Movie fans may be used to seeing cars racing through Los Angeles. But it's a very real problem for the city's residents. Since the turn of the century, at least 179 have died in illegal street races in-and-around LA. Racers say they want legal avenues to pursue their passion. But it's not a simple proposition, nor is it cheap, as CGTN's Phil Lavelle reports.

The thrill is real for them.

PHIL: Have you guys been to any illegal races?

OSCAR: Yeah, all the time.

But so is the danger. Just ask Lili D'Alessandro about that.

"It's just getting way, way out of control."

She's a mother on a mission. And it's a very personal one. To put an end to ILLEGAL racing on LA's streets.

"So many innocent people are dying."

Her daughter, Valentina, among them. She was killed five years ago. She was just a passenger in a friend's car.

LILI D'ALESSANDRO ANTI-STREET RACING CAMPAIGNER "He got challenged to a street race. He took the challenge and he was going extremely fast, over 100, crossed the red light, crashed against an SUV and then against the fence and Valentina was partially ejected from the window. She's the only one who passed away."

PHIL LAVELLE LOS ANGELES "Illegal street racing is a big problem here in LA. Thought to have killed at least 179 people since 2000. Long, straight, roads like these lending themselves to impromptu - and sometimes organized - challenges. Appealing to drivers, mostly young ones, looking for the next big thrill."

MARIO STREET RACER PHIL "What's the atmosphere like at one of these events?"

MARIO "Everyone's out there having a good time, but it becomes worrisome if someone wrecks or the police come, you get your car impounded or go to jail yourself."

Mario and Oscar have been to their share.. But they know the risks. They prefer to race on a legal track.

MARIO STREET RACER "See I've drove my car on the streets dangerously - and I've drove it at a track. But at the track, you can push your limits and not have to worry about repercussions, pretty much."

And that's what veteran racers, like Donald, want more of.

DONALD GALAZ INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF STREET RACERS "Organized, sanctioned raceways, locally. So that way, everybody can participate in a safe, controlled environment."

He's from the International Brotherhood of Street Racers.

DONALD GALAZ INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF STREET RACERS PHIL "You guys are a legitimate organization but you also hold illegal races."

DONALD "We have done illegal events - illegal organized events - and I'm not ashamed to admit it. We go to industrial areas, we take them to areas where there are no houses around and we try to do it as safe as possible."

And their LONG-TERM solution.

DONALD GALAZ INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF STREET RACERS "The more facilities, the more outlets you have, the more people you will get off the streets. You won't completely stop it. But you will get them to the tracks."

PHIL "A lot of the racers say 'We need tracks, we need somewhere to go.' Why haven't they got them?"

MITCHELL ENGLANDER LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL "We used to have them, some here in Los Angeles. The problem is that the land is so cost prohibitive. Private operators don't wanna operate them and you've got a liability issue. The other idea is to try to find opportunities where we can either shut down local streets or do something on an interim basis, if it's infrequent, just to get people to do that and have a safe place to do that."

For Lili, meanwhile, her fight will continue. She travels around schools now, her Street Racing Kills campaign, trying to educate school kids about a split second choice they may have to make. You've gotta show them reality. Her tragic loss hopefully helping other parents avoid their own.

"It keeps me going that she's saving lives. And I want her to save lives everywhere, not just LA."

Phil Lavelle, CGTN, Los Angeles.