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This Is Why Street Racing Should Be Illegal

14K views 86 replies 35 participants last post by  ILuvMyZX3 
#1 · (Edited)
Couple dead after alleged street racing incident
CTV.ca News Staff

A Toronto Ontario husband and wife on their way home from celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary are the innocent victims of a street race between two young men, police say.

Two red Hondas a Civic and Del Sol, were travelling north in Richmond Hill Ontario at about 9:50 p.m. Saturday May 27th, when the Civic struck the couple's southbound Hyundai Elantra.

Robbie Manchester, 47, and his wife Lisa, 43, were pronounced dead at the scene, just 3 blocks from their home.

The couple leave behind a seven-year-old daughter, who was being watched by a family friend at the time of the accident.

"She's going to be totally devastated," said Pierre Frenette, whose daughter was babysitting the young girl.

"She is one of those kids that is devastated about a cat she lost five years ago."

Marco Gasparro, 19, of Richmond Hill driving the Del Sol, is charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death.

The 21-year-old driver of the Civic is in critical condition in Sunnybrook Hospital. Charges are pending against him.

Police say the two racing vehicles were travelling 150 km/h ( 95 MPH ) in the 80 km/h ( 40 MPH ) zone.

Earlier this year, Toronto cab driver Tahir Khan was killed after two teens were allegedly street racing along Mount Pleasant Avenue in Toronto, reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h ( 90 MPH ) in the 50 km/h ( 35 MPH ) zone.

Khan was just 2 days away from becoming a Canadian citizen after leaving his wife and home in Pakistan six years ago to build a new life in Toronto Ontario.

Tougher laws proposed

The weekend tragedy comes just days after Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in Victoria, B.C. plans to introduce legislation to crack down on street racing.

On Thursday, Harper said he would make street racing a specific Criminal Code offence, with stiffer sentences for those convicted.

The prime minister said the legislation, which would be introduced this spring, would also include driving prohibitions.

Street racers currently convicted of dangerous driving face a maximum sentence of five years. If someone is injured the maximum is 10 years, and 14 years if sometime is killed.

Still, the promise for tougher laws doesn't bring comfort to friends of the Manchesters.

"These kids I'm sure listen to the news, they knew the law was coming in. It didn't stop them from having what they call fun," said Anita Kampen.

"But it's not fun. They have to redefine the term fun."

With a report from CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney


Full storie is here with Video:
http://www.toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20060528/crash_fatal_060528/20060528/?hub=TorontoHome

and here:
http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20060528-008/page.asp
 
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#78 ·
Carrera26 said:
^^Actually, the more I learned about racing, the better driver I became
well, of course, but that's not my point.

Carrera26 said:
AND makes you realize just how lame street racing is compared to the real thing.
that's exaclty my point. not everyone will take it that way. many, specially the younger and less responsible ones, will have the exact opposite (sp) attitude.

I trully appreciate your replies dude, since do you have a background in "the real thing" and you DON'T support street racing.
 
#79 ·
Carrera26 said:
I think what could curb street racing more than anything is real driver training. IE make it as hard to get a liscence here as it is in Germany or much of Europe. In Germany you have to have hours and hours of REAL driver training that includes high-speed Autobahn and emergency manouvers experience. Only after you have paid enough to prove that you want to gain and retain the priviledge (about $3K), and know enough to safely pilot a 3000lb guided missile in close proximity to other drivers do they allow you to have a liscence.

The result? Not only are there 25% of the accidents on the Autobahn as compared to our highways but there is much less of a street racing problem. Of course, the close proximity of tracks and events for speed demons (like the good ole Nurburgring) does a lot for that as well, but I think knowledge and respect for what a car will do near the limit would make a lot of people realize how dangerous it is. Not only that, but it's much easier to lose that hard-earned liscence. In Sweden, for instance, 1 DUI = no liscence for the rest of your life. Sounds right to me!
although i think that this would be a really good idea the u.s. does not have the public transport infrastructureto support the number of people that would not br driving. another thing that you have to remember is that the u.s. is much loarger than any single country in europe. for example, i can travel 900 miles and still be in the state of texas, in europe i would be through multiple countries driving that far. i am completely for a FAR stricter licensing system.

another thing that we you (not you specifically) are forgetting are people that are simply not intelligent or of sound mind and body that shouldnt be on the road. i cant even begin to count the number of times that i have nearly been in an accident because they are older than time itself and have NO business in a car.
 
