[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

Hey, I've seen people die in person as a result of the negligence of others too. But our anecdotal experiences, as impactful as they may have been don't mean jack in a world of billions of people where the hardships and injustices we CAN'T imagine or aren't aware of vastly outweigh the ones we ARE aware of...We've got about a million other problems that cause collateral damage and death in vastly larger amounts than some dude street racing. Why not put our energy into caring about THOSE problems, like lack of sanitation, lack of access to medical care, petty wars and conflicts, lack of education (lack of DRIVING education / capability alone kills tens of thousands annually). Putting your energy into worrying about street racing doesn't make a lot of sense when all you can do is not street race yourself, which probably won't matter because statistically speaking you're probably about as likely to win the jackpot in vegas as you are to accidentally kill someone with your car while racing on the street.

Don't get me wrong, it would be IDEAL if nobody got hurt street racing but there are so many bigger problems and unneeded death and suffering is such a widespread and unresolved issue that it's really hard to see some very rare collateral damage as an issue when the upside is millions of people indulging their passion, opening doors to possible future constructive activities like car related careers or projects, and having a good time.

Gotcha. Awfully big-picture counter-argument there ... and I'm not going to disagree with any of that (and I wholeheartedly agree with the driver-training comment), except to say this:

My energy doesn't all go toward eliminating street racing. It's simply an act that unnecessarily puts people at risk who do not wish to assume that risk. Racing in a controlled environment doesn't do that. This is fundamentally a (very simple) question of individual rights -- and in most countries including (and, some would say, especially) the U.S., one does not have the right to put others at unnecessary risk. When this non-right results in a death is the entire basis for involuntary manslaughter, which is a high-level felony in most Western countries.

I really shouldn't have to say any more than that.