At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, racing on public streets is both illegal and extremely dangerous, yet that doesn't seem to deter some people.
The following video is the perfect example of what can and often does go wrong. It shows two heavily modified but ratty looking Mustangs take each other on down a narrow stretch of road with hundreds of onlookers standing by.
Challenger one arrives from Mississippi in a stripped-out LS1-equipped Mustang called 'Purple Kush', while the other guy referred to as 'Side Piece' hails from New Orleans and is driving a similar vintage Mustang, this one still has a Ford motor under its hood. Neither car looks like it could pass as roadworthy without some serious repairs.
Playing out like a low-budget version of Fast and the Furious, these two contenders do a couple of burnouts to get some heat into their tires and then set off down the strip.
Only a few moments later Purple Kush losses control and veers off towards the verge hitting a rather sturdy pole. The car is practically torn in half as it comes to a rest a few yards later. Miraculously the driver managed to walk away from his mangled car with some help from a bystander.
Despite the wreck looking like it did, his injuries amounted to a few lost teeth and a broken jaw and shoulder. There is a reason why proper dragstrips have barriers on either side and competitors are required to wear helmets and have roll cages fitted to their cars. We hope that these guys have learned their lesson as this situation could have played out far worse than it did.