Thursday, December 2, 2010

Drag racing deaths rampant

From the NY Post:

One man was killed and another injured this morning after a high-speed crash on a notorious stretch of road in Queens known for drag-racing.

A 2003 black Nissan Maxima was traveling westbound on North Conduit Avenue near 78th Street in Ozone Park about 10 a.m. when the driver lost control of the vehicle near a bend in the road, slammed into a light pole and toppling it, causing the car to overturn and rest on its roof, witnesses said.

The driver, Geraud Gray, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene. His 18-year-old passenger was taken to Brookdale hospital where he was listed in stable condition, police said.

A police source estimated that the car was traveling in excess of 90 mph.

Neighbors said racing on the three-lane strip, on the border between Brooklyn and Queens, is nothing new.


Fatal drag racing incidents this week in Brooklyn and on Long Island as well.

17 comments:

Gary the Agnostic said...

Anyone want to make a comment justifying drag racing again?

Anonymous said...

1. It's fucking fun.
2. Cash money to be made.
3. Social Darwinism.

Anonymous said...

4. It's in our black culture.

GL said...

5. It's a panty peeler.

Which I'm sure this guy was after. Nothing is hotter than driving over 90mph, crashing into a pole and bleeding on your date. HAWT.

On the plus side at least he didn't kill someone not involved in the race.

Anonymous said...

And nothing of value was lost.

Gary the Agnostic said...

Anon No. 3:

All the drag racers are black? Really???

Anon No. 2:

Yeah. That justifies everything.

Anonymous said...

More car nonsense.

Anonymous said...

Why not just build a drag racing strip where these idiots can race each other? At least innocent people won't get hurt.

Anonymous said...

ahhh, "Connecting Highways"..
not exactly "Vandalia Ave a.k.a Fountain Ave", yet still a challenge at 125 mph..

KG2V said...

probably the BIG reasons are #1 and #5

As for why not build tracks - we used to have tracks, and they are gone Land costs to much, Liability insurance costs MORE, and the neighbors complain about the noise. Ask folks around Englishtown NJ

You used to have stock car tracks with "run what you brung (sic)" races in Freeport, There were road courses in the Hamptons. If I remember right there used to be at least one drag track on Long Island

The problems BESIDES the cost (see above) is that 1)You are not 'just hanging with friends' and then go crusing (see #5 - the real goal), and just go for a run when your at the light, plus there are entry fees, helmet rules, no friends in the car listening to the radio etc

for a LARGE number of young guys, straight open road, no one around, nighttime, even if there IS no other car around, it's an excuse to hit the peddle and "see what it'll do"

I wasn't into it myself (I didn't bother getting my license till I was in my 20s), I know a few people who were (mostly I met them later), and more than a few who, while not having cars setup for racing, hit the gas peddle on open quiet roads at night.

The few I know who were into it, btw, almost all went legit sooner or later - as in "real" track cars, the trailers to tow them etc, not street cars

Now, this isn't to say that street racing isn't dumb - it IS, but who ever said 16-22 year old guys are all that smart?

They keep raising the drinking age to prevent drinking and driving - I think we should lower the drinking age to 18, and raise the DRIVING age to 21, except for the issue of rural America

Anonymous said...

"Why not just build a drag racing strip where these idiots can race each other? At least innocent people won't get hurt."

Great idea! I'm sure all these idiots and assholes that drag race have the money to invest in a race track, and will be able to insure and maintain such an activity.

Big Hairy Balls said...

It's so sad that a 24 year old lost his life due to his own stupidity. At least he won't be collecting welfare. End welfare. Death to the Palestinians! Long live Israel!

Anonymous said...

Where does it say he was collecting welfare?

Anonymous said...

"Where does it say he was collecting welfare?"

BHB said "...at least he WON"T be collecting...." He's dead, right?

Anonymous said...

But what if he had hit someone and they couldn't work any more. would he be against their getting benefits?

Big Hairy Balls said...

Social Security/disability is there for people who worked, paid taxes and thus are in the "system." Those determinations are made on a case by case basis. As a result I reserve judgment vis-a-vis SSI payments. Welfare, etc., is a handout paid for by the taxpayers & that I'm opposed to. Again consider the circumstances. Was this person a burden on society prior to this tragedy? In addition it sure reeks of poor decision making skills, doesn't it? Having nine kids without job skills & drag racing share a common element, rampant stupidity. How long should the taxpayer be held hostage to the lowest common denominator?

Anonymous said...

Ten in the morning, no other cars involved, sounds like reckless speeding, not drag racing (doesn't drag racing involve at least two cars?) My guess is that the same characteristics that make this road attractive for drag racing (wide, straight road) make it attractive for speeding.

That being said, I am sure this man/child (old enough to be a man, still acting like a child) had a family, who is grieving for him.

Yes, it is self-indulgent and enormously risky to race on city streets, but there is a subset of guys that age (that doesn't seem to be race-dependent, although all of the drag racing incidents that I have ever read about involved whites or hispanics) that have the need for speed and reckless behavior.

He has paid the price for his recklessness (and sadly so has his passenger, and no, I don't think most women, or passengers for that matter, think it is hawt). Thankfully, no one else was injured.

May he rest in peace.