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‘Boy Racers’ are mostly good people

Many believe young people are dangerous drivers and ‘Boy Racers’ are a widespread menace to society. The reality is that this is a false impression caused through constant reporting of bad news and sensationalizing of the relatively few serious incidents that do involve young people in cars.

We have become a nation of people who are intolerant of anything that does not fit into our individual comfort zone and are very receptive to any authoritive suggestion that some behaviour is dangerous or antisocial. There has been little effort in New Zealand to gather facts relating to the behaviour of young people in cars or understand why it occurs. Our society tends to leap straight to the ‘solution’ of outlawing anything that offends the perceived individual rights of ‘responsible mature people’.

A study undertaken at Christchurch University does provide a basic understanding of the motives underlying young people’s involvement. It concludes the term ‘Boy Racers’ collectivises and homogenises a group of people with a broad range of characteristics and is often inaccurate. In associated reports the authors recommend recognition of the car centered sub-culture as a collection of people with a common interest in cars, and as a cultural group that has a right to meet and use public spaces.

In Australia, considerable academic research has and is being done with surprising conclusions. Prof Rob White reports that, while young people are disproportionately involved in motor vehicle accidents, very few serious crashes involve high performance vehicles or those actively involved in the car culture. Most of the accidents are not in any way related to driving skills, hooning or racing.

There is no denying that tragedies involving young people in cars do occur and are devastating to all involved. The same however, may be said for any age group. Unfortunately it is the young people who are targeted for ‘behaviour modification’ and punishment. This is an example of a hypocritical intolerance that pervades our whole society. What was acceptable for the current mature generation is now seen as an opportunity to crush youthful experience. Righteous indignation has always existed among the older generation - just as the natural wish for independence and experience has existed among youth. Parents of the 60’s thought their children’s hair was too long and their music was insufferable. Today’s older generation have learned to use public opinion through improved communication and the law, to force their principals and behavioural standards onto the younger generation.

Society has taken a position of intolerance toward the car culture without understanding why it occurs - or realising it is not about to go away just because adults have a moral attitude against it. The addition of new laws will do no more than create further opportunities for tragedy and make criminals of young people transiting a normal and understandable period of their lives. Many young people now have criminal records through activities that were safe and legal a few years ago.

Prior to cars, the same behaviour occurred on horseback. Young men rode recklessly and were a ‘threat to the community’ in an effort to show off their prowess and impress young ladies. The primary social functions of hooning are to display mastery, skill and technique. (Many of the activities do require significant skills). Hooning may be done to show off to peers, gain attention from the opposite sex or to feel an adrenaline rush (which in this case may involve taking risks behind the wheel). It emphasises solidarity and belonging. A fundamental part of ‘cruising’ is having a nice car to drive because it serves as a signifier of connection and popularity. It’s part of being a teenager today. Most people transit this period of their lives safely with fond memory. Youth is a time of developing interests and independence. Car culture and the use of public space meet these needs.

Prof White has also discovered that there is a relationship between gender identity, cars and car culture which is socially constructed. Cars are important toys in infancy, followed by the ownership of a bicycle in primary school. In secondary school, many boys talk about modified cars, read car magazines, and engage in car culture electronically on their games consoles. The key components of youth driving culture and car culture are "competitiveness, freedom, mateship, display, technical skill, speed and performance". These are reinforced socially by role models such as fathers, brothers and older peers at school. In other words, for many, cars are toys for the boys. Because of this association, young men who have no interest in cars and are not keen on getting their driver's licence may experience marginalisation and misunderstanding. Raising the licence age will almost certainly result in other less attractive activities being adopted. In fact, there is a very good argument to suggest the driving age should be reduced to provide experience while there is still an element of parental control.

One youth expert commented that "A lot of kids could probably spend their money on drugs and alcohol but instead put it into something they can call their own. It’s their entertainment on the weekend". Indeed, the real issue is not the car culture but the peripheral activities that often take place at the same time. New laws and a tough police attitude is in fact driving young people in cars out of well lit public areas into dangerous country environments and increasing the use of drugs and alcohol.

A popular concept is that young men are bad drivers due to their inexperience or immaturity. Some are indeed very bad, but that has always been the situation in any age group. The vast majority however, are better drivers at their age than their parents and grandparents were. Contrary to popular perception generated through sensationalizing tragedies and general intolerance, most young men are very capable. Especially competent are those who indulge in learning skills through the car culture. Hooning on the streets does provide experiences that are very positive and helpful in developing car control skills and good judgement.  

The conclusion drawn by serious studies is that the simplistic view of what constitutes bad driving belies the fact that youth driving culture is complex in nature and comprises multiple dimensions and definitions of dangerousness. Indeed, there are cases when certain types of hooning including ‘donuts’ and ‘fishtailing’ are safer than driving on main roads at rush hour”.

Examination of young people's driving behaviour should not result in finger-pointing and intolerance for their passion for cars and use of public space. Dangerous driving is not youth-specific and most boy racers are not dangerous. Problems such as road rage are equally concerning and are more likely to those ‘mature’ people who are focused on the naughty young people.

Maurice O’Reilly