Racing under safe conditions
Published Sat, Feb 16 2008 2:26 PM
Technorati Tags: Drag Racing, Annoyances, News
Some of you know that I love drag racing. That is, I love drag racing under controlled conditions at a well prepared race track. Racing is, after all, a hazardous sport.
When I go to the track, my car has to be inspected before I can compete. Usually the inspection is cursory, since it's only a somewhat modified street car, but there are certain minimum requirements that it has to meet. I have to have a five-point harness certified within the last 48 months. Shoulder and lap belts aren't enough. I have to have a roll-bar. I have to have good tires, and no fluid leaks. I have to wear a helmet.
Spectators aren't allowed on the track. I have to sign a liability waiver, acknowledging that racing is a deadly sport, and that I'm risking my life. Anyone on the track surface has to sign the same waiver. People can be, and have been, killed at a race.
I've seen professional racers crash before. Oftentimes it's horrifying to watch. Nearly always though, thanks to the strict safety requirements imposed by the sanctioning bodies, the driver walks away with only minor injuries, if any. Sometimes though, drivers are severely injured, and sometimes they're killed.
I've never been unfortunate enough to witness a fatal crash at a drag racing event, although I've watched some terrifying accidents. I have been at a race where a driver died, but I didn't see the accident, and the driver actually had a heart attack that killed him prior to the crash.
I've also watched some horrific accidents on televised racing coverage. What's truly frightening is that occasionally car parts are thrown far from the track, sometimes into the grandstands. It's because of this possibility that even spectators are warned that racing is dangerous and that they are taking their lives into their own hands when they attend a race. Read the sign below… I photographed it at a dirt track in Wisconsin.
That's why it is when I read news articles like this one that I have to shake my head at the general stupidity of some people…
ACCOKEEK, Md. (AP) -- A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch a drag race on a suburban road early Saturday, killing eight people and injuring at least five, police said.
Police said the white sedan was not involved in the street race but accidentally drove into the crowd of about 50 people that had spilled onto the highway to watch two racing cars speed off.
''There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible,'' said Crystal Gaines, 27, whose father was among the dead.
…
''It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen,'' Copeland said. ''This is a situation that could have been avoided, and it's a very tragic situation.''
The victims ranged in age from their 20s to 60s, police said. Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, and an eighth died later at a hospital.
…
According to police, two cars had lined up for a race on the smooth and relatively flat and straight stretch of highway. They spun their wheels, kicking up smoke, then sped off, Copeland said.
The crowd then moved into the road to watch the cars drive away. The combination of the smoke and the dark morning likely meant the driver of the approaching white sedan could not see the crowd. No charges were pending.
Authorities were looking for the drivers of the two cars involved in the race.
Authorities were working to identify the victims by showing digital photos of them to bystanders who said loved ones had been hurt. John Courtney said after viewing one of the images that his brother, Mark, 33, was among the dead.
''He liked going to the race track, watching races,'' Courtney said. ''It's going to take a toll on my family for a long time.''
The eight deaths are really sad. The thing is, this all could have been avoided. Mark Courtney liked going to the track to watch races. It's truly a shame that he had to attend an illegal road race and die.
Racing belongs at the race track, not on our public highways. I hope they find the two drivers and charge them both with homicide. They don't belong on the roads.
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