What Parts of Car Culture Need to End?

Look, we’re all car people here. We all like to see feats of automotive performance, or to find our home in the culture around four-wheeled transportation. But there are some aspects of this culture that we all know we’d be better off without. Let’s name them.

Yes, this topic sprang up from discussions about this past weekend’s H2Oi event in New Jersey, where a crash left two people dead. “Enthusiasts” tried to show off… something. It’s not even clear what their goals were. But takeovers, street racing, and all these forms of automotive showmanship that put the general public in harm’s way — they need to end.

I’m not going to claim to be perfect here. I’ve attended my fair share of unsanctioned shows, rowdy meets, or even street drags like the gif above. Back in my college days, I had mastered the art of moving from parking lot to parking lot around campus, getting as much drifting in as possible while evading campus security. That even bled out onto the street — when you’re in a rear-drive Toyota, buying tofu at the grocery store, it’s only natural to try and get as sideways as possible on the way home.

But is that fun worth the incredible costs we’re starting to see, as cars get ever more powerful for the price? Is it worth the toll on the people who never wanted to be part of our club? When I nearly slid the Miata in that gif above into an oncoming tractor-trailer, attempting Baby’s First Drift on a rainy commute, did I consider how that trucker would’ve felt had they pancaked me before their morning coffee?

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No. Takeovers need to end. Street races need to end. But what else should be on that list? Tell us in the comments below, and we’ll collect the top answers tomorrow.