#81 ·
Carrera26 said:
Yes, it is.

More drags than not are lost because the person can't control the car at launch, and I have seen more than one person peel out only to fishtail and spear off in an unintended direction. Like;

Your direction
Other Traffic
The Sidewalk
The Ditch

None of these are fun places to be.
i knoew what you mean about losing it when launching. I don't really "launch", as in spin the tires, fishtail, and hurtle down the street. We just got going, and gunned it after we cleared the intersection.

And secondly, is it bad to show off the car a bit, for bystanders. Like, I was backing out of my friend's driveway, and a bunch of schoolkids were walking by, like 1-3rd graders, and they were all saying how cool the car was and telling me to do a donut, so I gunned it and peeled out a little bit. (this was in the porsche). Didn't even leave rubber, just some smoke and noise. and the kids were happy.

don't flame me, just wanted to know if its a really bad thing to do, so i wont be temepted to do it anymore.
 
#83 · (Edited)
cop drove right by and gave me a thumbs up, i dunno wether it was cuz of the car, or the fact that i had made the kids happy.

the cops around here are suprisingly lenient when it coms to car stuff.

in fact, i was sitting at a light in the Porsche the other day, and a city cop comes up and REVS me. A COP challengine a TEENAGER in a Porsche to a race??????? wtf people.

lol, I should have raced him.
 
#84 ·
S2 said:
Another death in Toronto this past weekend. There's a news post on FocusCanada, amazing...... just days after this accident.
Just days after a husband and wife who were killed by an alleged street racer were laid to rest, police claim the dangerous and illegal activity has resulted in another death.

A two-car collision authorities allege was caused by street racing closed the intersection of Mavis and Eglinton for several hours early Sunday morning.

Police say a Porsche and a Mercedes were travelling northbound on Mavis when the Porsche crossed the centre line and slammed into a southbound vehicle.

The 31-year-old driver of the Porsche was killed and the driver and the passenger in the other vehicle were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Authorities later arrested a 39-year-old man who’s accused of driving the Mercedes and he’s now facing charges of dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm.
 
#85 ·
LastRites said:
You're a hypocrite. Even that is still street racing, it's still illegal, and yeah it increases the risk to others for your pleasure when earlier you posted this:





So by your account then street racing would be what, running 90 MPH across an entire city? The two places that I have lived at most recently the cops can and do give out tickets for either street racing (they call it something else) or exhibition of speed without the vehicles breaking the speed limit.

There is no way you can justify that "this" level of racing is ok. You either do it or you don't. I am not an advocate of running streets but I'm honest in admitting that I sometimes do. That may be something as seemingly simplistic as a short run up to the posted limit but it's still street racing. You have multiplied the risk to others with rapid acceleration, focusing your attention on your "run" and by challenging another motorist not knowing how desperate they may be to win. I just can't comprehend that there are acceptable and nonacceptable levels of street racing.

I know, broken record: take it to a track....there are reasons why people don't save it all for a track. Tracks, auto-x, & road courses are amazing. I did alot of that stuff in the past as well and hopefully can get back into it.
lol do you know how fast 0-50 must be in a porsche or mustang gt....that race would be over so fast.
 
#86 ·
No, you would have got owned by the cop. Me and my buddy were cruisin through portsmouth one day on the way home from class. It was late, and the streets were empty. A cop (highway patrol) pulls up beside us at a stop light. Bill, my friend, revs at the cop. The cop looks, revs, and then turns on his lights and runs the red light. This is why you would loose. He gets lengths everytims, LOL.
 
#87 ·
babyface said:
in fact, i was sitting at a light in the Porsche the other day, and a city cop comes up and REVS me. A COP challengine a TEENAGER in a Porsche to a race??????? wtf people.

lol, I should have raced him.
maybe he was a few tickets short on his quota, so he was just teasing you to race him so he could write you a good one.
or...
maybe he wasn't revving at you on purpose, maybe he just bought new shoes, and he can't feel the pedals under his foot. I know it happenned to me the other day. I was comming to a stop at a redlight with my new shoes, and as I hit the break, I hit the gas at the same time, and the guy in the mercedes next to me was like wtf??? LOL
 
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