Blast From the Past

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

"Boy Racers" & "Cruisers"

What are boy racers and cruisers? Are they people who drive Vauxhall Corsa's which have had strange looking bumpers put on and an exhaust/induction kit to make the car sound like it has a more "beasty" engine? Are they people who do donuts around car parks and race around the streets? Do they do wheelspins and see who can get their car fastest across Sainsbury's Car Park?

People have different opinions of what they are, and what they do.

Recently I went to KFC to have my refs, went into the carpark and myself and my collegue were going to swap seats so I got out the car and started to munch on my popcorn chicken (yum!)

Anyway, I saw this nice Renault Clio in the car park with lad and his mate sat in it. It was a black one and had blacked out windows and was lowered slightly, and in all honestly it looked really nice!

I walked up to the guy and spoke to him just said "hi how you doing" the usual pleasant talk. He thought I had come across to give his car the once over to check everythin and was going to give him a HORT1 or something! He was pleasantly shocked when I said that I liked his car. Anyway, we got talking on this very subject and I asked him about his car. He said he just wanted a car that looked "different" and personalised, and that he would never dream of doing anything stupid in it that may cause it to be ruined as he had spent so much time and money on it. Fair enough I thought, what a good lad to have an attitude like that!

I would class this person as a "cruiser" I think as he is someone who genuinly takes good care of his car and does it nicely. He likes to meet up with other like minded people in a car park and they just talk about cars, and then go home not doing any stupid things.

The other catagory I believe (dont quote me on this "street slang" I may be wrong!) is the "boy racer". These people seem to do all sorts to their car, often sticking huge bumpers on and making the car just look very untasteful and just plain silly! They tend to be in car parks and do wheelspins and drive in such a way which will earn themselves a nice S59 warning/seizure. They dont take care of their cars either with some having dodgy tyres.

Its just a shame that the second group of people ruin the reputation of the first group of people, and it does seem as though it seems to be that "Male + done up car = Trouble" which is not true!

I have been to numerous car meets and have some good friends at these events and there is nothing they hate more than to be stereotyped - and quite rightly so! Its not on for them to be treated as criminals when the only thing they have done is meet up somewhere with likeminded people - since when was this a crime?

So the "moral" of this is that although the person might be driving what most might view as a "chav car" (not my view!) or a "boy racer car", the driver may be a really nice person with a good attitude and respect for the police and others, with a good job, but just has a liking for cars and wouldnt dream of driving like a twat!

Sterotyping - not nice, not fair, and out of order in the above circumstances (as well as many other circs!!)

Feel free to leave comments as always

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The alternative moral may be that in your presence of course he is going to say he would never do anything stupid and act like butter wouldnt melt. On a saturday night its likely to be a whole lot different.
Your trusting manner is intriguing!

ExtraSpecialCopper said...

I absolutely agree with you - people act differently in different situations.

Oh and I can be a bit to trusting sometimes :) Perhaps I should toughen up lol

Anonymous said...

I personally fall into the group of 'Cruiser' I drive a pretty Corsa - that ive modded a touch - and am proud that my car looks like no other - and in my own opinion - sounds like no other! I fall victim to Harsh law enforcement and judgemental policing all the time. Im actually an Accountant - and meeting me at a conference - you would neer guess my secret life of 'Car Pimping' but unfortunatley the 'Boy Racers' do ruin everything for everyone. Shame i'm the one paying the numerous fines and being treated unfairly when being abused, threatened with knives and attacked in Road Rage. Just becuase they turn up - see my car - and presume i must have started any incident - because my car must be "Intimidating". Shame.

Anonymous said...

Totally agree. Perhaps if police everywhere had a better understanding of this then some areas (wont mention where) wont get a bad reputation for police being harsh. Where I am there are no tensions between "cruisers" and the police yet the next major town down the road the police are hated as all they do is pick on cruisers and issue tickets/hort1's/vdrs and are always there making life hell.

Why are areas so different with the relationships between the cruisers and the police?

Anonymous said...

I like this man, he has an idea of the world as it is in the 21st century. Why can't all Officers take a lesson from him? Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Totaly agree with you 100% If people want to look down on us "Boy Racers" then they should just keep their noses out of what where doing, and concentrate on the fucking road!

P.S. like the grouping "Crusiers and Racers" lol

PC South West said...

We have been told to not to use the term "Boy Racer" but, MVUG (modified vehicle user group), what is that all about?
I agree there are good law abiding people who modify there car and drive responsibly.
Trouble is when you mix with a certain crowd, who often behave like twats, you get tared with the same brush.
I Police a town in the south west that is almost famous for cruses, both legal and illegal. Sunday evenings are like a symphony of straight through exhausts, with drag racing down the long stretch of duel carriageway.
I would say the irresponsible outnumber the responsible by about 90% to 5%. And many become involved in crime and disorder, and I am not a fan.