Restoring Accountability in the Car Scene. The solution

Car culture has always been about passion, pride, and community but lately, the scene feels more divided than ever. From chaotic takeovers, These “flash mob” events are often organized and promoted via social media and are known to cause traffic disruptions, injuries, fatalities, vandalism, and other crimes. to unregulated meets, it’s clear something has gone off course. To fix what’s broken, we may need to take a page from the past and bring back the structure, discipline, and organization that once kept automotive and motorcycle communities thriving. Takeover culture is not all at fault, it’s easy to only blame their culture but clout chasing culture is also part of the blame and including us regular car enthusiasts who have only complained and done nothing. Many events have been cancelled because of this with the huge event recently Slammedenuff at Gatlinburg.

I grew up around my mom and uncle, both active in motorcycle clubs that operated with a strict code of conduct. These weren’t just hangouts, they were organized networks with rules, committees, and even governing boards. Every club in a city or town was represented by someone on a local committee. New clubs couldn’t just pop up; they had to be approved before being recognized as legitimate. Hosting events or fundraisers required permission. Everything ran through the system not to control people, but to ensure order. Car clubs operated the same way but because I was not in a car club around that time I rather members from then speak out about it.

These committees included not just club members but also police officers, city councilmen, doctors, and even permit officials. Some were riders themselves, others were community leaders, but all shared the goal of keeping things moving in the right direction. There were state-level boards too, made up of representatives from each club of that county. Power rotated yearly meaning every region got a turn at being “the top club” for their area, city, or state.

That structure created accountability. If a member broke the rules whether it was reckless burnouts, fights, or shutting down streets; the whole club could face suspension, revocation, or be required to serve the community to make things right. Troublemakers were banned from events, stripped of privileges, and had to earn their way back through good behavior. The clubs policed their own before law enforcement ever had to step in. That’s why the 1990s motorcycle scene stayed strong; it was built on respect, reputation, and rules.

So what happened? Over time, people didn’t want to answer to anyone. Boards cost money, dues got expensive, and jealousy between clubs caused rifts. When the system collapsed, everyone started doing their own thing. Fast forward to today we’ve got takeovers, reckless meets, and social media fame chasing replacing the sense of brotherhood and responsibility.

Private meets and exclusive “only certain builds allowed” events haven’t solved the problem, they’ve made it worse. By pushing people out, we’ve created the very takeover culture that’s threatening everything we’ve built. When enthusiasts are excluded, they find their own way to make noise. And now, we’re all paying the price.

The solution isn’t isolation, it’s organization. Bringing back committees and boards might not be popular, but it’s necessary. We need systems of accountability again. A way to recognize legitimate clubs, monitor events, and hold people responsible for their actions. If we truly want to save the car scene, we have to stop running from structure and start rebuilding the respect that once defined it.

Because at the end of the day, car culture isn’t dying because of outsiders. It’s dying because we forgot how to govern ourselves. It’s time to bring back the old ways, before we lose it all. Leave your comments down below and share, this is a past due discussion.