Street Racing + California Cops =?

[lizard.boy]

I live in Ontario, and although I don't own a car yet, I don't like the idea that if I modified my car the police could impound and crush the vehicle just because they wanted to, on account of "street racing."

However, I totally agree that people caught with decent evidence that they were street racing, should have their cars confiscated.

[sn00pie]

Almost as dumb as that article I read that Ontario Police (want to) have the right to seize and destroy any car that has been modified for street racing. That makes no sense, you can buy stock production vehicles that come with 350-500hp, if your going to destroy a Civic that's been modded to 300hp, why wouldn't you destroy every other car with 300+hp? :/

I'd mod my car up, but not for street racing, mostly for shows. :D

[Nose Nuggets]

Trackdays aren't the same thing as track racing though.

Plenty of track days cost well under ?100 / $200 here through forums and owners clubs. For example, see http://www.bhptrackdays.co.uk/events.php

And there are plenty of cheap motorsports series around, here for example, there's everything from lawn mower racing up. There are things like the LoCost championship to karting - none of which cost more than a few thousand a season...

See http://www.locost-racing.com/ for one person's break down of what it cost him for a season, including getting his racing license...

now we are heading out of context. we are talking about alternatives for racing your daily driver here.

This law was not designed to target people who drive normal cars quickly. This law was designed to specifically target people who spend thousands of dollars converting their cars to racing machines. This law was designed to stop the habitual racer that risks lives each and every month.

well then you should make a law that does what you state. the law we are discussing does that but far more as well. this law could be easily exploited by law enforcement to include far to many things. the law is so vauge that you could crush a car with external modification like spoilers and wings that do absolutely nothing for street racing. the only requirement is the officer can identify modifications or after market parts on the car.

[shockz]

My car has no speed governor, and no rev limiter. Both were removed by me. Do you think I race?

Why would you remove those if you didn't want to race... rev limiter I can understand... but unless your speed governor is 60 MPH why would you remove it???

[SoCalledChaos]

"If we can establish someone has parts and they're juicing up their car ? obviously for the purpose of street racing ? then we can seize those vehicles," Mr. Bryant said.

^^ he's saying, if they know your car is for street racing they can take it away.. i dont blame them.. race on a track. rice cars are stupid anyway... nothing looks more stupid than a civic with a 3inch fart can on the back

[GNRambo]

"If we can establish someone has parts and they're juicing up their car — obviously for the purpose of street racing — then we can seize those vehicles," Mr. Bryant said.

^^ he's saying, if they know your car is for street racing they can take it away.. i dont blame them.. race on a track. rice cars are stupid anyway... nothing looks more stupid than a civic with a 3inch fart can on the back

They dont have a right to do that, as someone said before: thats like aresting someone for murder because they just bought a gun.

They might as well crush every vehicle that has more than 200hp :rolleyes:

I agree streetracing is wrong, but crushing a car because it LOOKS like a street racer is wrong. They should only crush it if theres evidence that the specific car has been racing.

[sn00pie]

How can they establish your car is for street racing? There are alot of street-racers who have stock cars, cars like the WRX STi, Lancer Evo, and the list goes on.... :s

[GNRambo]

How can they establish your car is for street racing? There are alot of street-racers who have stock cars, cars like the WRX STi, Lancer Evo, and the list goes on.... :s

Lancer Evos are illegal in canada anyways :p

Its true, WRX STi is faster than most racing cars out there, and its stock. Guess cops cant do anything unless you streetrace with it (and they catch you).

[sn00pie]

Sumeet, I've seen a few up here, just like Scions aren't sold up here.

There sold in the states, but they bring them up here, I've seen a few dealers with Scion XB's and a few TC's, but they're all traded in.

[Circaflex]

Im glad, hopefully this stops those idiots in their riced out hondas to stop thinking they are faster than everyone else and quit driving like morons on the road. People should take it to the track anyways.

[Nose Nuggets]

Im glad, hopefully this stops those idiots in their riced out hondas to stop thinking they are faster than everyone else and quit driving like morons on the road. People should take it to the track anyways.

it wont

guaranteed.

[Diffused Mind]

Why would you remove those if you didn't want to race... rev limiter I can understand... but unless your speed governor is 60 MPH why would you remove it???

