Legalization of street racing

Counter arguments - 1. The roads are public and paid for by everyone, so you should be able to do what you want when no one is around. There are a few problems with this assumption. Firstly all people and society own the road equally. That means that roads are to be used for what society intended, for transport and getting around, not for racing. That's what race tracks are for. You have no right to take over the roads for your own purpose, at the detriment of anyone else in society who wishes to use the road at that time for their given purpose. The problem also stems from the fact that you don't know what's up ahead of you, and the road isn't a controlled environment like a race track. Street racers don't mean to kill people, but how is that any consolation for the person killed crossing the road at 1 in the morning. This is what separates the road from the race track, and why it shouldn't be allowed on the road. You don't know when there are and aren't people around. 2. "I grantee you that if there wasn't street racing then there would be more drunk drivers" My opponent seems to draw a link between street racing and the amount of drunk drivers on the road. Firstly I'd say can you please quote any sources for this link which I find quite ridiculous, and how does legalisation change anything? Are you suggesting that making street racing legal will lessen the amount of drink drivers on the road? 3. "Would u rather have a person driving that doesn't know what there doing, how fast there going, or knows what the vehicle is doing? Or, would you rather have someone who knows what there doing where there going and who is on the road? " There are two things wrong with this statement. Firstly you assume that because someone isn't a street racer they have no car handling skills and somehow have a lesser ability. For all you know you can be driving along side a champion race driver, simply because they have the consideration of other drivers by obeying the rules doesn't make them any lessor drivers. Also, I would prefer to have someone who obeys the road rules on the road next to me. 4. "I've talked to a lot of racers and they all agree that if they make it legal on Saturday nights then they would stop racing on the streets during the day. " A few things. It's a pretty ridiculous statement to say "If I can break the law on Saturday night I won't break the law any other time, therefore clearly it should be made legal". Limiting the racing to a Saturday night doesn't make the dangers of street racing disappear. Secondly what makes you think that this would be successful? You admit yourself you have legal alternatives available such as race tracks at times throughout the year, however street racers are too impatient to wait for these opportunities. What's going to stop them being impatient and racing on a normal day instead of this supposedly legal Saturday? My opponent then goes on to try and blame police for enforcing the law, saying that if it was legal this wouldn't happen. Let me tell you that if street racers didn't race, it wouldn't happen either. Let me ask you this. Why should normal every day road users be put at greater risk to satisfy the urge of street racers? Do you deny that having cars travelling at high speed will increase the risk for everyone? Do you agree that the road is not a controlled environment, and as such is always much more dangerous than a race track? Why do you think that street racing should be made legal, as opposed to opening up say a race track every Saturday night instead? Why do you feel it's up to the general population to make aware of what streets will be carrying cars at high uncontrolled speeds to they can cross the road safely? Why do you think road rules are in place? My opponent has tried unsuccessfully to justify his belief that road racing should be legalised. His arguments are along such lines that because their taxes pay for the roads they should be able to use them however they want, to the police won't get hated as much for enforcing the law (which I argue they shouldn't be hated in the first place). The opponent has also failed to illustrate why street racing and letting people do so is more important that the risk placed on the general population from cars travelling at high speed. He also fails to illustrate why it's the populations responsibility to work around street races, and not their responsibility to simply obey the law, and take their activities to where they are legally available.