Racing other motorists and the possible consequences

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 07:49

How often do people here race other drivers on the road? I've been thinking about my driving recently and I'm wondering how typical I am, and also how potentially dangerous my driving could be. I am aware that 'racing' on the road is a specific road traffic offence.

I can be in a very serene mood, driving within the speed limits etc. but every time I am in the front at traffic lights, and there is someone alongside me I cannot resist speeding off and racing them. I raced someone away from the lights the other day who was obviously racing as well. He had a Clio 24v and he beat me, but not by much and as a result I was doing 60 and he must have been doing at least 70 (on a 40 road) and he took a right hand bend at that speed, which especially considering the road was damp was not a wise thing to do. He braked mid-corner and came very close to clipping the kerb.

I just wondered afterwards, what would have happened had he hit it, flipped his car and been injured or killed - pretty serious consequences for a seemingly innocuous traffic light race. How much trouble could I have been in with the police - possible death by dangerous driving charges and a jail sentence? :eek:

Even though the accident would have been purely the other driver's choice to race me and take the corner at 70, and I was a hundred yards behind him at that point because I had eased off once he got past.

It just made me think of all the times I've raced people - if I or they had an accident which resulted in injury or death to either the other driver or other person, I guess I'd be in a whole world of trouble. But I can't seem to resist doing it and I also wonder what the point in having a fast car is if you don't ever drive it fast.

Thoughts?

Stonedofmoo · 13 Oct 2006 at 07:59

Best hand in your license now and make the world a safer place

Firestar_3x · 13 Oct 2006 at 08:07

dirtydog said:
Thoughts?

Posting you race on public roads & about doing 60+ in a 40 limit is a nice idea

I never race on the public roads, save it for the track

Conscript · 13 Oct 2006 at 08:08

I generally find people who race away from lights to be pillocks.

Case in point: A few weeks ago, i was on the way to pick up some friends. Im driving a Toyota Yaris, 3 of us in it. That's a 1.0 litre Toyota Yaris. If there's a car on Earth that looks less like you'd want to race in it, I'd like to see it.

As we approach some traffic lights on a short dual carriageway near my friends house, some knobber in a souped up Civic Type-R sits right behind me. This in itself irks me. As we pull up in the middle lane at the lights to go straight on, there is one car ahead of me. He pulls up on the left, front of the queue, his window right down, and I see the usual "look at me Ive got one hand on the wheel and Im scowling I must be hard" idiot driver. No one else around.

As the lights go green, the car ahead of me pulls away normally, as do I. Mr Civic actually pulls away slowly to try and race me. He waited for me to draw level then began gunning it. Not being a complete pillock, and having no interest in racing, I slow down. He keeps looking back at me, scowling again, so we all smile pleasantly and give him a wave. Clearly not caring that he's driving an extension of his penis, I wind him up by just pulling in behind him. Does he actually think I was going to try and take his Civic in a Yaris?

Obviously seething at not being able to show how powerful his car was by racing a vehicle with an engine half the size, he goes speeding off down the next stretch of carriageway.

Jokes on him at the next set of lights though. He pulls up at a red, meaning to go straight on. I sail past, taking the left-hand feeder lane, making sure that we slow down at the corner long enough for us all to give him another wave as we carry on to our destination unhindered. Ho hum

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 08:11

Firestar_3x said:
Posting you race on public roads & about doing 60+ in a 40 limit is a nice idea

I never race on the public roads, save it for the track

It is a dual carriageway and straight, so although it is speeding it isn't dangerous to do 60 - the limit used to be 50 before they lowered it to 40 some years back and put speed cameras up (but not on that particular bit). It then goes into a single lane further up, which is where this bloke nearly stacked it.

DynaMight · 13 Oct 2006 at 08:12

Some people try but it's never really a race.... in the same way in the same way it's never really a race beating a blind man in a wheel chair down a flight of stairs

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 08:16

Conscript said:
I generally find people who race away from lights to be pillocks.

Case in point: A few weeks ago, i was on the way to pick up some friends. Im driving a Toyota Yaris, 3 of us in it. That's a 1.0 litre Toyota Yaris. If there's a car on Earth that looks less like you'd want to race in it, I'd like to see it.

As we approach some traffic lights on a short dual carriageway near my friends house, some knobber in a souped up Civic Type-R sits right behind me. This in itself irks me.

