Georgia lawmakers have expressed concern over the alarming rise of street racing and takeovers across the state. After a major uptick during the pandemic, street racers have continued to plague our streets while endangering average people. These illegal speed contests can injure or kill drivers, passengers, audiences, and innocent bystanders. Two recent street racing crashes in Cobb County highlight how dangerous this phenomenon has become.
Driver Commits Hit-and-Run While Doing Stunts in Parking Lot
While street racing has been around since the invention of automobiles, so-called “street takeovers” represent a relatively new phenomenon. Participants gather at parking lots or intersections before performing various stunts, including donuts, burnouts, and other dangerous maneuvers. Although this might seem less dangerous compared to racing, bystanders continue to suffer serious injuries as a result of street takeovers.
A recent incident of this nature left a teenager critically injured. The Marietta Police Department states that in April of 2025, a group of drivers started performing stunts in a parking lot. A 19-year-old was in the audience, watching the vehicles spin at high speeds with his friends.
The stunts continued for almost 10 minutes before a silver Infiniti struck the teenager while exiting the parking lot. The vehicle dragged the teen for a considerable distance while the driver failed to stop, and this led to critical injuries for the 19-year-old. Police say that they located the suspect’s vehicle after the crash, although they did not reveal whether the driver was taken into custody. Law enforcement is urging anyone with more information to come forward.
Street Racer Found Guilty in Connection to 15-Year-Old’s Death
Also in late April of 2025, a street racer was found guilty by a Cobb County jury for reckless driving and speeding. He was subsequently sentenced to 12 months in jail, although he will spend only six months behind bars.
In 2023, this man started racing with another driver after leaving a car show. They reached speeds of over 100 miles an hour, barreling down a 45-mph zone before one of the drivers lost control. This driver was transporting the 15-year-old victim, who was ejected onto the road. A tree uprooted by the collision subsequently fell onto the teenager, crushing him and causing fatal injuries. The impact was so severe that the crashed vehicle wrapped itself completely around a tree trunk.
The driver of the vehicle survived, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the street racing crash. He must serve at least seven years of his sentence behind bars. Although this driver was behind the wheel, it is encouraging to see that the other driver faced consequences as well. Even though this other driver might not have impacted the vehicle carrying the 15-year-old, he still contributed to the fatal crash by engaging in a street race.
One can only hope that these tragedies stop occurring in Marietta. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of this trend is its tendency to attract younger teens, who often lose their lives far too early after street racing crashes in Marietta.