Street Takeovers Are Not For 'Real' Car Enthusiasts

⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious

It’s time to push back against this dangerous, irresponsible culture.

Pretty much everyone can agree that the explosion in crime throughout 2020 is more than tiresome. From climbing car theft rates to senseless violence, it seems like everyone’s on edge these days. To make matters worse, there’s an increasing trend of street takeovers by criminals who want to do burnouts, drift, etc. while injuring innocent bystanders.

We absolutely love cars and love having fun behind the wheel. At the same time we drive on public roads with our children and other loved ones. Both of these facts make it so we have to take a stand against the growing trend of street takeovers in different cities across the United States. It’s a problem that’s been around for a long time, but we’ve had enough.

Check out this video of a street takeover in Atlanta. Warning: language.

Real enthusiasts don’t participate in street takeovers and we’re tired of the way media outlets, politicians, and others portray it as a problem attached to the hobby. True car enthusiasts have a healthy understanding and respect for the potentially destructive nature of their vehicle. We take precautions, which is why every track will inspect a vehicle for proper safety equipment before giving the OK to race.

One hotbed for this street takeover trend has been Atlanta. The scene in the metropolitan area has become notorious, with attendants creating a carnival-like atmosphere complete with fireworks and music.

Motorious Editor, Elizabeth Puckett, lives close to some of the areas with frequent pop-up 'takeovers', and offers that, "These people are not car people, I am a car person, I am in car clubs, we get rowdy, we might push it, some members might even engage in more reckless acts, but these are not car people," adding, "These people want attention, I doubt they even know how where the spark plugs are on their cars, but they probably know the best place in town to get fireworks!"

"The sad thing is, nobody (in a position of leadership) even cared until it kept some board member in Buckhead losing a night of sleep over the noise," noting that the current orders to the the police are to "Be present, but don't engage."

Police have blamed empty streets from shutdowns as well as social media for the uptick. We blame stupidity and a sense of entitlement.