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Furious at fast crash assumptions
No proof yet that nitrous mods were involved in 2 deaths

Making car a safer, swifter performer shouldn't be a crime
Jun. 3, 2006. 01:00 AM
JIM KENZIE


Russell Soares is semi-fast, but he's plenty furious.

The car enthusiast with a (slightly) modified car is furious that an Oak Ridges couple died last Saturday night when their Hyundai was, to quote reporter San Grewal's story in Wednesday's Star, "shredded'' by a Honda Civic that allegedly was going some 140 km/h on Yonge St. in Richmond Hill.

But Soares, who is in his 30s, is also furious that the article implied the Honda was modified and that police allege it was participating in street racing.

And he is furious that politicians like Frank Klees, MPP for Oak Ridges and a former Ontario transportation minister, are jumping on this tragedy.

They're calling for the banning of modifications such as nitrous oxide systems, which can increase the power of a car many times over.

A court-imposed publication ban on the case makes Soares wonder how anyone can automatically assume nitrous, indeed, any modification — or even street racing — was involved.

Soares notes that even a 12-year-old diesel Volkswagen can do 140 km/h — it's the idiot who chooses to drive it at that speed in an urban environment that is at fault here.

But some authorities seem all too ready to blame the car.

This attitude has led some insurance companies to cancel coverage if modifications have been done to a car that might even suggest it was ever driven on a track.

(Never mind if that ever actually happened.)

Metaphor time:

Prostitutes wear short skirts. That woman is wearing a short skirt.

Therefore, she's a prostitute.

Let me get this straight: Mercedes-Benz invents an automatic roll bar that pops up to protect you in a crash.

You can't get this technology in a Civic, so at considerable personal expense you install a roll bar in your car, thereby making it safer — and they cancel your insurance?

Also, if some 18-year-old — more likely, Mommy and Daddy — buys a Porsche 911 Turbo, that's okay?

But if said 18-year-old buys a Civic and makes it as fast as a 911 Turbo, that isn't okay?

Maybe it isn't okay.

But, either way, it isn't the fault of the machinery.

There was even a fatal crash some time ago that involved a kid street-racing a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV.

Hello?

The worst crash involving a Wheels reporter occurred some years ago when two drunk/high young men in a stolen Dodge Caravan, with police in hot pursuit, failed to make the modest left-hand bend in Lake Shore Blvd., at Yonge.

The old van T-boned the Jaguar XK8 coupe that our man was in, waiting at a stop light.

Fortunately, the van hit the press fleet Jag around the left-front door post, where the structure is the strongest.

Had the impact occurred even a half-metre farther back, he would have been much more seriously injured.

I don't recall the Honourable Mr. Klees calling for a ban on killer Caravans.

Another example of the hypocrisy surrounding this issue occurs whenever enthusiasts organize track days so fellow car nuts can test their cars' performance to the limit, in safety.

You can almost guarantee that local cops will be stationed at every entrance and exit to the track, hassling the competitors for having blue windshield washer nozzles.

The Star story did point out one person in authority who seems to have a grip on this issue.

York Regional police Sgt. Dave Mitchell, co-founder of the task force Project ERASE (Eliminate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere), said that high-performance cars, whether factory-built or subsequently modified, are like alcohol.

"People can buy it, but they know they can't drink more than a certain amount and then get behind the wheel of a car,'' he said.

Exactly.

The story also noted that street racing has been associated with at least 33 deaths in the GTA since 1999. Let's do the math: that's about four deaths a year.

Is street racing the biggest traffic safety problem we have?

Hardly.

Almost 3,000 people are killed every year in this country on our roads. Every one of them is a tragedy.

Because traffic deaths tend to occur to younger people — car crashes are the Number 1 killer of people under age 44 — the loss in person-years is even greater.

What a waste.

I know: before I was born, a 5-year old who would have been my sister was run over by a truck in front of our house. I never knew her, but her death still resonates in our family.

Virtually every one of these road deaths is preventable.

But we have to attack the largest problem areas first, not the mosquito bites.

Klees, and Ontario's new transportation minister, Donna Cansfield, should get on with tougher driving tests, higher standards for driver education and stronger enforcement of truly dangerous driving behaviour.

And I don't mean speed traps on open highways.

If you need some ideas about where to start, my email address is below.


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Jim Kenzie (jim@jimkenzie.com) is Wheels' chief auto reviewer.

yeah I like Jim kenzie as he's always to the point, and really he's right.

I've been saying (roughly) the same thing for years... but noone that matters has been listening.

We can mod our cars and not be branded as criminals. Rather, we should be able to mod our cars and not be branded as criminals. The earlier statement is wishful thinking and should be stricken from the record.

The hand-wringers counter with "how do we know if the mods are safe that have been performed?"

