pd_day

iTrader: (6)

The Tories’ get tough policy on crime is about to accelerate for those who like to put their foot on their accelerators.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has confirmed his government is planning to toughen up the laws around street racing, a move that will leave those found guilty facing stiffer jail sentences and with a criminal record.

The P.M. decided a change was needed because there’s currently no law that specifically targets the practice.

“That is why Canada's new government will introduce a bill this spring that will tackle street racing head on," Harper explains.

Some of those convicted of the unsafe hobby could also be prohibited from driving altogether.

The Liberal government had introduced a bill to deal with street racing last year, but it died when the Grit regime was defeated in the election.

The Conservatives want to put their new rules directly into the Criminal Code and create a deterrent with teeth.

That would bring a smile to the faces of veteran O.P.P. cops, who have seen the carnage the underground sport can cause.

“Our goal is to make street racing as socially unacceptable as drinking and driving,” relates Sgt. Cam Woolley. “Criminalizing it makes it that way.”

Street racing has become a fact of life in urban centres across the country, including Toronto.

It usually involves two cars going head-to-head against each other on a large stretch of pavement at speeds normally reserved only for NASCAR participants.

The results can be deadly.

It was just last January when two young teens were charged with criminal negligence causing death after their alleged attempts to turn a video game into a real life event led to the death of a Toronto taxi driver.

Police allege 18-year-olds Alexander Ryazanov and ****−Piao Dumani Ross were racing each other up Mt. Pleasant and St. Clair Ave. late at night in their parents' Mercedes, when taxi driver Tahir Khan attempted to make a left hand turn.

One of the luxury cars smashed straight into the 46-year-old cabbie, and he died at the scene.

That was the most publicized tragedy connected to the practice but it was by no means the only one.

Police believe a 22-year-old motorcycle rider who was killed on Highway 401 near Jane on March 18th may have been racing against another biker.

Proponents of the pastime claim they’d be happy to exercise their need for speed at a local track, if the government was willing to put the money out to build one for them.

Authorities counter it’s not their responsibility to scratch that illegal itch and that the racers shouldn’t be heading down public streets at unsafe speeds for any reason.

And critics of both sides think more enforcement and not tougher laws is the right solution.

The Harper Tories will get their motors running on the issue when the bill is introduced this spring.

Balzz

Great idea but enforcement is sure to be a sticky issue.

pd_day

iTrader: (6)

And what's this drift task force that I am hearing about ... ?

B6T

iTrader: (2)

I agree with what they are doing against street racing, those stupid kids need to be taught a lesson. However, proving that someone was racing is apparently one of the hardest things for a cop to do.

I also heard that the government is trying to nail our ***** to the floor by making it illegal to have any form of power adder on your car. In other words, if your car didn't come with it from the factory, and you are pulled over and caught with it (turbo, supercharger, engine swap, etc), then the police officer has the right to seize your plates and impound your vehicle. Now I can understand why they can do that to someone who maybe has a horrible driving record, racing tickets for example, but there is no reason why us law-abiding citizens with spotless driving records aren't allowed to give our cars a little more pep. It's a hobby for countless people, and a way of making a living for almost as many. If they go through with this, I'm moving to China, at least they aren't going to deny that they are communist.

Snrub

iTrader: (1)

Does anyone have any additional info on what B6T is refering to? (ie links?)

I don't have a huge problem with them going after street racers, but it bothers me that it is going to be one of the "corner peice" things that this government will do. They're sensationalizing the issue.

WHO

Well, it'S already illegal to change anything on your car in PQ (even the mags, or changing the type of tires size or rating), but I've never had any problems with the cops, most likely because they are not able to catch me :wink

RacerJason

iTrader: (5)

Street/Drag racing has existed for how many generations? I feel safer watching a street race at 3am then driving to work on the 404 in the morning. Of course accidents will happen and there will always be darwin like idiots. I do not support street racing nor have I ever participated but this is overboard. The highway traffic act pretty much covers everything with its charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle or reckless endangerment of lives while operating a motor vehicle. I remember a cop telling me once while writing me a ticket that if I wasn't there as an observer than the race would likely not have occured. Yeah RIGHT... Street racing will always exist in one form or another.

autocrash

The real problem with this legislation is not the enforcement, the problem is the legal definition of street racing!
If, like B6T said, it is really hard for a cop to prove you are street racing right now, they will probably attempt to legislate some overly broad definition. A definition that may be too easy to fall within as drivers of sports cars...