A friend of mine was showing me how to run ECU modifications, and that was one of the things we did in our learning experience.

[tao muon]

They dont have a right to do that, as someone said before: thats like aresting someone for murder because they just bought a gun.

<snip>

No, it's not the same.

The 'same' would be taking the gun and melting it down because a person bought a gun and was wearing it in a holster around the waist and showing it off in public, braggin about it if you will, as if that person would be willing to use the gun given the chance.

Much of modern society has an 'if you've got it, flaunt it and don't be afraid to use it' mentality.

[Ji@nBing]

it wont

guaranteed.

Why wouldn't it? If some moron gets his car crushed, he may go out and buy another car, but you've got to think after getting two or more cars crushed he's going to have no choice but to find another hobby. It may not stop the street racing completely, but crush enough cars and you're going to reduce it drastically. Even if they save one innocent life by doing this, it would be worth it. I say crush anything that even looks remotely modified for racing.

I know you are saying people race stock cars too, and obviously this would just be one part of a more comprehensive programme to stop the racers. They would be going after the people they actually catch racing too. No one said this would be the only thing they are doing to stop it. It's about reducing it and getting as many of these morons of the streets as possible.

[IrfanL]

Solution:

Street Racers Association + Traffic Authority/Police + Sponsor(s) = Completly Legal Racing Event

Comments???

[Inertia]

I say crush anything that even looks remotely modified for racing.

How would you like it if somone crushed your yugo because of how it looked ?

be realistic

[Nose Nuggets]

No, it's not the same.

The 'same' would be taking the gun and melting it down because a person bought a gun and was wearing it in a holster around the waist and showing it off in public, braggin about it if you will, as if that person would be willing to use the gun given the chance.

Much of modern society has an 'if you've got it, flaunt it and don't be afraid to use it' mentality.

thats a mentality i have never heard of. but in any event, whats wrong with someone carrying a gun around in public? there are hundreds of thousands of people who carry guns in public. just like there are hundreds of thousands of people who drive modified cars responsibly.

i think a good comprison would be a police officer coming into your home and destroying all your wine glasses in an attempt to thwart drunk driving. you have wine, and you have wine glasses, obviously you will be drinking and driving, right?

Why wouldn't it? If some moron gets his car crushed, he may go out and buy another car, but you've got to think after getting two or more cars crushed he's going to have no choice but to find another hobby. It may not stop the street racing completely, but crush enough cars and you're going to reduce it drastically. Even if they save one innocent life by doing this, it would be worth it. I say crush anything that even looks remotely modified for racing.

I know you are saying people race stock cars too, and obviously this would just be one part of a more comprehensive programme to stop the racers. They would be going after the people they actually catch racing too. No one said this would be the only thing they are doing to stop it. It's about reducing it and getting as many of these morons of the streets as possible.

so you have spent a thousand bucks in taxpayer money to destroy two cars belonging to one guy, so now you have one less street racer. if people are willing to street race and drive very fast on roads that might not be designed for those speeds, and essentially putting his life on the line for a thrill, do you really think the possibility of having his car crushed ina large influence? honestly? hell, hes alerady looking as suspended license possibly jail time before this law was introduced.

Solution:

Street Racers Association + Traffic Authority/Police + Sponsor(s) = Completly Legal Racing Event

Comments???

it would be extremely hard to have police on site for a weekly street racing event. funds for such an event and the officers time would need to be voted on by the city council, which is full of people who probably hate street racing to begin. then you need some kind of reasoning to acquire sponsorship. its not as though StopTech and WingsWest are scrounging for places to throw money in exchange for a publicly hung banner. sponcership is REALLY hard to get, even on a race car at televised events. trust me on that one. then you also need a place to do it. coning of a portion of a street is right out because it hinders traffic, so the only real establishment that would fit the bill is an already established racing venue. they will want there standard daily rent fee, plus you will need corner workers or track staff, an ambulance on stand by, possibly a fire crew.

[pina_colada]

Let's stop the "real" crime of speeding while murderers, rapists, child molesters, and drug dealers go about their business.

