Ontario Puts its Foot Down on Street Racing, Threatens to Crush Street Racing Cars Before They Hit t

Looks like becoming another The Fast and theracers, as they use the Internet and text
Furious wannabe would now entail more than justmessaging to quickly call races and locations,
guts and skill.making it difficult for police to stake out races.
In Canada, where trucker David Virgoe met his"What I would say to anybody who is engaging in
tragic death on Highway 400 after an accidentthe illegal act of street racing is we don't need to
allegedly caused by street racing, officials arewait until that car hits the road fully loaded.
putting down their foot and are now intent on"The damage that these vehicles can cause can
getting tough on street racers.sometimes be catastrophic," Bryant said in his
Likening speed shops that make street racers tomessage at Queen's Park, referring to Virgoe's
bomb factories or illegal drug labs, Attorneydeath.
General Michael Bryant warns "juiced-up" carsWhile Bryant declined to discuss details of Virgoe's
could be seized and destroyed before even hittingdeath or the three men charged in it, he noted
the road."Ontario Crown prosecutors are using the brand
"Just on the balance of probabilities if we cannew street racing crime provisions under the
establish that a car is being used for the unlawfulCriminal Code for these offences.
purpose of street racing, we will seize it and you"We have in Ontario generally the ability to seize
will never see it again.street racing cars," he said.
"We will crush your car, we will crush the parts."About Street Racing
York Regional Police Chief Armand La BargeStreet racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal
welcomed Bryant's get-tough words saying thatauto racing which takes place on public roads.
since 1999, 39 people have been killed in theStreet racing can either be spontaneous or
Greater Toronto Area because of illegal roadwell-planned and coordinated. Spontaneous races
racing. "We welcome any proposed new legislationusually occur at intersections where two cars
to make it easier to do that (seize vehicles instop at a red light before they begin racing. Well
road racing). That's the type of strong messagecoordinated races, in comparison, are chosen
that needs to go out," he said.before the race night and often have a people
La Barge added that he would like to see thecommunicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio
courts send a tougher message to peopleand using police scanners and GPS units to mark
charged with racing. According to La Barge, hislocations of local police hot spots.
officers have laid some 550 racing charges overBecause vehicles used in street racing
the past six weeks, but that many drivers expectcompetitions more often than not lack
to be treated lightly by the courts. Police try toprofessional racing safety equipment such as roll
educate road racers, sometimes it turns out tocages and fuel cells and drivers seldom wear
be an exercise in futility, he said.firesuits and are not trained in high-performance
Sgt. David Mitchell, a York Region traffic officer,driving, injuries and fatalities are common results
said road racers range from teenagers drivingfrom accidents. Illegal street racers also put
their parents' cars to adults who have spentordinary drivers at risk because they race on
hundreds of thousands of dollars modifying cars.public roads rather than closed-course,
Some have been so overhauled they would bepurpose-built facilities.
unfit for a motor speedway, he said.More recently the rise of chop shops which sell
Charged drivers, said Mitchell, often choose toanything and everything from engine parts to
take their chances with the court because theyHonda distributor cap has been associated with
believe "not much is going to happen there."street racing.
Apparently technology has been a great help for