There are two types of speed and both of them are killers. There's "speed", the drug…and the speed caused by a heavy foot pushing the gas pedal down to the floor.

People who study the fast, furious, too often fatal rides taken by teens warn that high speed driving can become as addictive as any of the illegal substances injected, inhaled or ingested into the human body. Street racing, a.k.a. drag racing, with the excitement of living dangerously, the thrill of not knowing what's around the next bend in the road, and the feel of unlimited power at your fingertips, totally controlling over 3,000 pounds of metal and glass, can give a real high. But for far too many street racers, the high is a short time gain for a lot of long time pain.

SPEED is a factor in 75% of all deaths involving teenagers. The Director of San Diego State University's Institute of Transportation, warms: "It's really scary to learn what young drivers think is safe driving behavior." His study of 2,300 teenagers between 16 and 18 years of age revealed that they didn't think they were speeding unless they were going over 90 miles an hour. Where do young people get their dangerously mistaken ideas about speed? Some copy cat the reckless driving they see in films like 2 Fast 2 Furious, some get their wrong ideas from videos and television shows that glorify speed and getting away from the police. Others follow the poor examples set by their friends or even members of their own families.

Many Americans, young and old alike, admit they speed at times. But street racing and driving totally too fast is especially deadly for young, inexperienced drivers. Speed cheats them of the time needed to react to road hazards and keep from crashing. Not that many teens, no matter how bright they are, are "street smart" when it comes to speed. For example, few understand how long it takes to being a speeding car to a full stop, no matter how powerful its braking system is. For the record, automotive engineers agree that it takes 268 feet or about the length of a football field for a car going just 50 mph to come to a full stop. At 70 mph, a car or truck would travel almost TWICE that distance. Just imagine what little stopping power a car driven 90 mph has!

Traveling at almost unstoppable speed, and all too often wearing no seat belt, its easy to understand why its been said that, "the most dangerous part of a car is the nut behind the steering wheel; the nut of any age, crazy enough to risk his or her own life and the lives of others in a street race. BE SAFE, BE SMART, and BE A ROLE MODEL to your friends. It's cool to pay attention to traffic laws and keep yourself and your passengers out of harm's way.