...****, this feels just like posts I used to make on canadiangunnutz.com...

...the problem may be that if I pull away from a stoplight a bit too fast, or my car is a bit too loud, and some cop is having a shitty day, I may get a ticket for streetracing... (and then go to jail...)


.....


Matt

Whanrow

Exactly my worry. Picture it, you're sort of playing around with another car in traffic, and now they nail you with street racing instead of something else. Now you have a criminal record, and in my case I would loose my job of 28 yrs as they won't employ people with a criminal record. That leaves aside all the other BS attached to a criminal records - like fighting the charge itself which could be really difficult to prove you weren't street racing.

Fubawu

Typical response on a problem that is very minor. The media has made a major deal of it and
having movies like F&F dose not help. As stated before this has been going on forever
in the 60's and 70's guys were racing their Nova's and Road Runners and followed movies
like Smokey and the Bandit etc. All of a sudden it is a problem?? Don't get me started on tickets for exhausts. Those thrush mufflers that are on 60's and 70's muscle cars can shake the ground but know one cared. Now that is it a 150hp Honda everyone is worried. We are a society ruled by a fear and the media.
John

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

If anything this move by the Harper gov't is only there to generate sympathy votes from the target age group of supporters. Bottom line is speeding is already illegal - and can result in jai time on its own - and racign is already regarded (ticket/point/charge wise) as worse. So wat is he accomplishing other than wasting a number of days debating the bill in parliment?

Street racing will ALWAYS exist, as much as I hate to admit it. And they must realize that approx. half the motivation of people who do it is BECAUSE its illegal and "bad to the bone". Most of the punks who advocate it have to do something dangerous and illegal to make up for the lack of gerth in their drawers. So how is demonizing it further going to correct certain aspects of human nature?

andru

My only worry is how they plan on enforcing this law and the lawful definition of "racing" they plan on using. This is f**cking BS. I can imagine some guy going to jail for pushing his car alittle on a empty road late at night. I honestly don't want to know what this country will be like in the future with all this Zero tolerance & guilty by association crap. Why don't I hear about any serious laws enforcing crime and guns huh why? Every single day you have to hear the same f**cking crap on the news about someone being shot or a stray bullet ripping through the walls of someones home, but no it's more important to throw ppl in jail for this.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

amen

Half Jap Boost Junky

I find it funny that everytime there is an accedent or death due to "street racing" reported in the paper that it actually has nothing to do with the "organized" aspect of the illegal sport. Now granted that street racing in any form is dangerous, but for all of you out there that were around in T.O. during the "millie's days" in the 80s and eairly 90s and "Weston/7" or "Woodbine/16th" in late 90s to present, how many accedents did you actually see when people were racing? How many people have died while you were there? I used to go every weekend, and some weekdays for almost 3 years, and I only saw 1 accedent and that was because the kid was an idiot and decided to do an in run down snow road, but he didn't realize that the street ended in a t-junction. He had just won his first street race ever and he was driving his mom's Cavalier. We all rushed down to make sure he was ok. Kid walked away without a scratch, but the car wasn't so lucky. Granted you will always have those "idiots" who are inexperienced and who are trying to race their mom's sunfire and there in lies the danger. What they are reporting in the paper are just these "idiots" who have no respect for whats going on around them and what could happen. Its basically a serious lack of self control.

Having said all of this, I can't imagin (although I wouldn't put it past them) that you would get a "street racing" ticket just for leaving a light a little fast or speeding down tha street late at night. In order for you to be "racing" there would have to be some kind of opponent right? It would seem that any two cars that happen to be exceeding the speed limit next to each other are street racing these days. If thats the case, wouldn't that make just about any 400 series highway in ontario a huge version of the indy 500?

Just my 0.02

-Kenji

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

It's a good start, but it really only addresses a minor problem. We need to look at the majority of drivers as a whole and realise how poor their skills are and how much they get away with on a regular basis. We need things like a country wide graduated licencing program (or is there already one?), yearly retests for all drivers, 6 month retests for elderly drivers and about a 500% increase in traffic officers (in London anyway)...

andru

I'm not trying to bash your commment man but how is testing ppls basic driving skills going to help. Basic driving and knowin how to control your car at racing speeds is completely diffferent.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

My comment was unrelated to racing. In general, the poor skills of the typical driver during their daily commute poses a far greater danger then any street racing. So instead of targeting a minority that is statistically insignificant, go for the greater problem. In a roundabout way this may also help curb street racing just due to more education on the subject.

