Need for speed : street racing in Hong Kong from the perspective of street racers

Abstract

Street racing is a global phenomenon. It refers to an illegal form of car racing that takes place on highways or public roads. It is considered as one of the extreme outdoor activities. It either causes personal safety or public safety concerns in many cities around the world. In Hong Kong, street racing is an issue which has been neglected by the general public for a long time. People barely understand the culture of it, not to mention the street racers’ views and experiences. This research seeks to examine the culture and special features of street racing in Hong Kong. More importantly, it also aims to explore the street racers’ personal views, motivation and experiences of engaging in street racing. This research is based on a qualitative design with one focus group and interviews. There were eight street racers aged between 22 and 45, who agreed to participate in this study. The results suggest that there are a number of facilitative factors motivating street racers to engage in street racing. First of all, most of them considered street racing as one of the methods to seek an escape from the dullness of society. Moreover, they believed that street racing is a way to prove their gender identity such as strength and power. Reviewing their responses during the interviews, most of them did not feel shameful or guilty for their illegal acts. They believed that street racing should not be considered a crime. The paper concludes different perspectives for further analyses of their risky behaviour.