Replying to Car tow in-urban

My friends and I have always been to cheap to buy a bungee or winch and have always towed each other behind a car into features. This works but also presents some problems. The speed is never the same and and you have to pull off the rope to get a consistent slingshot effect. You could get caught in the rope and get pulled behind the car, etc. Recently my buddy pulled way to hard off the rope and over shot to flat and wasn't wearing a helmet and got concussed. Has anyone figured out a good way to perfect the car tow in and not get hurt a lot in the process?