Story Missed the Track on Street, Drag Racing

When the local media reported the recent multiple-fatality crash on the San Diego Freeway, reports said the individuals who caused the accident were drag racing. These individuals were not drag racing. They were accused of street racing.

Drag racing is a safe, competitive, sharing, supervised, legitimate, responsible and exciting form of auto racing, supported heavily by corporate America. Safety is the first priority. Safety rules are many, and every participant and race car is inspected every time at every race by a trained and experienced group of individuals to ensure that all the rules have been complied with.

Street racing, on the other hand, is not safe by any stretch of the imagination, not acknowledged as a sport, profession or business, not legitimate, supervised or responsible. There are no inspections because there are no rules. There is no honest prize money, few spectators and fewer participants. Its costs (unfortunately) are paid by everyone that drives or owns an automobile, whether fans or not. Street racing produces a very negative revenue, and, in far too many instances, results in more pain than pleasure-- no positive attributes whatsoever.

In this age of political correctness, please acknowledge that drag racing and street racing are not the same thing! They are as far apart as possible from each other.

ROBERT KERR

Northridge