Suburban Street Racers Stay Just Ahead of Police

The Montrose Crossing shopping center parking lot in Rockville is a magnet for drivers of souped-up vehicles, street racers and appreciative spectators. (Photos Ricky Carioti -- The Washington Post)

Montgomery police said they believe most high-speed collisions involving young drivers result from impromptu races between stoplights or inexperienced drivers trying to impress a carload of friends. Police are targeting them with an education campaign, including an enhanced segment in 10th-grade health classes on the dangers of aggressive driving.

Law enforcement efforts also are aimed at drivers engaged in organized racing. In such races, two cars line up next to each other on an open stretch -- usually a dark, deserted road several miles outside the Capital Beltway -- while anywhere from a dozen to several hundred spectators pull off to the side. Someone starts the race with a wave of an arm, and the cars race a quarter-mile on a straight road, averaging about 90 mph in 14 seconds, participants said.

A variation is the "highway race," in which two cars whip along, weaving in and out of traffic. They can go on for several miles until one of the drivers gives up by taking an exit or backing off.

"I've heard of people getting up to 160 to 170 mph on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in the middle of the night," Matt said.

He estimates that there are 20 to 30 well-known racing spots across the region. Friday and Saturday nights are spent driving around and working the cell phones, trying to find the hot spot of the night. Police know the locations, Matt said, but racers try to keep officers guessing by rotating among different spots.

His friend Whitney, 19, who works at Starbucks, said she watches for the excitement.

"It's like an addiction," she said. "What got me was the rush of knowing we could get caught and watching something that's illegal. It's really cool."

Last Saturday night, Montgomery police showed up at the Montrose Crossing shopping center parking lot about 11:30 p.m. Three officers began citing drivers for such equipment violations as illegally altered suspensions.

The crowd started breaking up. Matt and two friends headed for two popular racing spots in Prince George's. Matt's girlfriend was behind the wheel. Matt can't afford the "high-risk" insurance policy with a $6,000 annual premium but still enjoys watching the races.

The hunt for a good race is much like the search for a high school party. Groups of young people drive around, hitting one supposed gathering spot after another. Before reaching one popular racing strip off Route 1, Matt heard over his cell phone that everyone had vanished because police had arrived.

On the way to another racing area in Largo about 1:15 a.m., the police scanner broadcast that officers were in the area. The group headed to a nearby shopping center parking lot to wait until police left.

A souped-up red Toyota Supra did a 30-yard sprint through the parking lot, tires screeching and filling the air with a thick cloud of white smoke and the acrid smell of burning rubber.

"Only a car with a good amount of power can burn tires that well," Matt said admiringly, adding that the car had won two races already that night. "The Supra beat the Neon by a car. Then the Supra raced the Corvette and beat it."

In Fairfax County, police went undercover by leasing souped-up cars of their own, finding out where the hot racing spots were and videotaping them secretly from helicopters.