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Old rice vs the New rice.

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:41 pm
by dshPls
So I was cruising along driving like a sane human, when this early 90's riced out Accord goes flying past me. He has the classic black spoiler on a green car, the fart cannon and the system blaring some crappy rap ridiculously loud.

Being another honda owner I was disrespected... We both ended up first at the same light, he's turning up his system and revving, I just sit there chilling... I've never raced before (new car, new to stick) but I wanna go with this fool. I figured I have 3k mileage now, why not push the engine a bit.

The light turns, he floors it, I go for the ninja start and floor it too, and speed past him. His farter sounded all asthmatic too! I go to about 6500 rpm's then shift to 2nd, and even gain more of a lead. I get to my turn, and it's a redlight...I make my right and he floors it and follows me! This dude wanted to kill me for winning the race, so I end up circling my block and he rolls out like a beaten puppy.

Seriously, my car isn't fast. It's zippy, it gets good gas mileage and is a blast to ride around in. I figure street racing is frowned upon, but I needed to indulge once!

Re: Old rice vs the New rice.

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:16 pm
by Prodigal Son
dshPls wrote: I wanna go with this fool.
Takes one to know one.


I figured I have 3k mileage now, why not push the engine a bit.
dshPls wrote: I figure street racing is frowned upon, but I needed to indulge once!
It's more than frowned on. It's illegal and it kills hundreds of people every year -- innocent bystanders as well as racers. You've had your one act of idiocy. Please don't do it again. And don't boast about it. That just encourages other idiots.

Re: Old rice vs the New rice.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:49 pm
by dshPls
Prodigal Son wrote:
dshPls wrote: I wanna go with this fool.
Takes one to know one.


I figured I have 3k mileage now, why not push the engine a bit.
dshPls wrote: I figure street racing is frowned upon, but I needed to indulge once!
It's more than frowned on. It's illegal and it kills hundreds of people every year -- innocent bystanders as well as racers. You've had your one act of idiocy. Please don't do it again. And don't boast about it. That just encourages other idiots.
Why does SS even have a Race section if this is the outlook? You might as well post this same comment on the 20+ other threads.

I honestly don't think I've ever heard of anyone dying as they raced to 45-50mph, either.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:35 pm
by potownrob
I know the feeling, dshPls, except I was the one who lost against the Si :oops: :cry:
The early to mid-90's Accords aren't as fast as they feel. They feel quick from behind the wheel with decent low-end grunt and nice midrange, but the numbers are very bad, nothing fart cans or even 10 foot wings can help :? :evil:

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:37 pm
by NjSi
to the direct above ...i have, and i have heard of people dieing from 30 mph crashes, a kid who was driving through my town decided to floor it across an intersection, he was too busy looking at his passenger and he struck someone walking across the street, which resulted in a very fatal accident. Just another point of info, if you do injure someone its assault with a deadly weapon....Why do you think they give cars that title...?

Re: Old rice vs the New rice.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:24 pm
by Prodigal Son
dshPls wrote:Why does SS even have a Race section if this is the outlook? You might as well post this same comment on the 20+ other threads.
There are legal and (relatively) safe places to race. That's a good enough reason to have a race section.

I probably have posted this same comment to 20+ threads, and I'll probably reach 100+ if I stick around here long enough. Street racing, at any speed, is reckless disregard for human life -- no ifs, and, or buts about it. It is never ever justifiable under any circumstances.

Re: Old rice vs the New rice.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:32 pm
by buster
Prodigal Son wrote:Street racing, at any speed, is reckless disregard for human life -- no ifs, and, or buts about it. It is never ever justifiable under any circumstances.
Question - what defines street racing?

Let's say you're at a light and the speed limit is 60 mph. The light turns green and you and the guy next to you accelerate to 60mph as quickly as your cars can, in a straight line, then level off at 60mph and continue from there. Is this street racing?

Now the same situation, but you are alone on the road. You accelerate to 60mph as quickly as your car can, then level off at 60mph. Is this street racing?

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:42 pm
by Prodigal Son
I would say yes in both cases.

This seems to be another case of assuming that the speed limit is the only traffic law in existence. It's not. Nor is it the only principle of safe driving.

A driver is obliged to devote their full attention to driving safely under the prevailing conditions. Anything which diverts that attention is dangerous. Anything which creates a competing goal for the driver is dangerous. Racing another car or time trailing your own car both divert your attention from safe driving and create a goal that is something other than safe driving.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:38 pm
by buster
Prodigal Son wrote:I would say yes in both cases.

This seems to be another case of assuming that the speed limit is the only traffic law in existence. It's not. Nor is it the only principle of safe driving.

A driver is obliged to devote their full attention to driving safely under the prevailing conditions. Anything which diverts that attention is dangerous. Anything which creates a competing goal for the driver is dangerous. Racing another car or time trailing your own car both divert your attention from safe driving and create a goal that is something other than safe driving.
In a sense I agree with what you are saying. However, I also feel that if this was the case, then it would be irresponsible for the driver to ever:

1) Look for a street address
2) Read a traffic/road sign
3) Listen to the radio in the car
4) Hold a conversation with a passenger
5) Look at the landscape that is not directly in front of the car
6) etc...

