed the bill and it passed (as it should have.) and everyone wonders why the "big" saturday night car meets are continually shut down around here. how do I know? I knew the dipshit with the Trans Am. he should be out in around 15 years or so, as attempted vehicular Manslaughter is a tough rap to beat if you lose control of your nitroused poncho and cross a ditch into the side of a minivan at a high rate of speed. the 'ol "I was just goofin off, Sir" plea don't hold alot of water.
Its true buddy of mine went to jail for about 2 days for racing then after he won continuously doing donuts on a public street jail wasn't the worst though having the Crown Vic slam into the side of his car was
another friend was arrested for smoking the tires at a light at about midnight no one was around just him and well I guess a cop he didn't see. Morale of the story cops can arrest anybody for anything give them the slightest reason and they can do it.
i know from exp. racing =jail and my car was sold at auction(72 nova tubbed 427 cubic in small block and a 3 speed lanco trans) i did 3 mo in county 2700 in fines plus 8 bucks a day for beeing in jail! that is why PA SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! i was charged with reckless 20+ over posted limit/racing on public street/gambaling? was no $$ on race disortaly conduct/creating a nucense/ driveing on wrong side/and being white on a friday night
With all of the places you can legally race a vehicle, why would anyone do it on a public street and risk hurtng someone else who has no idea what's going on and is just in the wrong place at the wrong time? It's no different than driving drunk. Well, except that there's no place you can legally drive drunk.
Sure, I agree street racing isn't right (neither is drunk driving) but I do think its wrong to give cops the authority to arrest someone for it, because like mentioned before, you don't even have to be racing, just playing to get arrested, with the term racing having such a loose definition
usta call it "exabition of speed" in nebraska....btw, filling an underpass full of tire smoke WILL get you a ticket for negligent driving...... conversation went like this; "i don't suppose you'd beleive my foot slipped off the clutch" "nope" "i didn't think so" "here's your ticket" "uh, thanks" btw, it was 2:30 am... was kinda neat seeing it full of smoke and the funny red flashing lights....
I couldn't have said it better myself. I've known several schoolmates that were injured or killed street racing. If you wanna race, get on a racetrack!
About 10 years ago, it became a felony to get caught drag racing in Oklahoma. There are still plenty of people that race (as the evidence of the lines painted and black marks at the starting line suggest), so it must not be enforced much at least in the town that I live in.
There is a place and time for everything..those that dont agree with the law should look at the other side and see the damage someone had done to anothers car or life because it wasnt the time or the place to unleash the ponies..Would you want something you spent alot of time and money on ruined by someone who was playing a game outside the arena? Go to the drag strip and run what ya brung..the steet aint no place for that ..too many inocent lives not aware you are acting like that..it is hard to get out of the way of that nitrous blown monster in a VW
yes you can be jailed for street racing in Texas. What alot of people dont know is that it is a class c misdemeanor for WATCHING a street race
The fact of the matter is that in Austin if you want to legally race the closest track is 60 miles away. There have been numerous attempts at opening tracks in the Austin area in the last 20 years that have all been killed by the high cost of real estate and the tree huggers. I am one of the first people to say that street racing is wrong, so dont get the idea that I condone street racing. What I am saying is that while all of our legislators wants to get the racing off of the streets none of them are doing anything to help provide a place to race, and some even actively prevent tracks from being built.
As Cruising and Street Racing do not exist in Louisville, Kentucky its not a problem. A Cruise here consists of old geezers sitting in a parking lot next to their new Vettes and PT Cruisers listening to 50's music. No way you can get into trouble doing that. The last so called cruise I went to had 2 Streetrods and no more then 5 or 6 muscle cars.
I've been going to the local impound auction around here for the last 6 years or so. When I talk about it, I get some really strange looks from people but, I tell ya, I've seen some pretty decent rides go for less than $2500. They sell all the drug dealer and chop shop stuff too. Tools out the ass, anything you want, compressors, generators, etc. When I started going to the auctions there weren't that many people there mainly junk yard guys...now the place is packed. Last time I went, I thought I would be slick. It was raining and cold as hell but the place was still packed. Anyway, the law is for real...it's a state felony and you'll always get special treatment from the State of Texas if you get busted.
