Article on Racing rice.
Dan
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Officers get tough on souped-up vehicles
By Liz Tascio
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
You've seen them on the freeway: several cars in formation, tricked out like something from "The Fast and the Furious," the 2001 movie that glamorized illegal racing. Or you've heard them come through your neighborhood, their modified engines buzzing like a horde of bees.
"We get a lot of complaints about these cars," said Sgt. Chris Costigan of the California Highway Patrol in Contra Costa County.
Some of the drivers race the souped-up cars. But until now, most Bay Area officers had to wait until they actually saw the drivers racing or speeding before they could do anything about it.
Now, officers are being trained to identify illegally modified exhaust systems, emissions, lighting and vehicle height, among other things, and to ticket drivers for them. Some modifications that are intended solely to increase speed aren't obvious violations to the untrained eye, Costigan said.
"When you see two vehicles racing, it's fairly easy to enforce," Costigan said, but "a lot of officers are not more familiar with the specifics."
The illegal races, whether organized or an impromptu one on the freeway, put drivers, spectators and passers-by in danger, police say.
A 16-year-old passenger in a racing Mustang in Oakley was killed Feb. 3 when the car's 15-year-old driver lost control and slammed into an oncoming Buick sedan. The other racing driver, also a teenager, was arrested after fleeing the scene. He faces manslaughter charges.
A 19-year-old San Ramon man died after a crash on Interstate 580 in the early hours of June 3. Witnesses said Raymond McKimmy Jr. appeared to have been racing.
In Contra Costa County, races sometimes draw 25 to 50 cars and up to 100 people, including spectators, Costigan said.
There is no official data about street racing in Contra Costa, CHP Officer Cliff Kroeger said. Police agencies have cracked down on organized races, cleaning up areas like Marsh Creek Road. Racers used to bring cars there in trailers and close the road down until law enforcement put a stop to it.
Costigan hopes the increase in ticket-writing will discourage racers even further.
The ticket for an illegal modification carries a mandatory $271 fine and court appearance. Next comes the cost of getting the car repaired, which police say averages thousands of dollars.
Then, there is a fee to get the repairs certified by the Bureau of Automotive Repair Inspection.
In the meantime, the car can't even be driven to a grocery store.
"Once someone is cited for modified emissions, they're allowed to take the vehicle either home, to a repair shop or their place of business, and they're not allowed to drive it again until the modification is fixed," Costigan said.
About 300 Bay Area officers from several agencies have undergone training since August. Costigan said he hasn't seen statistics yet, but officers tell him they're issuing many more tickets.
San Diego police started offering the free, four-hour class after their success in cracking down on illegal racing in their city and county. Now, officers travel around the state teaching their tactics to other agencies, said San Diego police Officer Bruce Byrd of the Drag-Net Unit, founded in 2001.
Using the training, the CHP in the San Diego area issued 530 tickets for illegal modifications in the first nine months of 2002, compared to 33 tickets in all of 2001, Byrd said.
The program seems to be working. Until recently, no statistics had been kept in California for deaths and injuries related to street racing, Byrd said. But in 2002, he counted 14 deaths and 31 injuries in San Diego County.
As of December 2003, there were four deaths and six injuries for the year.
"So we are way down," he said.
Dan
******************************************
Officers get tough on souped-up vehicles
By Liz Tascio
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
You've seen them on the freeway: several cars in formation, tricked out like something from "The Fast and the Furious," the 2001 movie that glamorized illegal racing. Or you've heard them come through your neighborhood, their modified engines buzzing like a horde of bees.
"We get a lot of complaints about these cars," said Sgt. Chris Costigan of the California Highway Patrol in Contra Costa County.
Some of the drivers race the souped-up cars. But until now, most Bay Area officers had to wait until they actually saw the drivers racing or speeding before they could do anything about it.
Now, officers are being trained to identify illegally modified exhaust systems, emissions, lighting and vehicle height, among other things, and to ticket drivers for them. Some modifications that are intended solely to increase speed aren't obvious violations to the untrained eye, Costigan said.
"When you see two vehicles racing, it's fairly easy to enforce," Costigan said, but "a lot of officers are not more familiar with the specifics."
The illegal races, whether organized or an impromptu one on the freeway, put drivers, spectators and passers-by in danger, police say.
A 16-year-old passenger in a racing Mustang in Oakley was killed Feb. 3 when the car's 15-year-old driver lost control and slammed into an oncoming Buick sedan. The other racing driver, also a teenager, was arrested after fleeing the scene. He faces manslaughter charges.
A 19-year-old San Ramon man died after a crash on Interstate 580 in the early hours of June 3. Witnesses said Raymond McKimmy Jr. appeared to have been racing.
In Contra Costa County, races sometimes draw 25 to 50 cars and up to 100 people, including spectators, Costigan said.
There is no official data about street racing in Contra Costa, CHP Officer Cliff Kroeger said. Police agencies have cracked down on organized races, cleaning up areas like Marsh Creek Road. Racers used to bring cars there in trailers and close the road down until law enforcement put a stop to it.
Costigan hopes the increase in ticket-writing will discourage racers even further.
The ticket for an illegal modification carries a mandatory $271 fine and court appearance. Next comes the cost of getting the car repaired, which police say averages thousands of dollars.
Then, there is a fee to get the repairs certified by the Bureau of Automotive Repair Inspection.
In the meantime, the car can't even be driven to a grocery store.
"Once someone is cited for modified emissions, they're allowed to take the vehicle either home, to a repair shop or their place of business, and they're not allowed to drive it again until the modification is fixed," Costigan said.
About 300 Bay Area officers from several agencies have undergone training since August. Costigan said he hasn't seen statistics yet, but officers tell him they're issuing many more tickets.
San Diego police started offering the free, four-hour class after their success in cracking down on illegal racing in their city and county. Now, officers travel around the state teaching their tactics to other agencies, said San Diego police Officer Bruce Byrd of the Drag-Net Unit, founded in 2001.
Using the training, the CHP in the San Diego area issued 530 tickets for illegal modifications in the first nine months of 2002, compared to 33 tickets in all of 2001, Byrd said.
The program seems to be working. Until recently, no statistics had been kept in California for deaths and injuries related to street racing, Byrd said. But in 2002, he counted 14 deaths and 31 injuries in San Diego County.
As of December 2003, there were four deaths and six injuries for the year.
"So we are way down," he said.