ScrappyDoo

iTrader: (7)

I agree with Aaron, in that the poor driving skills of our population is a far greater problem than "street racing". I wouldn't go as far as yearly tests but I would definately create a system that does re-evaluate driver skill periodically on a mandatory basis. It is also alarming that in our climate we don't mandate winter driving testing, and my personal pet pieve of wet weather driving.

But even I have to confess that there are certain roads that I travel on routinely, which result in the confidence to break the speed limit by amounts that would have me arrested. I don't race against other vehicles and I would never knowingly enganger another motorist but I doubt my driving habits would change if there is new street racing legislation.

P.S. Harper is a ****.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

I'm with Aaron.

Very often I see something on the road which makes me say "Well aparently signal lights are optional on that model". There's not a single day where I can drive around the city and NOT see someone's stupid lack of skill endanger the lives of others.

When I'm driving in a 1st gen and the car behind me is so close that I can't see his headlights in my rearview, there's something wrong.

Sure there are roads I take at speeds above the limits, but I don't do it stupidly. There is a list of accidents every day on the radio that are caused by people in the city driving at under-the-limit speeds. Those accidents by far aren't because of racing or speeding, they're because of lack of common driving sense!

I think that people would be much better drivers if driving lessons were manditory when you first want to get your licence. I paid $600 for driving lessons and I benefited from them greatly. I know people who've passed the test without ever having driven before and the way they drive scares me. They're my *friends* and I don't trust them.

I say make lessons manditory to get your licence, make sure that every province has a graduated licencing system, and re-test once every 5 years. That won't overload the system *too* much, but it'll certainly keep the roads safer.

Jon

Black91n/a

This is a good start, but it could be abused depending on how strict the definition of a street race is. If they catch you for speeding (excessively?), then they may be able to say that you were racing and have much stiffer penalties.

I hate how much of the public groups street racers in with tuners, car enthusiasts and real racers. It gives us all a bad image, and I'd love to see the enforcement and penalties increased, but I don't want to see it getting out of hand or affecting the law abiding car enthusiasts. In Vancouver the autocrossers lost their venue and had to move further out of the city due to bad press from other groups and public complaints (in response to the publicity) to the municipality where the events were held.

I also agree that most people can't drive worth a damn. I see so many people who hardly pay attention, do illegal and dangerous moves and get by by having others avoid hitting them. It's a real problem and they need to have their liscences suspended or revoked.

There's no need to have increased traffic enforcement where I am now (200km north of Prince George). There's plenty of cops on the roads on long stretches of lightly travelled and sparcely populated roads. I've seen more traffic cops in a couple weeks here than I've seen in months commuting around Kamloops and in the greater Vancouver area. It's rediculous how many there are here.

dufourmike

iTrader: (1)

There are 2 people in welland that know what a yeild sign is, me, and my g/f's dad. the rest of the population (inculding my g/f ) doesnt know what you are supposed to do at this very tricky sign

Feds

yet another reason for living in Fenwick. We yeild better than the French to the Germans.

ehos

Everyone thinks they're an above average driver...

Black91n/a

Well I actually am. I pay attention when I'm driving, I obey the laws of the road (mostly, I drive safely, a little speeding's ok), and I've taken extra driving instruction after getting my licence (track driving school, 4 days on track so far, soon to add another 2) and I practice my skills whenever I can at autocrosses and I do fairly well. I gave a ride to an experianced driver last year and he commented that I had good car control. At least half of being a good driver is being awake, aware and alert all the time. I find if you assume that everyone else on the roads are idiots who don't pay attention and to expect anything then that assumption is right a surprising amount of the time.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

I think that there's a significant portion of us on this forum that actually are. For example, how many "regular" drivers attend autocross, drag, road racing and car control events? How many "regular" drivers actually give a rats *** about their driving? Not many, that's for sure. I don't think anyone here is saying that they are god's gift to driving, just that our skills, attention and comprehension are well above that of the general public.

The problem likely is that everyone thinks they are a good driver. They have had nothing to reinforce that they are not. In London anyway there are approximately 3 traffic officers on duty for a city of 350,000 people. How stupid is that? We need 10X that based on the stuff I see every day. With testing that is basically a joke and the fact that driver training is not mandatory (how ridiculous is that?!) there is a LOT that could be done to let these people know that "Dude, you suck.".