Insurance companies and defense lawyers like to throw this phrase around because it sounds worse than ordinary speeding. They use it to suggest a driver was showing off, acting reckless, or practically inviting a crash. That can be a handy way to argue that an injured person caused their own injuries or should get less money. A lot of bad advice treats it like "just another speeding ticket." It usually is not.

What it really means is a display of a vehicle's speed or power for attention, thrill, or show - hard acceleration, tire squealing, fishtailing, spinning out, or blasting away from a stoplight even without a formal race. The key idea is not just going fast, but putting on a show of speed. Depending on the facts, police may fold that behavior into charges such as drag racing, a speed contest, reckless driving, or careless driving.

For an injury claim, that label can matter a lot. If a crash happened on a dangerous stretch like M-59 Hall Road in Macomb County, the other side may point to any "exhibition of speed" allegation as proof of comparative fault. Under Michigan's modified comparative negligence rule, MCL 600.2959 (1995), a person found more than 50% at fault can be barred from recovering noneconomic damages like pain and suffering. So even a flashy-sounding traffic accusation can become a serious fight over fault, credibility, and insurance value.