Causes And Effects Of Racing Essay, Research Paper
Racing, to me, is just the outward display of whose car is faster than the other guy?s. It is not a sport. It is not game. It is just immaturity on wheels. Now of course, many people will put a lot of work, money, and time into making their car faster than the next guy?s, but why? There is no product to show for all of your hard work but a glove-box full of speeding tickets, an engine that will need to be replaced soon, and tires that have already been replaced ten times. Hopefully, you will soon realize that beating someone else in a drag race at the stop-light has it?s consequences.
Racing your vehicle can lead to speeding tickets, which in turn, can lead to a bite in your wallet. Speeding tickets normally range from about a hundred to two hundred dollars and can be documented on your permanent driving record. For example, you can get away with your first ticket by paying the fine and then taking defensive driving, but if you get another one within the next year, defensive driving will not be an option. If this happens, you will have to pay the fine and the violation will be documented. Differed adjudication is another option, but a judge must grant it. It basically works like probation, in that, if you get another ticket within either a ninety-day or one hundred and eighty-day period (depending on what the judge gives you), both tickets will go on your record. But if you manage to make the ninety or one hundred and eighty days, the ticket will not go on your record. However, you cannot take differed adjudication more than once in a year. If your insurance company notices an excessive amount of tickets on your record, you can expect a significant raise in your bill.
Racing can also lead to wear and tear on your car. Constant excessive acceleration burns oil quickly. This, if unnoticed, can cause serious problems inside your engine, or even cause your engine to lock up. This can only be fixed by replacing the entire engine. A commonly associated sound with racing is the squealing of tires. Of course, enough of this will mean having to replace your tires every five thousand miles or so. Finally, gas consumption plays a major role in the side effects of racing. High rpm?s (revolutions per minute) means high gas credit card bill. The higher you rev your engine, the more gasoline is sprayed in to your cylinders by your fuel injectors. This of course results in higher gas consumption.
Racing can also lead to time in jail. If a police officer sees you endangering someone else, he will not hesitate arresting you. Of course, speeding alone isn?t going to get you put in jail, but if you are traveling at highly excessive speeds and you cause someone to swerve out of your way to avoid a wreck, you can bet on a free trip to your local police station. Bail in this case is usually about two hundred dollars, and a trial date will have to be set afterwards. There, the judge can sentence more jail time if prior offenses exist, or fines and community service. Once again, this is an expensive consequence.
I will admit I had my fair share of drag racing, speeding tickets, and even tire blowouts, but this doesn?t justify anything. I have already experienced some of the consequences, and luckily I quit before more serious ones arose. Therefore, do not race your car unless you want to pay for the speeding tickets, the repairs, or even the bail and court costs.