Hooked on Speed

Roth says he has tried, instead, to shepherd the community through the bureaucratic process of getting stop signs installed and re-engineering the roads. He also says the city has rejected his many requests to install speed bumps.

A Department of Parking and Traffic spokesperson says the city stopped installing speed bumps years ago because some drivers complained they were too noisy and jarring. The city hopes to begin installing a variation on the speed bump (the speed hump) in the next few years.

Anthony Pidgeon

Marcia Sims has dedicated herself to working with young people since her 17-year-old son died in a car accident in 1997.

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More About

• Greg Johnson (Hockey)
• Kareem Ervin
• Marcia Sims
• Transportation
• Traffic Accidents

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As a tactic to cut down on reckless unlicensed driving, the Police Department also relies on the San Francisco Traffic Offender Program (STOP). Every month for five years, a group of 18 officers and civilians has spent 10 hours blitzing a particular district for traffic violations such as missing front license plates, bald tires, or speeding, in order to check drivers for their licenses and registration. If a driver doesn't have either, the officer issues a ticket. After a few citations, the punishment gets harsher, and the police can tow the unlicensed driver's car and charge a $1,250 fee, rather than simply issuing another ticket.

Some community organizations say that if only the kids had jobs or other diversions, they wouldn't turn to their cars for entertainment.

But Hatter of the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House thinks the root of the problem has to do with a careless and cynical attitude among youth. "What is contributing to this issue is that these youth are living for now, not caring about tomorrow," Hatter says. "They tell me, "It's fun, and what is death? Someone might walk up to me and shoot me, and if I'm not afraid of that, then I have a good chance of surviving in a car.' The youth today are not afraid of death. They've basically given up on life."

Ervin says that what separates him from the young men who race around recklessly in their cars is the fear of consequences. "It's not worth it," he explains. "You either go to jail or you die. But some kids don't listen. They have the attitude that it can't happen to them.

"How they drive their cars is how they live their lives -- too fast," Ervin says. "And they're either going to end their lives living too fast, or they're going to end their lives driving too fast."