Street racing hits big screen, radar screens

Advertiser Staff and News Services

The release today of the movie "The Fast and the Furious," which depicts the intense world of street racing, has law enforcement authorities across the country worried.

Two weeks ago Logan Fujimoto, an 18-year-old Kalani High graduate, died when he crashed during a street race.

"I think with this movie coming out, kids are going to be very impressed with it, and we're going to see more of it," said traffic officer Christopher Gali in Hilo.

"The Fast and the Furious," a PG-13 film, presents the supercharged subculture of street racing as a glamorous world of tough guys and flashy cars.

Universal Pictures made assurances this week that it is not endorsing street racing. It put a new page on the movie's Web site explaining that the stunts were staged by professionals, and warning: "Please do not try any of these yourself. Be smart. Drive safe. Stay legal."

Studio spokeswoman Terry Curtin said a disclaimer would run at the end of the film, and that stars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel have recorded public service announcements to encourage safe driving.

"If we are going to bring this culture to light, then we have responsibility with that," she said.

Studios have faced increasing criticism, including pressure from Washington, over the marketing of violent material to children. The entertainment industry, including TV shows like MTV's "Jackass," is sometimes accused of inspiring dangerous copycat behavior.

"We are real concerned that the (new) film will send out bad messages and increase street racing even more," said police Lt. Dan Christman in San Diego, where eight people died in racing-related incidents in 1998.

He said 700 to 800 people were showing up for races every night by the end of last summer, and the department recently received a $200,000 grant to crack down.

In Ontario, Calif., where racers call the long, flat streets "The Tracks," police Detective Mike Macias said 30 cars were impounded and about 100 tickets written during one recent race.

"We anticipate the film will draw just about every street racer from all over," he said. "We plan to have extra officers at the theaters to prevent fights. We will have units in the parking lot to catch them burning out."

In Philadelphia, on the other hand, officer Steve Itzko said his department already cannot combat the 500-plus cars that show up regularly on weekend nights around the city.

"If they want to race, they are going to race. We can't stop them, they'll just go someplace else," Itzko said.

Craig Lieberman, executive director of the National Import Racing Association and a technical adviser for "The Fast and the Furious," defended the film, calling it an honest portrayal of the street-racing scene.

"It's a very accurate movie ... but of course things like flames coming out of the exhaust are ... for the film," Lieberman said. "It's a social gathering, not a group of criminals. It's more of a documentary of the consequences of the action: the crashes, the cops showing up."

"Fast" director Rob Cohen says he was careful not to endorse the street sport in his PG-13 film and doubts copycats will be a problem.

"We show what happens when a car is out of control," he says. "We show the consequences. This movie is about the subculture of street racing. It doesn't tell kids to go out and race. If that's the message they take from my movie, then they weren't paying attention."

Diesel says the movie depicts characters "who know how to drive and have a healthy respect for speed. It isn't about doing stupid, dangerous things. This is a sport to them, and they treat it with the proper respect."

But Los Angeles child psychologist Christine Woodman says screen images "have a powerful effect on people, especially young viewers."

"If a kid sees his idol shooting a gun or getting in fights or driving a car at breakneck speeds, those actions become more acceptable," she says. "That doesn't mean the child is going to go out and do it. But certainly that action is seen in a more favorable light."

"Fast" star Michelle Rodriguez, who met many real-life hot-rodders in researching the film, doubts that the movie will inspire teens who weren't already inclined to speed.

"If kids are going to race, they're going to race," she says. "We didn't invent that. We're just telling a story about what happens all over the country. Hopefully, no one will be stupid enough to try stunts they see in a movie."

But Macias isn't so sure.

In his 25 years on the force, "I've been amazed at what teenagers are willing to try. And I've had to call the coroner too many times to say they're getting any smarter."

At a Compton, Calif., race that night, seconds after the Honda won the drag race, someone yelled, "Cops!" and everyone scrambled to their cars and scattered. In their rearview mirrors, they watched a police cruiser pull one car over for not signaling. They sighed and drove on, using cell phones to figure out where to go next.

"This is what street racing is all about," said Sam Abrahamian, 20, of Redondo Beach, Calif., as he sped his Integra through the empty streets.

"If the cops break up one spot, we go to another," he said. "It's a chase. When you get to the next spot, you just wait for someone to challenge you and it goes off. It's such a rush. You just want to be the best."

Abrahamian said racers compete for everything from cigarettes to cash to support their expensive hobby.

In California's San Fernando Valley, where at least eight youths died in racing-related accidents in 1999, police staged a sweep in January, arresting 32 people and impounding 72 vehicles.

Police also took the initiative in Washington, D.C., where speed bumps have reduced racing in some neighborhoods.

Even in places like North Platte, Neb., about 50 kids turn out to race on Friday nights.

"And it's a guarantee that kids will be out there after the movie," North Platte police Lt. Mike Swain said. "But we can't concern ourselves with every movie that comes out.

"No matter what town you have around the country, if you have one-way, long streets, you are going to have racing."