I don't behave like the Civic driver, but I would race another car whatever it was, if it tried to race me. I have been in the left hand lane and a Corsa 1.2 or something screeches off even though I've pulled off at a normal pace. When that happens I will race them. Can't have someone in a slow car thinking theirs is quicker than mine - yes I realise that is probably childish but what can you do

(grow up probably

)

merlin · 13 Oct 2006 at 08:36

If the time is right, the conditions are right and the opponent is right - I'll more often than not oblige. The problem though is that there is a fine line very easy to cross when giving someone a push, skill can run out, you can lose your head and just take it one step too far, another motorist can get caught up. It is dancing with the devil.

A few guys here know the full story but I did once get sucked into a race with a lad and he did lose control and crash. Looong ole story that one but I actually just drove off an left him in some trees which I'm quite ashamed about now. 6 months later we met again and after a rather heated exchange funnily enough we became friends and to top that off - earlier this year I found out he is actually a cousin! You couldnt make it up. :eek:

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:17

Wow that's an interesting story merlin - exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about

Sounds like you were very lucky it ended as well as it did, considering!

Lowe · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:18

Only in Redditch Merlin...

But to be honest you did the best thing mate if you ask me. By all means stop to check the bloke's OK and call the cops, but I would NOT hang about. You'll find out why in a sec...

Yes, I'm guilty of giving it the boot now and then if the conditions are right. However, what happened to a chap off our owners club really opened my eyes to the possible consequences. He'd been to a local cruise one evening and had been driving around with a number of other modded cars. At the end of the evening he drove home along a stretch of dual carridgeway which is known to be a bit dodgy. Another car from the cruise gave it a portion trying to race him, he didn't bite and they shot off - only to stack it big style. The lad stopped, saved one kids life by giving CPR but others didn't make it.

He was charged for racing/dangerous driving because the Police had CCTV footage of him previously in the evening 'racing' the other car driving around at the cruise. He's now serving a stretch for 4 years.

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:21

Sobering stuff.

Tesla · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:22

If someone pulls up next to me, looks over and spots me in a Mondeo they usually think wtf and start giving it some revs. If I can beat them safely then I will otherwise I won't bother trying.

Tje other day a kid in a Fabia (not vrs, some ambiente thing) pulled up next to me revving etc... What a dummy!

Dreadi · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:24

a guy i work with has an astra GSI and loves it, fastest of all the boy racers round here pretty much (and theres a fair few as its a small village) and races everything, has told some hairy tales but cant seem to help himself wanting to make it known that he has a fast car

Phil W · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:29

There's a guy in Stoke on Trent, if you search you will probably find it.

He was racing a Fiesta in his 200SX, the fiesta crashed and the driver died, passengers injured.

He was sent to prison for 6 years, iirc death by dangerous driving even though he wasn't driving the vehicle in which the other person died.

There have been various appeals and the car enthusiats all around the area have signed petitions etc, but they haven't made an impact.

merlin · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:30

Lowe said:
Only in Redditch Merlin... But to be honest you did the best thing mate if you ask me. By all means stop to check the bloke's OK and call the cops, but I would NOT hang about.

Guilty

I did stop and check he was ok, once I saw the drivers door open that was enough for me and I was outa there quick sharp. Reason why he crashed was because started to get frustrated, didn't follow my lines, made a mistake and went for an offroad excursion, no contact made at all.

:eek:

& your story. Harsh, very harsh, but that's the risk you take.

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:35

Phil W said:
There's a guy in Stoke on Trent, if you search you will probably find it.

Yeah it is easy to find on google, I just had a look.

I personally think the law as it stands is very unfair regarding this subject. If you as a grown adult choose to race then if you crash, it should be your fault alone and not the fault of the other driver (unless the other driver had a direct responsibility like ramming you off the road or whatever). In the above case, the Fiesta driver alone should be deemed responsible in my opinion.

Phil W · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:38

I raced my first car, we both went too fast round a corner, and both ended up in a hedge, i've got the pictures at home as to how both cars looked.

We were both very lucky, and after the adrenaline had died down, wondered what would have happened if one of us was killed.

After that i NEVER push things, if i have a "play" its only ever on a straight road and only if its safe.

merlin · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:38

Thing is, it's an offence to race on the public highway.

So, accident or not - you're in deep trouble if you get caught. Although admitedly it will take a serious accident or ultra high speed to bring prison into the equation.

dirtydog · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:42

Is racing another car off the lights a criminal offence? The implication of that would be that it is illegal to accelerate at full throttle when another car is around?

Stonedofmoo · 13 Oct 2006 at 09:46

Bit of a grey area. I used to take great delight in the Pulsar in blasting to 40mph in about 3 seconds flat when near police at the lights and then proceeding along at the speed limit of 40mph

No one ever stopped me because really I'd not broken any law