Keep burning rubber off the public roadways

It was only a matter of time before the issue of street racing made its way into the news again — and not favorably.

Unfortunately, the Friday morning crash on Cathcart Way probably won’t be enough to stop most racers from taking to our roads for a little illegal racing during the late-night and early-morning hours. It won’t even be enough to stop some people from believing the crime is just a little bit of innocent fun for bored kids and young adults who just need police officers and fuddy-duddy grown-ups to "give them a break" and "lighten up a little."

There’s a reason humans created racetracks — and speeding tickets. Racing along a street that any innocent person could turn onto at any moment is the height of stupidity and exposes the offending driver’s blatant disregard for the lives of others.

Friday’s crash put an Everett father of seven in Harborview Medical Center’s intensive care unit with injuries ranging from internal bleeding to broken ribs to a broken sternum.

The 21-year-old Everett driver of the Honda Civic that struck the other car also suffered serious head injuries. And the 20-year-old driver who was allegedly racing with him faces possible criminal charges.

Hindsight, anyone?

This is not a budding sport. How many legitimate sports carry criminal charges? How many legitimate sports today put unsuspecting peoples’ lives in jeopardy? (No, the occasional wayward hockey puck and softball don’t count.)

If you want to be part of a sport, find a real track, put on a helmet and race with like-minded people.

Yes, we all take risks every time we get into our cars and buckle up. That doesn’t mean we deserve to be plowed into by someone whose driving motto should be the "daft and the oblivious."

Every time some thick-headed person gets behind the wheel for the purpose of racing down a street, he chooses to use his vehicle as a weapon. The law should treat him accordingly. And the public should start applying a little peer pressure of its own.