South Africa’s roads are dangerous places, which is borne out by our annual road death toll.

Consider this – Australia has fewer road deaths per year than we have over a five-week stretch over New Year’s.

We’ll leave that discussion for another day, though, and focus on street spinning, which isn’t exactly much safer for those watching on when done badly.

VICE did a little digging into South Africa’s spinning culture, so we’ll start there:

“Spinning” came to prominence in the late 80s as the rise of a gangster culture coincided with the release of the BMW’s 325i, or the “Gusheshe.” In its earliest phases, spinning was affiliated with heavy duty criminality—with most of those involved likely to have either kidnapped a person, or stole the car.

But today, spinning has morphed into a sport with rules, traditions, and even paychecks, just like any other sport. In 2014, spinning was even recognized as an official motorsport by South Africa’s motorsport association, allowing it to become a spectacle in stadiums around the country.

But while this was seen as a huge win for suburban spinning communities to get spinning taken seriously, a lack of formal structure and corporate sponsorship leaves drivers with an income so fickle that it rarely covers expenses.

In his latest book, Tell Them About Me, Melbourne-based photographer Ryan Cookson offers a snapshot of what spinning looks like today, as both a sport and subculture. Shot over two years, the book explores the sport’s tropes and evolution, tactfully avoiding the sensationalist efforts of those who’ve come before him. Looking to reach farther than spinning as a just a sport, Ryan’s series gives vision to the communities that have dedicated decades to its proliferation.

We won’t run through the entire interview with Cookson, who speaks at length on the topic, but here are some of his standout photos:

There’s a bumper sticker you don’t want to see on your daughter’s car.

‘Plan B’ is a morning after pill, in case you didn’t catch that.

Now you could watch The Grand Tour’s efforts to cover street spinning, but this clip from Al Jazeera is a little more balanced:

Apparently, this chap, seen from the one-minute mark, was quite a legend in the sport:

Not for me, thanks.

As long as you’re not injuring anybody or breaking the law, I guess you can do your thing.

[source:vice]