A tragic accident during an off-road race in California's Mojave Desert has left eight people dead and 12 others injured, prompting calls for the sport to be better regulated or shut down. During Saturday's "California 200" rally, driver Brett Sloppy lost control of his 3,500-pound modified truck and crashed into a crowd of onlookers. The race took place on a site owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management, but officials at the agency have disclaimed any responsibility for the deaths. "The feds have allowed a Mad Max atmosphere to develop" at these races, says environmentalist Kieran Suckling, quoted in the L.A. Times. "You can't put these huge crowds together with fast and powerful machines and not expect these kinds of accidents." Our sport may not survive this dreadful accident, says Wayne Nosala, a regional director of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association, quoted in The New York Times. But if it does, we promise these events will be "more tightly managed." Watch an AP report about the crash below:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What is the Federal Reserve and what does it do?The explainer The decisions made by the United States' central banking system have very real economic effects
-
'Natural disasters don't happen only in the movies'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump vs. the arts: Fresh strikes against PBS and the NEAFeature Trump wants to cut funding for public broadcasting and the arts, which would save a little but cost a lot for red states
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to goThe Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala HarrisThe Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