Look for the primered everything. The duct tape and visible neon bars and electrical tape "cat tails" hanging down everywhere. The general disrepair and disregard for one's ride makes it all too evident that you don't give a s*** about the condition of it nor the quality of the work put into it.

Of course, there are genuine half-assed efforts that are harder to see (those intake vortex generators, anyone?), and so we have to hope the cops are vigilant and that Darwinism weeds out the dangerous ones without dragging the public into it.

Like Jim said... 4 speed-related crashes per year. Drunk drivers kill HOW MANY a year? Gun-related deaths? That's what I thought.

"This attitude has led some insurance companies to cancel coverage if modifications have been done to a car that might even suggest it was ever driven on a track. "

and the cops stationed at the entrance/exit of race tracks during track days are the two things i am most concerned about in ontario, and are among the few things where i can honestly i am glad i live in the US and not canada

random note.. i believe in german if the engine power is increased that modification needs to be reported to the TUV (german version of the dmv) and the increased is logged in the vehicle's papers. and i think if the power is increased by a certain % then it is required that other supporting mods such as brake upgrade are in place.

i dont think that will ever happen in north america but that IMHO is the way to go. consistent regulations that treat modifications as a change in insurance and vehicle registration class. ie a honda civic that accelerates, brakes and turns on par with a 911 turbo should have insurance rates that are similar to a 911 turbo, meet emissions and safety regulations like any other car, and maybe pay more vehicle tax if necessary because of weight/engine size.. whatever..

As usual Kenzie approaches this issue the same as he does every other – with a black and white attitude, a narrow focus and a witty pen that misleads us into thinking he knows what he’s talking about. After all – this is the guy who’s made a career out of campaigning against drink holders in vehicles because he doesn’t think any of us are capable of sipping a cola and driving at the same time. It’s not as simple as that … nothing is.

Here’s the thing Jim … we get it. We get that it isn’t just about the cars (and btw we also get that it isn’t just about the guns); we get that a high-performance vehicle modified to the nth degree is no more lethal with a responsible person behind the wheel than is a bone stock Toyota Echo. We get all that – so let’s move on to the real issue shall we?

To suggest that this issue isn’t just about the vehicle is correct (and painfully obvious) – however, to suggest that the nature of the vehicle and/or its modifications has absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with this debate is disingenuous at best and deceitful at worst.

Kenzie’s right when he says that statistically street racing isn’t the biggest problem we face on the roads today (a point also made by many members here) – and although I agree with that assessment, I don’t agree that we should simply ignore the problem of street racing simply because the other issues remain unsolved.

Yes it’s sad and perhaps even disgusting that a series of relatively isolated but high-profile crashes has focused political attention on a problem that has claimed “only” 33 lives in the GTA in since 1999. But it would be even more disgusting to ignore the problem (or worse, claim it doesn’t exist) simply because there’s a political element to it.

If Kenzie’s the smart guy he wants us to think he is, he’ll help come up with a solution that could help save the lives of 33 people between now and 2013. I hope he does because chances are his campaign against cup holders won’t save any lives at all.

he already did come up with a solution...

"should get on with tougher driving tests, higher standards for driver education and stronger enforcement of truly dangerous driving behaviour."

I've been saying this for years!
it should be a lot harder to get a licence in the Country, more so out here in Vancouver!
out here we have "graduated" licence system, a bit of a joke but on the right track. certain stipulations should be added to get a licence, madatory emergency driver training would be a major one that should be required before a licence is handed out. another major one is driving and writen tests when you have to renew your licence.

I honestly do not think a Modified car or a performance car is the problem in any way shape or form. every day i see people of all ages, in all types of cars driving like assholes. out here in Vancouver, i tend to notice people in big SUVs driving the most agressively. people in minivans seem to be the most oblivious to what is going on. i hardly ever see propperly modifed cars driving like morons.
IIRC, almost all of the "street racing" accidents out this way involved Stock or near stock cars and most importantly, ALCOHOL!!!
IMHO, if alcohol is involved, it's not a street racing problem, it's a drunk driving problem. i used to go to "the street races" where we would go to some distant spot, away from people to race in peace and it was great for years, no problems no deaths, no injuries and people also had respect not to bring booze into the setting if they were going to be racing... it wsas for money, and nobody wants to take a chance like that is a couple Thou is riding on a race. In steps the media, to shed light on this underground subculture and then in steps the cops followed by the shut down of these locations. all of a sudden this subculture is now in the spot light drawing attention of people not at all associated with it... kids in Mom&dad's SUV or minivan or whatever and the deaths start. media gets everyone whipped up and paints everyone with the same brush and off we go.

Oh and this was also well before F&F hit the screens.

the only solution to this problem is better education and more strict licencing rules and regs... to bad, this will never happen. this would mean many people considered to be "safe drivers" would not be able to pass and this would go over well for any elected rep come voting time.

i hope this makers some sence, it's late and i do not doubt there are a TON of spelling and grammer mistakes, i'll edit them tomorrow.