Seriously, drag racing is illegal, highly dangerous, and does kill hundreds if not thousands of people a year. But cops should focus on the people I listed above. And I am willing to bet that cell phones lead to more deaths per year than street racing. When are we going to crack down on that?! People just don't get that it's the distracted mind that causes accidents, not one occupied hand. Hands-free devices are a band aid to an epidemic.

Here is the flaw in your argument: you assume police are focusing mainly on street racers, while it is not the case. Prove me that the police are concentrating their main focus on street racers and I will admit that you are right. Until then, you're just making your case based on a very unlikely assumption.

[JiveMasterT]

there is a line that needs to be drawn. im surprised it legal to crush a car that the owner can pay to get out of the impound and is street legal. if they cant afford to pay the bills to get it out, thats one thing. the illegal mods/street legal thing is also not black and white.

there are laws in place that give hefty fines and posible jail time to those who race illegally on the streets. i don't think that doing that crime warrants your car being smashed. just like i don't think public intoxication warrants a cop coming into your house and smashing all your wine glasses.

get some frame of reference here people. just because YOU dont street race and YOU dont condone street racing does not mean that some simmaler BS could, one day, be imposed on you. the street racing aspect is, IMHO irrelevant. they are destroying personal property to try to persuade other racers not to do it. i think its the complete wrong approach. just wait untill some retired 60 year old man gets his E55 AMG crushed because he drag raced someone at a traffic light. then someone with money will do the what im sad to say, is necessary, and fight this in a district court.

Absolutely right. Even still... say you go to pass someone and they slam on the gas all of the sudden. Cop sees it and boom we have "illegal speed contest" in which case you gotta go to court and prove it was a BS call. In the mean time your car was crushed for no reason. It can happen to anyone and so now if a cop doesn't like your car, your face, or they are having a bad day, they can crush your car. Great.

Good. They should impound and crush these heavily modded cars on sight, if they are racing or not. The only reason to have a car tricked out to such an extent is for illegal street racing. Several innocent people are killed in my city every year by these selfish pricks. If you want to race and drive fast, go to a race track, that's what they are for.

My car is modified. I race it on the track. I ONLY race it on the track. You're an idiot just like the cops who used to pull me over in my old car and accuse me of street racing and all that stuff. I race at the strip. I had registered numbers at the strip for a while. I do not engage in illegal street racing. I've seen too many of the negative effects and what can happen first hand. It's ignorance like that that bothers me. You know, I got a ticket one time for a 50 state legal exhaust on my car because the cop said in his opinion it was too loud even though the DOT approved it and it was deemed legal for street use. Why do you think I bought it? If I was in the state of 'Ji@nBing' my car would have been crushed for no reason.

It is illegal to drive a car modded for the race track on normal streets. So if you are doing so, you should know better and if your car gets crushed because of it, that's your own fault. A race car should be towed. Why do you think you see race cars always being towed to the track and not driven? Because it's illegal to do so without a special permit.

If it is a weekend race track car then you'd need to own a trailer to get it to the course. You will, obviously, not be allowed to drive there on a public road since souped up cars are not allowed on the public roads.

No it's not. You can do lots of things to your car while still remaining legal. Why do you think the California Air Regulation Board approves aftermarket parts for street use. There are lots of parts for cars that the department of transportation approves. Ignorance is asphyxiating in here.

"If we can establish someone has parts and they're juicing up their car ? obviously for the purpose of street racing ? then we can seize those vehicles," Mr. Bryant said.

^^ he's saying, if they know your car is for street racing they can take it away.. i dont blame them.. race on a track. rice cars are stupid anyway... nothing looks more stupid than a civic with a 3inch fart can on the back

How do they know my car is for street racing if they don't catch me in the act? Pulling me over because I have an exhaust on my car that happens to be legal and claiming my car is for street racing is just ridiculous. Lot's of people race on a track and they still have to deal with the stupid stereotype when they drive around in their daily driver. Have you ever been to a race track during a test and tune night? I'd say about 90% of the cars are drivin in, inspected, and thrown on the track. No trailer required. Racing on the track is for everyone - even the ricers. If someone wants to do something to their car who cares?

I never in a million years thought that there were this many people who assumed that because you do something to your car that it must be illegal. Ignorance is bliss I guess huh? Try doing a little bit of research before you go making wild accusations about how all modified cars are illegal and should be crushed.