Street racing remains an underreported crime. Street racing-related crashes often get attributed to other causes. This is especially true in Houston, TX, where police remain hesitant to openly crack down on street racing after their high profile ERACER operation in 2002 became a public relations debacle. Some agencies, like the HPD, don’t even track street racing statistics.
Even with the paucity of available statistics, the NHTSA has found that more than 800 people were killed by illegal street racing in the first half of the last decade. California had the largest number of those fatalities (188). Texas came in second with 128 deaths. But fatalities from street racing accidents jumped by more than 33% in the second half of the decade. The current decade has just gotten underway, and it looks like unless things change dramatically, this decade’s statistics will beat last decade’s by a substantial margin.
Illegal street racing in Houston, TX might be an organized event where fans receive notifications on their cell phones, gather quickly to watch a race, and then disperse before police can arrive.
Street races serve as the basis for wagers that might rise into the thousands of dollars.
Street races might start spontaneous from trash talk between drivers, or when one driver of a modified vehicle spots another specially modified vehicle nearby.
Illegal street racing in Houston, TX usually happens at night. The big nights for illegal street racing in Houston, TX are Friday and Saturday. The drivers are usually:
* Young,
* Male,
* With previous driving violations, and
* With a thirst for the thrills of speed.
Houston, TX has become known throughout the nation as essentially the capital of illegal street racing. Houston law enforcement estimates that hundreds, even thousands, of people bring their cars from distant states just to compete in illegal street races here.
A CNN report quotes a law enforcement official who said that street racing has reached “ridiculous” proportions in the United States. I think most Houstonians would agree with that assessment. Our daily news reports regularly feature devastating traffic accidents caused by illegal street racing in Houston, TX.
If you have lost a loved one to the dangers of street racing, or if you have suffered personal injuries because of a street race, call us for a free initial legal consultation. We’re Board Certified, Houston, TX car crash lawyers with more than a dozen years devoted to helping injured victims successfully recover financial compensation for their injuries. We could help you too.