Proposal to Abolish Illegal Street Racing in the Seattle Area
Proposal to Abolish Illegal Street Racing in the Seattle Area If you live in the Seattle area you are bound to hear about motorist accidents involving drivers in their teens and twenties. ... For many of these accidents involving young drivers, speeding is used as a replacement excuse for racing. Street racing is a growing concern in Seattle and its surrounding areas. These street racing is not only illegal but it is a, “dangerous and sometimes deadly sport” (ABC). ... As a nation, “In 2001…police listed street racing as a factor in 135 fatal [car] crashes” (NHRA (2)). These street races take place on public strips of roadway that surround businesses, homes, and industrial areas. ... Generally, the people involved are in their teens and twenties and are racing, not only for the thrill, but for money. ... After hearing the severity of the penalties of the illegal activity one might think that street racing would not be very popular, but it is. The chances of actually getting caught in a street racing group of 500 or more people is very slim, so the races continue. Obviously, Seattle police are too few in numbers to put a stop to the areas racing ordeal and no other solutions have been put into effect that would decrease illegal street racing. Without boosting the cities police force by an enormous amount of officers, there is no way to destroy street racing completely. Cities such as Los Angeles have put all of their police forces together for a one - night enforcement against street racing. They managed to, “[arrest] one suspect for possession of a weapon, six suspects for illegal street racing, issue 25 curfew violations to juveniles, and 77 traffic citations” (Lee). ... In the city of, “San Diego, the street racing problem has been termed ‘epidemic,’ [due to] 16 deaths and 31 injuries [that] were directly related to street racing in 2001. The city’s attorney’s office [also] prosecuted 147 illegal street racing cases in 1999, 161 in 2000, and 290 in 2001” (NHRA (2)). ... Both of these cities found an extremely smart solution to their racing problems. ... The city of Seattle opens a drag strip, let us say Seattle International Raceway (SIR), on Friday or Saturday nights.