Boy racers - a harmless pastime or a deadly menace?
There are lots of young men and women who love their cars. However, when a young man fits a body-kit to his car and drives very fast, he will inevitably be labelled a "boy racer".
Favourite cars for boy racers to do up include the Citroen Saxo, Seat Leon, and Peugeot 206, and alloy wheels, spoilers, and under-car neon lighting are amongst the must-have modifications for these cars.
It is generally a Friday or Saturday night when groups of boy racers will go for a cruise around the streets of their local town. Some towns seem to attract more boy racers than others, with Brighton, Southend, and Guildford being particular boy racer havens.
However snazzy these cars may look, boy racers are criticised by many for their pastime which, it is claimed, puts themselves and others in danger.
Boy racers criticised for dangerous driving
Critics of boy racers say that when they go cruising around town they often break speed limits and other traffic laws, creating a real hazard for other drivers. Statistics show that one in four drivers under 21 who have a car accident did so due to a loss of control. This is an all too common occurrence for boy racers, or anti social drivers, as the police term them.
Inspector Hughes of North Wales Police comments on boy racers: "We have seen a dramatic decrease in KSIs [killed or seriously injured] but there has been an increase in 17 to 25 year-olds involved in KSIs.
"Young anti-social drivers don't necessarily drive high-performance cars, they normally have small hatchbacks, which are more affordable. It's how they drive that causes the problem. They are inexperienced, driving inappropriately for the conditions and disobeying the basic rules of the road."
It has been found that one in three young male drivers will write off a car within the first three years of driving, over double the rate of new female drivers. Boy racers are thought to account for a sizeable portion of these write offs, with many "souped-up" cars frequently becoming involved in crashes with lampposts, walls, and other cars as a result of pulling hand brake turns, doughnuts, and wheelspins.
The car accidents in which boy racers are involved cause many injuries and fatalities each year, as well as higher car insurance premiums for other young male drivers. This effect can be seen by comparing car insurance quotes for a fictional 18 year old man with that of a woman of equivalent age and driving experience. Car insurance for an 18 year old male driving a Vauxhall Corsa starts from around £1,200 from most insurers, whereas for a woman it costs just £750.
There are far more men than women involved in boy racing, although observers note that "girl racing" is becoming more popular amongst girls in their late teens, which could see motor insurance for young women also becoming more expensive.
Boy racers defend themselves
However, many boy racers feel that they are misunderstood, and say it is just a minority of people who turn up to their cruises that cause the trouble. They are passionate about their cars, and say that crashing them is the last thing they want to do.
One 22 year old man who had spent £10,000 on modifying his car said: "I have to drive responsibly. I don't want to wrap it round a lamppost when I've spent so much.Some come here and they want to make a scene and want to look cool. We are all getting branded the same."
Another man who liked to cruise with his modified car commented that speeding is not confined to boy racing: "I admit that like any other person, boy racers do speed, but its only to boost their macho image and to pit themselves against other boy racers' (or girls!). Everybody speeds, it's just that boy racers are victimised because they drive fast at nighttimes, which keeps people awake."
Whether boy racers are a deadly menace or just partaking in a harmless pastime, their presence affects all who live around the areas that they cruise. Their reception is mixed; some people gather in crowds to admire the souped up cars, whilst others lose sleep to the noise of their engines.