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A recent movie called "The Fast and the Furious" glamourizes the practice of street racing, or drag racing on public streets.

It turns out the scenes depicted in the movie are played out in real life almost every weekend in the Salt Lake Valley.

Our Crime Specialist Karen Scullin has been investigating the steet racing scene since early last summer and discovered it is suprisingly popular and shockingly dangerous. She has this special report

I watched dozens of street races on streets just like this one, in cars like this Honda Prelude and Honda Civic.

Fans line the edge of the street, and drivers can push these specially equipped cars past a hundred miles an hour.

The fans and drivers say its exciting -- police say the danger quotient is high -- and someday, someone is likely to die "for the sake of speed."

The drivers pumped full of adrenaline.

The cars pumped full of high-octane fuel.

And the race is on.

Bruce/Street Racer: "JUST FOR THE THRILL. JUST TO GET OUT, DRIVE FAST, AND HAVE SOME FUN."

It's a thriving, underground culture of supercharged cars, secrecy, and most of all, speed.

"HOW FAST CAN YOU GO?" "IN MY HOOP-D? ABOUT 120."

Bobby/Street Racer/Fan: "IT'S A PURE ADRENALINE RUSH, THAT'S ALL IT IS. IT'S JUST LIKE JUMPING OUT OF AN AIRPLANE ONLY I'D RATHER BE ON THE GROUND GOING 130-140 MILES AN HOUR."

At about midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, dozens of racers and hundreds of fans hit the dark, relatively empty streets in an industrial section of the valley's west side.

Bobby/Street Racer: "IT'S A THRILL RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT HAVING A GOOD TIME."

Thrilling, exciting, dangerous, and by the way-- illegal!

While the racers are chasing each other, they are also running away from the cops. They tune into police scanners to hear if the heat is on.

Even so, usually a couple of drivers get caught and ticketed. But with engines revving and the excitement in high gear, most just run, scatter, and regroup somewhere else. And that's part of the fun. "THAT'S SUCH A RUSH, DUDE!"

Bobby/Races and Watches: "EVERYBODY COULD BE OUT GETTING DRUNK, SHOOTING PEOPLE, GETTING HIGH, WHY NOT RACE CARS? COPS NEED TO LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE."

But everyone knows the risks.

Shawn/Racing Fan: "EVERYBODY'S GOING TO GET CAUGHT EVENTUALLY."

And on this particular Saturday night in Woods Cross, that's exactly what happened. With only one way in and one way out, everyone-- about 40 people-- got caught and got a ticket for exhibition driving.

Officer John Purcell/Woods Cross Police Dept.: "TO COME OUT ON A PUBLIC ROADWAY WHERE THEY GOT A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE LINED ALONG THE SIDES, JUST IN THE GUTTERS, WATCHING, BLOWN TIRE..SOMETHING GOING WRONG. SOMEONE'S GOING TO GET HURT, POSSIBLY KILLED."

Karen Scullin/Eyewtiness News: "EVEN THOUGH THE COPS BUST UP JUST ABOUT EVERY RACE, THAT DOESN'T DETER THOSE WHO DO RACE FROM SINKING A LOT OF MONEY IN THEIR CARS TO MAKE THEM GO REALLY FAST. SOME SAY THEIR MODIFICATIONS RUN THEM INTO THE THOUSANDS."

Tuan/Street Racer: "WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE IS A T-3-T4 TURBO."

Tuan/ Street Racer: "CUSTOM PAIN, ONE PIECE HEADLIGHT, FULL BODY KIT. 18 INCH WHEEL RACING HEARTS."

Tuan: "WE GOT DRAG TURBO KIT."

And while some of the power-boosting add-ons, like a can of nitrus oxide, are illegal....all of it is costly.

"YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHAT, FIFTEEN...TWENTY THOUSAND."

But drivers say it's worth it, because it can mean the difference between winning and losing in a competition that's an exciting obsession for racers, but a dangerous game to police.

Most police departments we spoke with were not aware of just how popular these racing events are, and they haven't mobilized any additional patrols.