BEFORE YOU READ ON, I just found out that we as FLORIDIANS, just took the number 1 spot on "ROAD RAGE".
Please copy paste the following link to read up on "Road Rage" story.

http://www.wesh.com/news/13608913/detail.html

Also, go see what south Florida is doing, copy and paste this link

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/02/beat-the-heat-florida-police-battling-street-racing-by-racin/

Here is another link

http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/Florida-Officers-Battle-Drivers-in-Legal-Street-Races/1$46460

In 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that police listed street racing as a factor in 135 fatal crashes. The total was up from 72 street-racing-related fatalities reported in 2000. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, more than 800 citations for illegal street racing were issued in 2001. In San Diego, where the street racing problem has been termed "epidemic," 16 deaths and 31 injuries were directly related to illegal street racing in 2001. The city's attorney's office prosecuted 147 illegal street racing cases in 1999, 161 in 2000, and 290 in 2001. In Florida in 2001, 7,216 citations were issued for racing on the highway. In 1999, the Florida Department of Highway and Safety for Motor Vehicles reported 28 accidents related to illegal street racing, with 2 fatalities and 27 injuries. In 2000, the agency reported 39 racing accidents, with 1 fatality and 55 injuries. In 2002, there were 48 racing accidents, 1 fatality, and 60 injuries. According to the NHTSA, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 20. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says 5,749 teens died in the United States from motor vehicle crash injuries in 1999. Nationwide statistics show that 49 people are injured for every 1,000 who participate in illegal street racing. As a result, city and state ordinances have been issued regarding illegal street racing. Though laws vary, here are some penalties faced by street racers: You can be arrested and have your car impounded for 30 days. If convicted of street racing or aiding and abetting a street race, you can be imprisoned for up to three months and fined up to $1,000. Spectators are subject to penalties as well. Your driver's license can be revoked. Your car insurance may be cancelled or the rates dramatically increased. Cars in and around illegal street races are often issued equipment violations.

Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
Intermountain Injury Control Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care, Primary Children’s Medical Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah

The objective of this study was to determine the annual incidence of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving street racing and to describe the characteristics of these crashes compared to other fatal crashes in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System data for 1998–2001 were used for the analyses. There were 149 568 fatal crashes and 315 (0.21%) involved street racing and 399 fatalities occurred in these crashes. In contrast to other fatal crashes, street racing fatal crashes were more likely to occur on urban roadways and were nearly six times more likely to occur at travel speeds 65 mph. Compared with other drivers involved in fatal crashes, street racers were more likely to be teenagers, male, and have previous crashes and driving violations. Street racing involves risky driving behaviors and warrants further attention.

New Laws To Deter Street Racing (this is canada...will the laws change here?)

An internet search for “street racing computer games�? using the Google search engine retrieves 278 hits. Try “street racing movies�? and you will probably get about 769 hits. A search for “street racing fatalities�? retrieves 749 hits.
The film industry has recently produced something called The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which apparently focuses extensively on street racing. It has renewed the debate about the influence of type of film on youth driving behaviour. Are these movies glorifying a street racing sub-culture? Do they put driving furiously in a positive light? And if the movies (and similar computer games) aren’t to blame for ongoing street racing problems, where else should we look? Whatever the cause (or causes), street racing has claimed many victims in Canada in recent years—three new victims in British Columbia in two separate incidents in late June 2006— to become the subject of a proposed amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada — “Bill C–19, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (street racing)�?. It defines street racing as “operating a motor vehicle in a race with at least one other motor vehicle on a street, road, highway or other public place�?. The legislation creates the following new offences, which may apply if injury or death is caused by racing: • Dangerous driving causing bodily harm • Criminal negligence causing bodily harm • Dangerous driving causing death. • Criminal negligence causing death The punishments for these new offences remain the same as existing punishments for the least serious and most serious driving offences (dangerous driving while street racing and criminal negligence causing death while street racing). However, it increases the maximum terms of imprisonment for three of the offences, as follows: • Dangerous driving causing bodily harm while street racing: 14 years instead of 10 years. • Dangerous driving causing death while street racing: lifetime imprisonment instead of 14 years. • Criminal negligence causing bodily harm while street racing: 14 years instead of 10 years. The new law also provides for minimum driving prohibitions that increase with second and subsequent convictions. These take effect following any term of imprisonment, last a minimum of one year up to minimum lifetime bans for more than one conviction for dangerous driving causing death while street racing and criminal negligence causing death while street racing. Critics of the proposed legislation argue that harsh sentences for street racing are already available under existing sections of the Criminal Code, that proving street racing in court may be so difficult as to render these provisions useless, that increasing maximum sentences is an ineffective deterrent, and that driving prohibitions are unlikely to be obeyed by those who have already clearly demonstrated their contempt for the basic rules of safe driving. Proponents have to concede that street racing is already illegal. The point is that the publicity surrounding these proposed changes with the new threat of stiffer penalties may help deter street racing.

Back to the Movie "Fast and Furious". Has this movie and movies like these influenced people to go out and street race? Maybe, however what makes our country free is the law gives us "free will" to decide on whats right and wrong. I personally feel how we act and what we do in life starts at home. As a parent though, I know we can only preach just so much the difference of right and wrongs. I know I go to bed every night with a clear mind that I did my best to teach my children...how and what they decide how to use my teachings as a parent is fully up to them.