Graduated has been on the scene for over 10 years in Ontario... I was amongst the first "waves" of people to get one via the graduated systems at the testing center I was at (G1... did my G2 entry at John Rhodes as well, G2 exit in Scarberia).

It's a crock. It can still be fudged. Cash still changes hands and those who are f***ing inadequate are still getting behind the wheel.

ZX3TUNING,Jun 27 2006, 03:58 AM Wrote:I honestly do not think a Modified car or a performance car is the problem in any way shape or form. every day i see people of all ages, in all types of cars driving like assholes. out here in Vancouver, i tend to notice people in big SUVs driving the most agressively. people in minivans seem to be the most oblivious to what is going on. i hardly ever see propperly modifed cars driving like morons.
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I see it everyday on the 417, and 174 here in Ottawa. Idiots driving like idiots, but the fuzz isn't around to fine these guys....even then, I bet they wouldnt even care anyways cuz they're car is stock anyways!

Friend of mine owns a 68 Camaro.....ok...his dad does...anyways, His dad is the one that ususally drives it, but my freind got to drive his little sister to grad in the thing as a present from the father. Now, the father drives it only on week-ends really, hits the track almost every Saturday night, and when he lets his son drive it, he's pretty clear on the rules. And his son does listen.

The night of the graduation, he was pulled over by the OPP. "He matched a person of interest" :rolleyes: , they slapped him with unsafe Tires, Improper exhaust, and some license plate frame BS.

He told the cops that his father is the one that 'soups' up the car and hes usually the one behind the wheel, yet he never get's bothered by the police. The police explained to him that even if it was his father behind the wheel, they would have pulled him over for the exhaust eventually "So the exhaust my father put on 5 years ago, that are from GM BTW, for this exact car BTW are illegal and my father would have been pulled over...I doubt it".....So do I.

This is BS, simple as that. The politicians, lawyers, the police really need a fawkin head check. Its getting redicullous. How many MORE lives would they save if they focused on simply BAD drivers. A helluva lot more than 30 deaths per year. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

The worst drivers I see everday on the roads are the ones in the SUVs. They drive them like little civics, when they so obviously are not. The amount of times people in SUVs don't see my car is crazy. The guys driving semis see my car even, and as much as I dislike big trucks on the highway taking up everylane, they're far more aware and polite than these people in SUVs.

The worst drivers ever though, are young guys in small unkept cars. Every car I've seen swurve through traffic dangerously, has been a young guy in like a beat up civic, or something equally small. And a few times I've seen them go by driving like mad, then crashed at the side of the highway. These guys I would imagine cause more problems than street racers, and their cars aren't modded at all, they're falling apart and neglected.

I think it would be better to attack people who drive aggressively on busy highways more than the guys who goto an empty area of the city late late at night on a weekend and drag race. Atleast they're taking a precausion, the guy driving like a maniac in rushhour is a threat to more people.

-sigh- This issue will be around as long as their are people who continually treat driving as a right and not a privledge

As for the clapped out crapboxes wobbling along on the roads, I thought Scam Clean er I mean Drive Clean was supposed to get these turds off the roads in Ontario :rolleyes:

I drive from Scarborough to Mississauga on weekends from my friends place late at night and sometimes I feel like I wandered onto the set of "The Fast and The Stupid: The Toronto Files <_< darting cars, cars with more lights than a 777, cars with more body filler than body :unsure:

It makes my friend's reluctance to get a driver license make sense at times :ph34r:

NefCanuck

I do some see some pretty ghetto stuff on cars at shows....thats for sure. I try and keep my car as legal as possible, and also safe. Some of the mods the younger guys are doing are just simply dangerous. :blink:

Sometimes I wish I had a dash mounted camera and could do a citizen's arrest. I always see some dangerous stuff. The worst and quite possibly the most dangerous is the road rage for no reason. Just yesterday while coming home from Michigan there is a 2 lane hiway, this retard in a beat up rusted out sanitary napkin was literally 2 inches from this guys bumper. The guy in front of him couldn't move over cause of another car. They both pass the right lane car and the retard pulls to the right to pass but some how feels the need to stop right beside the car and give him the finger and swerve into the left lane. Then pulls in front and slams the brakes.


What purpose does that serve? Does this make him avenge the 30seconds he lost of his hectic life behind another car that was obeying the law? I knew exactly what this social wet fart was going to do so I slowed down and switched lanes incase things got testy.

i my exp, most road rage has little do do with someone following the rules of the road and more with dangerous driving such as lane changes without a signal cutting someone off becaused they were too busy drinking their starbacks while talking on the phone and yelling at the kids in the back seat!