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Putting the brakes on illegal street racing - Channel 6 News Report

Here's the story:

Quote:

By Dann Cuellar

PHILADELPHIA - May 26, 2010 (WPVI) -- Car racing has been around for almost as long as there have been cars and it's not a bad thing.

It's an exciting sport, but the streets are no place for racing and police have tried all sorts of ways to stop it, but nothing has been as effective as what they're doing now in partnership with state police.

Thanks to the advent of YouTube, videos of illegal street racing in Philadelphia can be found all over the internet and they can be pretty elaborate.

Complete with flaggers and time keepers, some street races seen on YouTube were staged recently on the streets of Southwest Philadelphia, organized on social web sites and impressively memorialized for all to see by videographers like one man who Action News met with, who did not want to be identified.

"The adrenaline rush people get is just going fast. Going fast, you know, fast & furious," the videographer said.

Indeed, no movie has done more to boost the popularity of street racing than the 2001 movie, 'The Fast & the Furious.'

"Everybody wants to be a part of it, everybody wants to drive a fast car," the videographer said.

But police say illegal street racing can and has taken its toll on innocent people as well as street racers and spectators.

"That's a problem for us...over the years, it's a constant problem," Captain Kevin Hodges of the Philadelphia Police said.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, an average of 135 people die each year in the U.S. in street racing accidents. But police believe that number to be on the low side.

Police have tried placing so-called rumble strips on the roadways to discourage street racing, but, according to the videographer, "It doesn't do anything, it actually gives a better spot to warm up your tires."

But recently, police have been teaming up with state police employing a new and, apparently, effective tactic. With aerial surveillance provided by a police helicopter in the sky, police swoop down on street racers and their spectators blocking off all exits and corralling them with no escape.

"We can stop between 100 to 150 cars when we do one of these drag racing sweeps. and when we stop these vehicles, we're looking for everything, your driver license, properly insured, properly registered," Hodges said.

Racers can get tickets ranging from $100 to $300, and spectators have also been ticketed at $90 a pop. The price tag apparently is having an impact.

"Back a couple years ago, we used to have a good 150 cars-to 200 cars show up, [and now,] we'll probably have around 50 to 60 cars," the videographer said.

Police recognize that many youth, particularly males, seem to have an inherent need for speed and they encourage them to go to legal drag strips like the Atco Speedway where it's safe and supervised.

As we head into the summer, police are also gearing up to round up illegal street racers and their spectators.

(Copyright ©2010 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

They can try all they want, but sadly street racing is like a terrorist cell. If one place gets shut down they will find another. It will keep evolving around the city.

I just hope they don't start harrasing groups hanging out more-so than they do now and saying they are "organized racers".

guy really referenced F&F.

01 Teg is right, it's like a virus and it's not going away.

But noooooooooooo one on TST street races so we don't have to worry.

wait the races still exist?

$300 is a lot but isn't a lot.

If they want to end street racing then take the racer's car and decimate it.

I understand a few pulls here and there but organized races is whack I believe. What is sad is that a lot of people use big meets that started just as a chill meet but now is a big meet to find new people to race which attracts negative attention from the police.

All of that police footage was from years ago lol. The video of the cops blocking everyone in was taped bye 2 guys that escaped the blockade after a few hours with a group of cars without getting caught. How come they didnt show that? haha... They do one of these news reports about street racing right before the summer every year. They show all the dumb kids with ghetto rigged Honda's. Im not hatin Honda guys, just stating facts here. And of course every idiot they interview talks about The Fast and The Furious. They never show the guys with fast cars racing on these reports. Oh yeah thats because the guys with fast cars are smart enough to go to places where they dont cause a big scene so they dont get attention from the cops. These reporters are so dumb and clueless as to what really goes on in the streets of Philadelphia :screwy:. If those reporters actually saw some of the actual fast cars race, they would probably sh1t their pants haha... Also that car with the ghetto street glow kit behind the guy at the end of the video was Awesome. Lets you know about the quality of cars that go to Holstein to race :banned:

Well since I saw the other thread about this first I posted over there. So Im just pasting what I wrote in the other thread here

All of that police footage was from years ago lol. The video of the cops blocking everyone in was taped bye 2 guys that escaped the blockade after a few hours with a group of cars without getting caught. How come they didnt show that? haha... They do one of these news reports about street racing right before the summer every year. They show all the dumb kids with ghetto rigged Honda's. Im not hatin Honda guys, just stating facts here. And of course every idiot they interview talks about The Fast and The Furious. They never show the guys with fast cars racing on these reports. Oh yeah thats because the guys with fast cars are smart enough to go to places where they dont cause a big scene so they dont get attention from the cops. These reporters are so dumb and clueless as to what really goes on in the streets of Philadelphia :screwy:. If those reporters actually saw some of the actual fast cars race, they would probably sh1t their pants haha... Also that car with the ghetto street glow kit behind the guy at the end of the video was Awesome. Lets you know about the quality of cars that go to Holstein to race :banned:

As long as cars are around street racing will never stop. Philly has been one of the biggest street racing scenes on the east for years and it still is.

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Originally Posted by gotvtec? (Post 1739883)

As long as cars are around street racing will never stop. Philly has been one of the biggest street racing scenes on the east for years and it still is.

That probably has to do with Philly being the 2nd largest city in the east

3X as many murders as street racing deaths. Maybe they should set some priorities a little better. The city is broke yet they can afford to fly arround in a helocopter to write a few tickets here and there. Hell, 1/2 the people wil lget out of it when they pled not guity because the cops won't show. Not very effecient if you ask me.

I could care less about people who race on the street or on the track.

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Originally Posted by max2k1 (Post 1739876)

Absolute truth. Philadelphia is really an ass backwards city, i'm glad i dont live there anymore.

can someone explain how a rumblestrip is used to warm up your tires

Lol, to be honest, I have no idea. But yeah, as mentioned, as long as cars are around, street racing will not stop. The fine, is expensive, but to be honest, if I were to street race (which I don't, and neither of us TST peeps do either ;)), the fine would not stop me from doing it again, it would just make me think of different spots that don't attract much attention and do it again. So I think this is another fail attempt and spending tax payers money.

Cheaper to pay the fine the go to the track anyway since you have good odds of not being caught very often. LOL

Just sounds like a PR stunt... plug since Nutter wants to cut the police force for budget reasons I can't see how they will have the manpower to take on any additional projects.

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Originally Posted by max2k1 (Post 1739876)

words of truth good sir

i'm glad cops try to shut down that stupid crap down in "philly," but this helicopter swooping "in front" of cars nonsense is equally as retarded as the people racing in the streets. lucky for us, only the people that deserve to get caught go to the holstein races. none of us care about them anyway. lets just hope they don't start hassling our meet spots in this "great effort."

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Originally Posted by supraghost (Post 1739906)

can someone explain how a rumblestrip is used to warm up your tires

by "warm up your tires" he meant "snap your axles"

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Originally Posted by jpalamar (Post 1739897)

3X as many murders as street racing deaths. Maybe they should set some priorities a little better.

Quoted for the truth.

The problem is that it's a lot easier to stop a bunch of kids who probably won't be armed or get violent, than it is to stop someone and risk your life.

Though, in recent years it seems that the people who go to the races have gotten a bit more... "Forceful" shall we say. But, usually those people only come out when money's involved.