The San Franscisco-Oakland Bay bridge is the last place on Earth I’d want to be ripping donuts in a twenty-year-old Mustang. Nevermind that nice drop to the water below, nevermind the hoards of traffic, but…why? In a city with plenty of industrial parks and quieter areas away from one of the busiest roadways in the region, why would a group of morons…and yes, I mean morons…decide to block traffic during mid-morning just to throw a sideshow? That recently happened, with several cars, including “about 10 to 15 Ford Mustangs” taking part in a full-blown takeover of the bridge a couple of days ago, halting traffic while tire smoke rained out. Cops waited on the other end of the bridge for cars coming off, where it was discovered that one driver didn’t have a license, and one driver was arrested and his car impounded. (That’d be the white droptop Mustang, whose axle broke, leaving him stranded.)
Sideshows are quickly becoming even more problematic than basic street racing. Intersection takeovers happen with no notice, stranding normal traffic as a cross between an Aussie burnout contest, a drift competition and a block party goes down. Want to get through? Good luck with that. Think the cops will get there in time? Good luck with that one, too. Like a locust swarm, they appear, unleash Hell, and disappear. And the stories hit the news, adding yet another black eye to the automotive hobby.
So, to you, readers, our question: how do you stop this before it becomes worse? This is the kind of publicity that gets government actions involved, it’s the last thing that the automotive hobby needs. What are your suggestions for shutting down this stupidity before it goes any further?
Yea its Stupid , Yea its DANGEROUS , its just part of HOT RODING thats been around since the Begining of TIME ! Showing Off , has ALLWAYS been part of what its all about . Most people will Never Get It. SO WHAT ! Humans have been SHOWING OFF SINCE THE BEGINING OF HUMANITY ! Im 72 Years old Life Long DRAG RACER but I GET IT.
Sorry you DON’T get it… you are part of the problem. Just because it’s been around since the beginning of humanity does not make it right. It puts innocent bystanders in danger. It violates my right to get to work or get home in time and safely. It serves no purpose other than to show other anatomically challenged morons that they are compensating for what what little God gave them. As a life long drag racer you should know that drag strip were built to stop this kind of idiocy from happening on the street.
Your comment is not good for Hot Rodding
… street racing will happen it has alwaus happend and it will continue to happen….but racers go out to back roads amd scout locations for days to make sure they are not busy and as safe as possible… accidents happen also and its sucks but is part of racing it happens at the track and on the street… but these guys here shutting down roads intersections and now bridges…. these guys here have no regard for saftey or other people and make everyone else look bad… racers dont want the attention these guys do…. share there vidieos to local police and sheriff face books.. most of these idiots still have tags on there cars… connect the dots
You’re 72 and obviously senile. What if one of these moronic sideshows delays an ambulance and the patient onboard dies? How about delaying a firetruck to a raging fire? Hmm? Is that OK with you? It sure as hell isn’t OK with me!
I know a few people who do this in the bay area, IQ is not their strong point, can’t fix STUPID.
Since most of my daily driver cars are pretty much worthless disposable appliances, I would have driven through and caused a wreck. I know that totalling a few of their crapwagons would stop that group from being idiots again. Plus, they would get the citation since they were driving illegally.
That’s what I was thinking.
Late for work anyway…
I hear ya. I would have blasted right through that crowd in my beater P71.
Thanks to the news media for giving this blatant display a ‘cool’ name to encourage more wannabe pukes to do this……..
More stupidity brought to you from the Tide Pod eating, social media craving generation.
execution
Never heard the term “sideshow” applied to anything other than bearded ladies and the circus until just now.
Not as big of a huh moment as the first time I heard somebody say “I’m a gang banger” on national tv and NOT mean what I thought they did but made me wonder none the less.
Arrest the drivers and their posse. Charges them with reckless endangerment and every moving violation that applies. Revoke their license – permanently !!
Then use a show like Live PD or Cops to broadcast the public destruction of the cars to lock in the message.
Make it public humiliation instead of bragging rights. Gang up on online sites that celebrate this crap. Stop Making Stupid People Famous
If you want to make it public humiliation, have somebody at Youtube redo the soundtrack to all of the videos to make it sound like their stereos are blaring Nickleback while putting on their sideshow.
Seriously, I’m in the “crush the car and the license” camp. If you want to be jackasses, go secure a private parking lot; don’t block everyone’s commute.
Confiscate the cars and put them on national TV being crushed. That will put a stop to it. We don’t need this type of crap to continue. They are imposing on everyone.
Drive right through it. When crashed into, sue for neck injuries, new car, mental anguish and loss of income while recuperating. Phukem I say.
Stupid beyond belief. All these morons are doing is making the whole car enthusiast community look bad. Go find an empty parking lot somewhere if you want to drive that way. You might get caught and get a ticket but at least you are only hurting yourself.
note to mustang owners-your 8.8 is not a superior differential- ha haaa!
You would think a light would go off in somebody’s head and call them SLIDESHOWS.
But that might be expecting too much.
I’ve done many stupid car related stunts but stopping traffic was not one of them!
The police should check the videos and get license plate #’s, confiscate the cars and crush them!
HOON LAWS
CAN’T FIX STUPID !!
yep agreed with most comments, fuckin stupid. I do take exception to your description mentioning Aussie burnouts though…most of ours are at closed events or in the middle of nowhere because our cops would kick the living shit out of us, impound our cars, and probably do us under terrorism laws or something if we were to do something this stupid in a high profile public space
That reference is to the zero-fks given, balls-out donut/burnout style these guys use. Everything I gather about Australia is that one wrong step and the cops will haunt you like bounty hunters that haven’t had a meal in weeks.
You wanna stop this?… throw a basketball in the middle.
A bucket of fried chicken would work, too.
Driving through the intersection and letting them hit you isn’t a bad idea as long as no one gets seriously hurt but it’s difficult to predict that.
I’m not in the car confiscation and crushing camp and never will be unless they commit a homicide with their vehicle. You need to ask yourself, “How long will it be after they start confiscating sideshow cars until they confiscate my ride that I’ve sweated and bled over for several years after only doing a simple burnout?”
Don’t be willing to give up your freedoms so easily, think! Tickets and fines, ok. Property confiscation, no! Use that brain that God gave you and protect the freedoms you have been given in this country.