With “Fast X,” the newest entry in the “Fast & Furious” saga, hitting theaters Friday, officials are warning the public of the dangers of street racing.
On Thursday, representatives from the California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were among those who stressed the hazards of unsafe driving at a press conference on Melrose Avenue in Beverly Grove.
“The popularity of movies such as the ‘Fast & Furious’ series and their upcoming latest release we believe is likely to influence copycats because of the movie glamorizing this very dangerous activity,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said. “Movies like this are fantasies.”
Moore, Sheriff Robert Luna and CHP officials reiterated the consequences of street racing and sideshows, ranging from citations and the impounding of cars to severe injuries and death for participants and bystanders alike.
“We warned you,” Luna said to those who participate. “You have to stop doing this. You are impacting people’s lives negatively and it’s costing some lives as well.”
To further the point, the press conference ended with Lili Trujillo Puckett, the founder of Street Racing Kills who lost her 16-year-old daughter Valentina to street racing nearly 10 years ago.
“She was killed just by the thrill of speed … Every time I hear in the news that street racing or a sideshow killed someone … I know what they’re feeling. I know what their family is going through. I know a sister is crying, a mother is crying,” Puckett said.