Simple solution.... Don't stop. Truth of the matter is, there are more tracks closing than opening. One notable place is LACR in California, Quaker City has been nreopened but we will see how it plays out for next year. I mess around on the streets and highway occasionally, but me driving my car fast IS different than some inexpirienced jackass who just made his first payment, showing off in his new junkbox. Good example is a local guy who bought one of those half a mil $ Mercedes SLR, comes in to the dealership, and he was f'ing around and put it into a curb, messed up bumper cover, wheel and some suspension parts, So far the repair bill is upwards of $34K.....and it has 231 miles on it. Now for the cliche's: You can't fix stupid A few bad apples spoil the whole bunch God doesn't protect the stupid, government does.
if youre too stupid to be responsible with anything..... cars, kids, freedom,.. it SHOULD be taken from you.....
cell phones shouldnt be used while driving either but im shure that would be a tough law to enforce....... half the cops i see are on cell phones too..... now retaking your driving test at age 65 and every year after should be manditory.............but thats a dif story......
So, it's okay for me to put other peoples lives in danger on pure whimsy and to "not be a poser"? see, here is the problem. IT'S NOT ABOUT US. you and I could probably race down Main street u.s.a one hundred times and never crash, But the one time something from OUTSIDE that environment is introduced, it gets dangerous. enter the station wagon that simply turns onto the street, not realizing the 2 cars halfway between him and the light are HAULING ASS. this is about the safety of OTHER people, not about your Image. I agree going to jail over a burnout is stupid. Having a bit of fun and being punished for it always is. the point here is this, Racing on the street is dangerous. yes there are exceptions (I did the primary amount of racing in my teens on a marked off country road in the panhandle of Texas. Flat, straight, and you can see the curvature of the earth.) but I don't herar about the guys doing thier racing out in the boonies going to jail. it's the asshat that thinks the Access road is pretty sticky and the stoplight is a christmas tree.
losing your car for a burn-out is extreme......... im talking about getting caught in the act of racing on public roads where I drive with my kids in the car..............................
I know..and I agree with you that the blanket laws are crap. The poser thing irk'ed me because ..the way I see it, I am not gonna sacrifice My Car, or worse someone elses life for the sake of Image. I try to keep my automotive misgivings on the track. no, it doesn't always happen, but more often than not, I am a semi responsible primate. I will never say I am "grown up" but I will claim some amount of responsibility.
I agree with the cell phone use being dangerous. It seems that its almost always a brain donor yakin on a cell phone that gives me flat spots on my tires while making every attempt to customize my vehicle. Then they have no idea what they just did and cant figure out why the guy near them just locked up his brakes. On every US military installation it is now a UCMJ punishable offense to use a cell phone while driving. On USAF bases you cannot walk and talk on a cell phone while in uniform. If you talk on a cell phone, you must stop walking. Part of it is looking professional, the other part is being safe and not getting hit by a non military member on the base. That being said: I stopped racing on the back roads of Nebraska ten years ago, simply because an 11 second car on a two lane road with deep ditches was too exciting at times. Racing in BFE where there is you, the other car, and maybe two cars there to see who wins and to start it is very different from some idiot punks driving 20+ over and weaving through the minivans on a 4 lane main road. I am all for taking the cars of people who have no regard for others, crush them whatever. Not everyone has a track to race at. The closest tracks to me are 6 hours into Wisconsin or 8 hours away down state. It would appear that my racing days are over, simply due to the distance involved in going. I still have my car, still have the other rods that are quick, but nowhere to run any of them. I will drive them when I can, but as far as street racing? Nah, I dont need to anymore. Getting into the throttle a bit and feeling the power I built under my right foot, well yeah I do that every day. Having a cop arrest me and my blood and sweat crushed because I appeared to move quicker than the people around me, while not exceeding speed limit would be a travesty. I have been pulled over for that, a light car with plenty of power, that rolls very easy, its loud and has big tires, so obviously I am racing. Even though the rpm never gets over 3000. One cop was understanding, and he initially thought I was a kid horsing around, a shot explanation and that he also drag raced on the track ended that one. The other one I had to prove I wasnt driving around at WOT. In Texas the second guy could have lost me my car, even though I wasnt being unsafe in it. So now you will tell me that a low ten second car shouldnt be driven on the street? Even if its driven sensibly and never even comes close to WOT? Well then lets just get rid of anything that is loud. then we can eliminate anything that isnt stock. Then anything that doesnt look right. Then we can all drive a Prius and or a minivan/PT Cruiser. No, I dont like street racing, and I dont condone it. But a vaguely worded law that could be used to trample the rights of an enthusiast (or anyone for that matter) that is in reality being safe isnt something I want to have.
I like street races but in the right time and place. on a deserted backroad that you can see around all the corners... what the hell... or straight streach of road with no intersections or potential traffic is good too or a little tire spin now and then but then again some people do it in the wrong place at the wrong time. Remember that we build Hot Rods, not street rods, this hobby was started on the roads. How many people Need rediculius hp to go to the grocerie store anyway
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