1320drag.net -#1 source for drag racing videos & racing content - View Single Post - Illegal street racing has been growing a problem in the G.T.A

2TONE_93GT · 01-26-2006, 12:51 PM

Quote:

They mostly come out when you’re asleep.

Under cover of darkness, they hit the road and then the accelerator, driving their way towards higher and higher speeds.

Illegal street racing has been growing a problem in the G.T.A. for years, with police from all across the region launching initiatives over the years to stop it.

But cops can’t be everywhere and drag racers often know where they’re not going to be, picking those places to gather.

The tragic death of a Toronto taxi driver on Tuesday night has reinforced that the need for speed can be a killer.

“In the summertime, it’s a bigger problem in that there are designated areas that these guys make themselves that they show up at and they try pull off actual races,” Traffic Services Det. Paul Lobsinger tells Pulse24.com.

Unfortunately, Toronto is listed as one of the biggest areas for the races. It's estimated there are 20,000 street racers in Southern Ontario. Since 1999, 30 people have died because of the illegal sport.

And police allege the practice also leads to property damage, weapons offences, and alcohol abuse.

But the numbers don't tell the real story. Lobsinger notes for every one who gets caught, there are more who escape undetected.

Recent studies have shown a large number of the offenders are those with the least experience – drivers with just a G1 or a G2 licence. In some cases, speeds reach between 130-140 kilometres an hour.

Where does it happen? On city streets and on highways.

“Motorcycles like the Don Valley Parkway in the middle of the night in the summer, the 404 – there’s different areas and they move around as we make adjustments to try and catch them,” Lobsinger outlines.

In many cases, the culprits aren’t part of any organized groups – just young males who come together and decide to challenge each other in a foolish game of chicken.

So what’s the point of it all? For some, it’s the simple desire to compete. Others want to show off their souped-up vehicles. And a few do it for money.

A street race in Vancouver involved money being put into a hat and the loot delivered to a secret location. The drivers in the “contest” were then phoned and told where the bounty was – and whoever got there first won the prize.

It’s a recipe for disaster that cops have seen far too often. And it’s not just speed that’s the problem.

Other techniques for the hot shots include using other drivers in other vehicles to block off intersections to keep cops from reaching the scene; darting in and out of traffic to see who can reach a destination first; or speeding around corners to see how their tires handle the curves.

Officials don’t have any firm figures on how widespread the problem really is, but cops believe many serious or fatal accidents involving speed could have street racing as a primary cause.

In addition to the dangers to the drivers involved, police say the practice also creates hazards in other areas:

* It puts pedestrians and other motorists in jeopardy
* It adds to noise pollution
* It encourages vandalism
* It can harm local businesses if cars are tying up the street
* It creates extra burdens on already crumbling roads and streets.

Those who are devoted to the practice contend the police and the press have it all wrong.

They have maintained for years that allowing them to build a de facto drag racing strip close to the city would allow those with the need for speed to indulge their habits without putting anyone in danger.

Proponents note that solution has worked in other North American cities. But so far neither the funds nor the permission has ever been forthcoming from any city in the G.T.A.

And Lobsinger doesn’t think it will make any difference.

“I know a lot of people who complain that they don’t get to go on a holiday,” he notes. “Should we build them a Princess Cruise Line down in the harbour and let them go on it down there, too?

“How about getting a job and earning a living and if that’s what you want to do as a living, go and be a racer. But don’t do it on our city streets!”

Cops believe part of the thrill is the danger of getting caught. And they think illegal street racers would quickly tire of any area designated especially for their use.

Lobsinger maintains the answer is education and tougher penalties, pointing out Toronto’s summer of the gun has nothing on the hundreds of fatal accidents that plague the city’s streets every year.

But he complains no one seems quite as upset about that.

January 25, 2006