Street-racing movies run neck-and-neck with reality

In the wake of more illegal street-racing accidents and fatalities in California and across the nation, do we really need Hollywood to unleash another movie that glamorizes this deadly activity? Consider that in the last few weeks three people have died from street racing in California alone.

Street racing also recently claimed lives in Michigan, Maryland, Arizona and Oregon. On June 6, “2 Fast 2 Furious,” the sequel to the mother of all street-racing movies -- “The Fast and the Furious” -- opens.

The Universal Pictures release has a PG-13 rating and is being touted as even louder, faster and more outrageous than the original film.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Greene has worked to shut down illegal racing in Carson. He knows all too well the grisly side of the activity. He also has seen how Hollywood can glamorize the subject.

“Kids think if you get a car and make it go fast, your life will be wonderful,” Greene said. In the movies, “nobody gets killed, they do crazy stuff and the [racers] have all these scantily dressed women who love them.”

After “The Fast and the Furious” came out in June 2001, the California Highway Patrol saw an increase in illegal street racing, said Officer Andy Calise, who heads the agency’s street-racing task force.

Calise doesn’t fault filmmakers for the street-racing accidents: “They are making entertainment. It’s the racers’ fault.” But he’s concerned that movies fail to show the reality of illegal racing. “They don’t show kids getting killed or being charged with murder for killing someone else ... they glorify racing.”

Although there are no comprehensive statistics kept by federal or state agencies on the number of fatalities related to street racing, some law enforcement and traffic safety groups fear the dangerous sport is on the upswing.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2001 street racing was listed by police as a factor in 135 fatal crashes, up from 72 in 2000, said Liz Neblett, a NHTSA spokeswoman.

There is, however, considerable debate within academic circles about whether a film or a TV show contributes to violent or dangerous behavior among young people.

“Simply watching a movie is not going to necessarily motivate them to go out and enact the behavior they have seen,” said professor Calvin Morrill, chairman of the sociology department at UC Irvine.

Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California, a nonprofit industry group that focuses on safety issues, blames auto manufacturers as well as Hollywood for marketing a fast-car culture to young drivers. “Street racing is a hot subject right now ... because it is trendy with teen drivers,” Miller said.

“Look at some of the new [car] models and who they are being marketed to. From souped-up showroom models of the Ford Focus and Toyota Matrix to aftermarket car parts divisions such as MazdaSpeed, the emphasis of these cars is on specs, style and speed,” Miller said.

Speeding appears be a problem for young drivers even if they are not street racing. Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for 16- to 19-year-olds in the U.S., representing 39% of all deaths for this age group, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Although speed is a factor in 29% of all fatal crashes, Miller said in California that teen drivers’ rate of speeding violations per mile is triple that of drivers 30-plus years of age in the state.

But it’s not just teens who have a lead foot. The Times reported earlier this month that the number of CHP citations for driving more than 100 mphhas tripled statewide over the last decade.

When Calise started the CHP’s task force in 2001, he was getting daily reports and civilian complaints about vehicles racing on the freeways in excess of 100 mph.

In a week’s time, as many as 300 vehicles and drivers from Pomona to Long Beach would be cited for violating laws against racing.

In California, the CHP in 2001 and 2002 issued 1,470 citations for street racing, which is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,500 fine.

In addition, the vehicle can be impounded, and there’s a $1,000 fee to retrieve it. The Department of Motor Vehicles also can suspend your driver’s license or impose restrictions on it.

Jeanne Wright responds in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Write to Your Wheels, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. E-mail: jeanrite@aol.com.