Car Sideshows Raise Serious Questions Regarding the Thin Line Between Thrill and Menace
To burn, or not to burn, that hasn’t been the question for many car sideshows until recently. Call them street takeovers or car sideshows, but they are dangerous scenes with too many potential issues. One of these illegal sideshows featuring severla muslce cars recently turned even more dangerous than normal when fire was added to the mix.
What is a car sideshow?
These dangerous events occur when participants block off public intersections, typically without permission or authority, to witness an event. Car sideshows or street takeovers often have large crowds of people with their smartphones out, taking videos of cars performing burnouts or donuts. These crowds are so tightly packed that it’s pretty easy for the cars to wreck or onlookers to get run over during such an event.
Add fire, and it’s a serious recipe for disaster
According to GM Authority, a recent street takeover in San Francisco, featured a Chevy Camaro set on fire. During the event, a white Chevy Camaro performed burnouts with exhaust tops spitting flames. A person in a white hoodie ran up to the car and dumped a gas can full of fluid on it, and it burst into flames.
The Camaro turned into a fireball, which only seemed to create more excitement. Girls began dancing on the Camaro while it was burning, and a Ford Mustang was performing donuts nearby. The Mustang nearly collided with some onlookers, but thankfully, it seems the car sideshow didn’t have any fatalities or injuries.
The same can’t be said of another street takeover
Another sideshow covered by GM Authority presents a completely different story. The event shows a crowd gathered around to see drivers perform donuts and burnouts in their cars, but something went wrong. The driver of a Chevy Camaro didn’t get the tail to kick out in time and eventually plowed into a crowd of people. This event certainly sent some people to the hospital with a few injuries.
Car sideshows can be serious trouble
The crowds and showy nature of car sideshows can be fun to witness and even perform in, but these non-sanctioned and regulated events are illegal. They could cause serious legal trouble for participants. In addition to the potential dangers involved when these cars hit onlookers in the crow, participants could face:
- Driver’s license suspension
- Imprisonment
- Vehicle impounded
- Criminal charges
- Fines
Street takeovers present serious dangers to public safety, which can lead to property damage, injuries, and fatalities. One bad turn could ruin a few lives, not just those of the drivers illegally performing stunts during these events.
