# Teens race each other on Toronto streets; 46-year-old cab driver killed **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783 "2006-01-26T23:27:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/1 "2006-01-26T23:27:34Z")
[Link to the full story here](http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20060125-002/page.asp), with [more about Tahir Khan](http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20060125-009/page.asp). The taxi driver was saving up money and put everything on hold to bring over his wife from Pakistan. He was going to become a full Canadian citizen tomorrow. And he made a left turn at the wrong time, and two kids speed-racing down the street crashed into his car–and he died instantly. It’s horrible. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/2 "2006-01-26T23:35:12Z")
I think it’s time to start wearing a helmet when I go out for a spin. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/3 "2006-01-27T00:50:51Z")
It really steams me how they are blaming video games (or talk radio is trying to at least). It’s a problem of not realising that our actions sometimes have unintended and tragic consequences if we’re not careful. grrrrr I hadn’t heard the backstory into the cab drivers life. Very sad ☹ . ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/4 "2006-01-27T01:03:37Z")
> [@drm](#): > > It really steams me how they are blaming video games (or talk radio is trying to at least). It’s a problem of not realising that our actions sometimes have unintended and tragic consequences if we’re not careful. grrrrr. Becuase you know teenagers never raced cars before video games. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/5 "2006-01-27T01:29:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Becuase you know teenagers never raced cars before video games. Oh, no, of course they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/6 "2006-01-27T01:33:12Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Becuase you know teenagers never raced cars before video games. /werd. We had a problem here last summer with teenagers racing at some industrial street, ala Fast and the Furious and a local news station blamed it on the movie. I sat there just stunned and wondered if anyone remembered James Dean and the 50’s Hot Rods. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/7 "2006-01-27T01:34:41Z")
These teenagers and their MTV video games! ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/8 "2006-01-27T01:47:20Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > These teenagers and their MTV video games! Get off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/9 "2006-01-27T01:49:44Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Becuase you know teenagers never raced cars before video games. People died of cancer before atomic bombs were invented. That doesn’t mean atomic bomb fallout doesn’t cause cancer. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/10 "2006-01-27T02:07:55Z")
> [@](#): > > People died of cancer before atomic bombs were invented. That doesn’t mean atomic bomb fallout doesn’t cause cancer If someone is so malleable that they go out and copy a videogame after they watch it, their problem ain’t with the video game. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/11 "2006-01-27T02:12:13Z")
Well apparently a copy of “Need For Speed” was found on the front seat of one of the teenager’s (parent’s) cars. At least that’s what I heard on the news last night. Not that I’m trying to draw conclusions; I’m just putting it out there as a fact. Anyone else want to draw conclusions? ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/12 "2006-01-27T02:31:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Well apparently a copy of “Need For Speed” was found on the front seat of one of the teenager’s (parent’s) cars. I own every version of that game. Strangely, I’ve never street raced. I must be immune or something. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/13 "2006-01-27T02:47:47Z")
That was a liittle snarky. All I’m saying is that blaming videogames is a copout. Gah, I can’t stop thinking about that poor guy’s wife. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/14 "2006-01-27T03:02:31Z")
> [@drm](#): > > That was a liittle snarky. All I’m saying is that blaming videogames is a copout. > > Gah, I can’t stop thinking about that poor guy’s wife. I just started typing an epistle on the game/reality possibility. Then I came to my senses. I can keep reality and fantasy separate, but perhaps it’s not the same for everyone. And perhaps hallucinogens came into play? Who knows. It is very sad though. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/15 "2006-01-27T03:31:54Z")
That it is. Boy I just feel especially bad for this guy’s wife. She doesn’t even know it happened yet. It’s one thing to lose a love one but to add to that being halfway around the world with no idea it has happened…man. I just hope they manage to contact her soon. I would hate to have her just sitting around waiting for communication from him. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/16 "2006-01-27T04:24:00Z")
The video game defense. The Hostess Twinkie defense. The harsh toilet training defense. Og on a pogo-stick! I am so fed up with everybody having some excuse pulled freshly from their asshole as to why they did thus-and-so. It would be refreshing for someone to simply admit that they’re a fuckwit and that their Dad should have pulled out. ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/17 "2006-01-27T08:20:05Z")
> [@drm](#): > > That it is. > > Boy I just feel especially bad for this guy’s wife. She doesn’t even know it happened yet. It’s one thing to lose a love one but to add to that being halfway around the world with no idea it has happened…man. I just hope they manage to contact her soon. I would hate to have her just sitting around waiting for communication from him. From the OP’s link: \*"On Wednesday night, friends of the deceased made a difficult call back to his homeland to inform his family of the bad news. “My friend just called Pakistan and notified the family and are in process of making arrangements to ship the body to Pakistan,” said Rashid Quazi". The report also stated that the 18-year old joyriders would get life if found guilty. Anyone feel sorry for them?? ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/18 "2006-01-27T10:13:26Z")
What a senseless loss of life. However, I did a touble-take on reading this in the OP’s [link](http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20060125-002/page.asp): > [@](#): > > Authorities contend street racing is becoming all too common a problem in the G.T.A. and they vow to clamp down on it in any way possible. I can see from the context that GTA means the [Greater Toronto Area](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Toronto_Area), but my first thought was [Grand Theft Auto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_series) (in which case the quoted sentence gets a “_well, duh!_”). A macabre coincidence in this case. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/19 "2006-01-27T12:33:01Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > People died of cancer before atomic bombs were invented. That doesn’t mean atomic bomb fallout doesn’t cause cancer. Yes! Plumbers are being convicted of animal cruelty to turtles at an alarming rate. Higher primates don’t seem to be immune from this plague; now flaming oil cans are considered a weapon of mass destruction. It’s not too soon to stop this before dogs start laughing at their owners. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783/20 "2006-01-27T14:17:39Z")
How long before Clinton gets on a soapbox and wants to ban all racing games? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teens-race-each-other-on-toronto-streets-46-year-old-cab-driver-killed/341783.md?page=2)