Safe
alternative to illegal street racing offered
at Qualcomm
By
Paul Filice
The Daily Aztec
SAN
DIEGO (U-wire) -- They storm across
the pavement in their powerful vehicles,
feeling the rush of speed and adrenaline
run through their veins. This isn't some
fast car movie -- it's RaceLegal, and it's
making a difference.
This
program, which began in 1998, provides a
track one-eighth of a mile long in the Qualcomm
Stadium parking lot two to four times a
month on Friday nights. Its goal is to offer
a safe alternative to street racing in San
Diego.
"Kids
have a profound need for speed and the idea
is to try to meet that in a significantly
safer and sanctioned environment,"
Stephen Bender, principal investigator for
RaceLegal, said.
Bender
said there were 16 deaths and 31 serious
injuries due to illegal racing in 2002.
Year-to-date San Diego Police Department
surveillance data show a 99 percent decrease
in the incidence of unlawful street racing
in the city and a 94 percent reduction in
the racing-related morbidity/mortality rate.
"Change
of that magnitude is basically unprecedented,"
he said, "to have that kind of a turn
around in that short period of time."
However,
Bender said, all of that can be explained
with a combination of law enforcement efforts.
These include the Superior Court's stricter
laws, probation, RaceLegal's safe alternative
to street racing and the San Diego Police
Department's Drag Net Unit -- specifically
designed to stop illegal street racing in
hopes of reducing crashes and saving lives.
This "closing-the-loop" approach
to intervention has come together as a prominent
community-based coalition and has made San
Diego County one of the toughest places
in the country to get away with lawless
street racing, he said.
For
being an intricate part in putting together
this approach, RaceLegal was awarded the
prestigious national Peter K. O'Rourke Special
Achievement Award from the Governors Highway
Safety Association on Aug. 26 at an annual
meeting in New Orleans, La.
Program
Director Lydia DeNecochea said RaceLegal
gives street racers an outlet to share their
passion with others who think like them.
Former
street racer Nolani Arpon, who worked with
RaceLegal, said she felt the need to race
because it gave her the opportunity to test
her car against other people's cars. She
said a lot of people find the aspect of
getting caught and doing something illegal
appealing and thrilling.
"You
spend all this time and money building your
car. Where else are you going to take it
but to the street," Arpon said.
People
street race because they don't have an available
facility at all times, she said. But RaceLegal
is helping to change this by providing races
more frequently, at a low cost and at a
central location. The program offers a family-friendly
environment and a unique educational aspect
at a one-on-one basis that opens racers'
eyes to something else, she said.
"RaceLegal
really wants to make sure the racer is happy,"
Arpon said.
Bender
said the California Office of Traffic Safety,
which funds the program, has contracted
RaceLegal to put together a how-to manual
and video and will be offering 10 workshops
for communities throughout the state to
spread its concept.
"The
mantra is very simple," he said. "Race
track, not street."
DeNecochea
said she eventually sees each city throughout
the country running its own street-racing
program.
"It's
such a community-based program," she
said. "What makes it is the individuals
that participate and work at the events."
Bender
said the events, which will occur almost
every Friday night once the Padres' season
is over, are growing and now routinely draw
300 race cars and more than 3,000 spectators
each time.
While
the bulk of racers are between the ages
of 16 and 26, there are 25 open positions
per event for competitors over the age of
30, he said. High school students compete
in separate races.
There
are races for automobiles, motorcycles and
trailered-in vehicles. Trophies in 10 categories
-- such as best reaction time -- are given
out at each event.
Bender
said they used to conduct races in bracket
format, which is when racers predict, or
"dial-in," how fast they feel
it will take them to complete the race.
The driver who finishes closest to his or
her dial-in time wins. However, after surveying
the competitors, they found heads-up racing,
or grudge races, was a tremendous hit. This
is more of a street racing style where racers
just face off against each other to see
who's faster. RaceLegal also accommodates
friends who want to race each other.
He
said the program is looking for an alternative
permanent venue with the help of the city
council, but racing at Qualcomm will remain
secure until 2009. The next event is scheduled
for Sept. 19.
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