Not trying to be an a wiseass or anything by pointing out the above, but I would dare say that I'm driving more safely if I accelerate WOT to 60 mph (where legal) than doing any of the above at any speed.

Now, another question, and I realize I'm jacking the thread a bit... :oops:
If I have a car that is insanely fast...say I can do 0-60 in 4 seconds flat, and I take off at a light and hit 60mph in 4 seconds (speed limit is say, 65mph), can I be ticketed for aggressive driving, reckless driving, etc...?

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:20 pm
by Prodigal Son
buster wrote: 1) Look for a street address
2) Read a traffic/road sign
3) Listen to the radio in the car
4) Hold a conversation with a passenger
5) Look at the landscape that is not directly in front of the car
1. I've certainly seen lots of people looking for a street address in a way that compromised the safety of their driving. It can be quite dangerous. In general I think that people need to become much more willing to go round again rather than make sudden maneuvers to get to an address of an intersection they saw too late. But at least finding your destination is a necessary part of the journey. You just need to go about it in a safe manner.

2. Reading road and traffic signs is part of driving safely. They contain information you need to drive safely. Even so, you have to do it in a safe manner.

3. The radio does not necessarily compete for your attention, but it can. It can also drown out outside sounds that are necessary to your safety. I always switch off the radio when I am trying to navigate unfamiliar streets.

4. I have a friend who cannot talk to someone without looking at them. She should never hold a conversation with a passenger. As a driver you have to be responsible for your conversations and tell people when they need to be quiet and let you focus on driving.

5. Agreed. Scenic drives can be very frustrating for a driver. You only get to see 25% of the scenery.

6... I can't believe you didn't mention cell phones.

As to you last question. I don't know whether the cops would arrest you for it, but I don't think it is ever safe to accelerate at that speed on a public street. Clearly a vehicle is less controllable under hard acceleration, and that is a safety issue in itself. Not to mention that you may not be paying proper attention to what is going on around you, and that people will not be expecting you to accelerate that fast. Behaving predictably is an important part of driving safely. People make decisions based on what they expect you to do and if you do something different, that could lead to an accident.

No form of transportation is perfectly safe, and the use of any means of transport involves a compromise between the goal of safety and the goal of reaching your destination in a reasonable time. Racing is outside of that compromise, both for you and for other road users. It is not a goal for which other road users accept a risk as a consequence of their need to travel. People on a race track accept some compromise to their safety in exchange for the thrill of racing. That is why the track is the only place that racing belongs.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:39 pm
by buster
Thanks for the comprehensive and meaningful response, PS. I agree with the majority of what you explained and was trying to sort out for myself if there was a difference in "street racing" and "spirited driving", and if so, what differentiates the two when they often share many of the same driving actions.

And agreed, to be the safest driver possible, those sorts of activities should be kept off the public roads. But it human nature to seek out a certain amount of risk.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:52 pm
by hockeystyx16
look at all of you arguing about what other person didnt mention. lol.

we aint your moms, we aint gonna ground you and take your keys for street racing. we dont care. go ahead, turn yourself into a greasy spot on a counry road.

there are so many ways of looking at traffic laws, and even more ways of getting around them, its really pointless to argue specific laws. understanding traffic laws is more common sense than anything. doing something stupid because the book doesnt say anything about it being illegal, thats stupid. kinda like, in some coutries, on highways or in the middle of nowhere, they have stretches of road with no speed limit. (in ukraine, its a gray circle with 3 parralel gray lines thru it) so theres no speed limit, but is it smart to bouce off the rev limiter in 5th? your not breaking any laws by going as fast as your gearing lets you, but it is smart? thats the real question

if the person lacks common sense to not do stupid sh1t, they shouldnt be driving.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:56 pm
by dshPls
To be honest, the only reason I don't drive like an ass all the time is because I cherish my car. That's why ricers push redline every time they pull up to Mcdonalds ect.

Saying I'm endangering people doesn't deter me. Maybe I'm young, but when it's 10pm and it's me and another car, straight road and no people walking around it's pretty damn safe. Maybe not legal, but we didn't even break the speed limit.

You can have a good time having your eyes glued straight ahead going 5mph under the speed limit in absolute silence, but I love my car, and I accept the risks and responsibilities of driving.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:05 pm
by Prodigal Son
dshPls wrote:To be honest, the only reason I don't drive like an ass all the time is because I cherish my car. ... Saying I'm endangering people doesn't deter me.
So you value your car but you do not value the lives of other human beings. I believe the clinical word for that is "psychopath".

Re: Old rice vs the New rice.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:29 pm
by potownrob
buster wrote: Let's say you're at a light and the speed limit is 60 mph. The light turns green and you and the guy next to you accelerate to 60mph as quickly as your cars can, in a straight line, then level off at 60mph and continue from there. Is this street racing?
You're still racing then, aren't you? You could easily be pulled over for "display of speed," even if you weren't running close to WOT.
Now the same situation, but you are alone on the road. You accelerate to 60mph as quickly as your car can, then level off at 60mph. Is this street racing?
You're racing your engine, aren't you? :wink: Still could get ticketed for display of speed and they might very well look for other things to ticket you for :D