The Rise Of Street Racing In Washington Demands Urgent Attention

The Rise Of Street Racing In Washington Demands Urgent Attention

Dangerous street racing in WA/CANVA

The Fast & Furious movie franchise has glamorized street racing, but the rogue racing may be more prevalent than you think, and Washington state ranks in the top 10 for the illegal activity.

Crowd-drawing Sideshows, where crowds take over intersections while cars spin doughnuts, are a phenomenon that traces its beginnings to the 80's in Oakland, CA.

Insurify studied recent data and came up with the list of the ten states with the most illegal street racing activities.

Not surprisingly, the top 10 states with the most street racers have the most lenient penalties and fines on their books. Fines as low as $10 are probably not much of a deterrent for the dangerous activity.

And half of the states making the Top 10 list are sparsely populated, but street racing is a problem everywhere.

Where does Washington state rank in the Top 10 list for illegal street racing?

10. Idaho

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 8.3 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 206.3 per 100,000 drivers

The Gem State was ranked #2 for illegal street racing in 2021, so the incidents are declining.

9. Washington

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 8.4 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of up to $5,000, up to 364 days in jail, and suspension of license for no less than 30 days
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 172.1 per 100,000 drivers

Washington’s street racing scene seems to attract gun violence, with numerous shootings reported during incidents in Kent and Olympia.

The vehicles of first-time offenders are impounded for 72 hours and can be seized and forfeited upon further convictions.

8. District of Columbia

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 8.9 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of up to $250 and up to three months in jail for the first offense; a fine of up to $2,500 and up to one year in jail for subsequent offenses
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 97.6 per 100,000 drivers

Believe it or not, in 2021, two D.C. police officers were charged with reckless driving for racing each other and totaling their police cruisers.

7. New Mexico

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 10.9 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of $25 to $100 and five to 90 days in jail for first offense; fine of $50 to $1,000 and 10 days to six months in jail for subsequent offenses
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 38.1 per 100,000 drivers

Illegal street racing surged in New Mexico during COVID when legal race tracks were shut down during the pandemic.

6. Virginia

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 12.3 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of up to $2,500 and up to 12 months in jail, plus a driver’s license suspension of six months to two years and six demerit points on the offender’s driver’s license
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 321.3 per 100,000 drivers

Virginia is the number one state in the nation for reckless drivers.

5. Utah

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 13.2 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of up to $750 and up to 90 days in jail
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 62.7 per 100,000 drivers

Local street racers in Salt Lake City claim public roads are the only option since there are no remaining legal tracks for racing.

4. Montana

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 15 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of no less than $50 and no more than $500 and/or up to six months in jail
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 165 per 100,000 drivers

Montana boasts a series of race days to determine the Montana Drag Racers Association state champion.

3. Kansas

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 22.4 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of no less than $250 and no more than $1,500, plus monitored house arrest of no less than seven days or imprisonment of up to six months
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 26.2 per 100,000 drivers

Kansas City has countered the problem of illegal street racing by skid-proofing some roads. Black discs have been installed in the intersections to foil drifters, racers, and stunt drivers. The discs keep cars from skidding or sliding on the pavement, but normal driving is unaffected.

2. Wyoming

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 42.4 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of no less than $10 and no more than $100 and/or up to 10 days in jail
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 233.1 per 100,000 drivers

Wyoming has a long history of drag racing dating back to the 1950s and still has many legal drag strips, dirt tracks, and ovals, but street racing violation penalties are relatively lax.

1. North Dakota

  • Drivers with a street racing violation: 60.9 per 100,000 drivers
  • Street racing violation penalty: Fine of $50 or $100, depending on the specific violation
  • Drivers with a reckless driving violation: 182.6 per 100,000 drivers

The Roughrider State is No. 1 for a second time, with nearly 61 for every 100,000 drivers showing a street violation on their driving record in the past seven years. The city of Fargo is considering deterrents like roundabouts and speed bumps.

 

 

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