[headpunter]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

A lot of you are convinced that 16-year-olds know better. In a lot cases, 30-year-olds don't think they're posing a danger when racing because they feel so confident in their driving and their cars. I don't want to sound like I'm blaming society for any of these deaths because guilt is not transferable for any street racing deaths; however, tracks should be built for the same reason that we have speed limits and safety belt laws. The government, both federal (indirect involvement*) and state (direct laws and enforcement**), have become involved in the way Americans drive. I believe they should be less involved overall, but the precedent is there. Because there is a strong precedent for doing what promotes safety, even if such safety—seat belts—are against the preferences of many—not me, but I stand for the rights of others—drivers, the government has a responsibility to continue or reject that precedent. To continue it is to provide a safe place for racing. Even if the drivers aren't always safe due to bad launches and showing off, at least pedestrians and other drivers won't get killed as often. Obviously, I want this to happen in many communities, but I'll commute to a track if necessary.

Anyway, the point is that the government can either make American autobahns and teach Americans how to drive like Germans, or the government can continue to baby Americans with stupid-low speed limits and seat belt laws. If they want to continue the babying trend, it is imperative that they give Americans well-maintained tracks that keep street racers away from neighborhoods, highways, and even abandoned roads.

*indirect involvement—The US government offers states incentives to keep speed limits below a certain number, implement seat belt laws, and otherwise promote roadway safety. Most of these incentives come in the forms of grants-in-aid, increasing state budgets.
**direct laws and enforcement—States pass and enforce legislation. The federal government only provides incentives for states to act and does not have the jurisdiction to act on certain state affairs, including law local enforcement.

problem is that actually teaching the public how to drive at that level would add too much personal responsibility to our nanny state