Speeding? Ontario has an answer

[Burninator]

All this speeding talk in the other thread reminded me of this article I read the other day.

Toronto — The government has the power to seize and destroy cars that have been adapted for street racing, and can do so before a race takes place or any charges are laid, Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant said Wednesday.

On Monday, a truck driver was killed after a crash on Highway 400 that was blamed on speed and dangerous driving.

Prabhjit Multani, 20, and Nauman Nusrat, 19, face charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing death by street racing.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...eet-racing0620

Thoughts?

[Flames09]

Good, I hate street racers and they have no place on the streets. It's not cool and I dont know how people don't get that through their head.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Flames09

Good, I hate street racers and they have no place on the streets. It's not cool and I dont know how people don't get that through their head.

exactly, it seems that everybody else is in more danger than these stupid racers. get these cars off the streets, they're not meant to be there anyways.

[worth]

"Adapted for Street racing" is pretty vague.

If the cars are adapted, but still legal, then I have a problem with this.

If the cars are illegal, then I guess it's not that big of a deal.

[Frank the Tank]

It always the poor sap like me, on his way home from work to see his two kids, that gets killed by street racers. I say crush the cars right in front of the offenders with a Sherman tank.

[Flames09]

Originally Posted by worth

"Adapted for Street racing" is pretty vague.

If the cars are adapted, but still legal, then I have a problem with this.

If the cars are illegal, then I guess it's not that big of a deal.

I dont care if the cars are legal, when you race them on the streets that could potentially kill me or someone I know you deserve to have your car crushed.

[worth]

Originally Posted by Flames09

I dont care if the cars are legal, when you race them on the streets that could potentially kill me or someone I know you deserve to have your car crushed.

But now we're getting into the Minority Report type of deal. Arresting or taking away something from someone when they haven't done anything yet. That's not the ideas this society is based on.

We have rules. We have rules for cars and for driving. If a person is a suspected street racer, but their car is prefectly legal, and they have done nothing wrong, and have not been convicted of anything, I don't see how the police can impound and/or destroy a car.

[Burninator]

Well I have a couple of problems with this.

First of, like worth said, "adapted for street racing" means what? What makes a car adapted for street racing? My first guess would be the styling. Import car with wing, new wheels, etc. Of course none of that makes the car faster, but it would draw the police's attention. I would guess the actual modifications they are concerned about would be performance enhancements. But what crosses the line and makes a street car into a street race car? Turbo? New Intake? New exhaust? NOS? (which is illegal anyways).

Secondly, if the police catch someone racing, fine, take away their car, I understand that. But apparently they can take away your car without that person even racing. That is clear cut innocent before proven guilty. It is like taking away someones gun and charging them with murder because they haven't killed someone yet. I don't see how this law is even legal.

Thirdly, ANY car is capable of street racing. Whether or not they have deemed a car street race worthy is erroneous. Let's take my car for example. I drive a Mazda 3 and I like the whole tuner thing. I don't mind putting money into my car, whether that is performance related or just styling.* I could put ten thousand dollars into my car for the purpose of street racing (whatever those parts would be) and it would still be slower than tons of cars off the lot in stock condition. Are the police going to sit outside the Subaru dealership and crush every WRX STi that drives off the lot? Even after my ten, fifteen thousand dollar upgrades, that car will easily beat me in a street race. The logic of their actions is so flawed, it is beyond reason.

But like I said. I don't support street racing. In fact I am very much against it. And if the police catch people racing on the streets. Go ahead and take their car away. But to crush cars that haven't done anything is ridiculous. The majority of people who buy after market parts for their cars don't race them. Only the minority are the ones racing. If you think me spending money my car is wasting money, I don't care, it's my right.

*For the record I don't street race nor have I boughten anything to make my car go faster. I merely buy things for my car that are focused on style. Which I do (IMO) tastefully. No towel rack wings or fart can mufflers for me.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

It always the poor like me, on his way home from work to see his two kids, that gets killed by street racers. I say crush the cars right in front of the offenders with a Sherman tank.

Awesome. Ha ha.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Well I have a couple of problems with this.

First of, like worth said, "adapted for street racing" means what? What makes a car adapted for street racing? My first guess would be the styling. Import car with wing, new wheels, etc. Of course none of that makes the car faster, but it would draw the police's attention. I would guess the actual modifications they are concerned about would be performance enhancements. But what crosses the line and makes a street car into a street race car? Turbo? New Intake? New exhaust? NOS? (which is illegal anyways).

Secondly, if the police catch someone racing, fine, take away their car, I understand that. But apparently they can take away your car without that person even racing. That is clear cut innocent before proven guilty. It is like taking away someones gun and charging them with murder because they haven't killed someone yet. I don't see how this law is even legal.

Thirdly, ANY car is capable of street racing. Whether or not they have deemed a car street race worthy is erroneous. Let's take my car for example. I drive a Mazda 3 and I like the whole tuner thing. I don't mind putting money into my car, whether that is performance related or just styling.* I could put ten thousand dollars into my car for the purpose of street racing (whatever those parts would be) and it would still be slower than tons of cars off the lot in stock condition. Are the police going to sit outside the Subaru dealership and crush every WRX STi that drives off the lot? Even after my ten, fifteen thousand dollar upgrades, that car will easily beat me in a street race. The logic of their actions is so flawed, it is beyond reason.

But like I said. I don't support street racing. In fact I am very much against it. And if the police catch people racing on the streets. Go ahead and take their car away. But to crush cars that haven't done anything is ridiculous. The majority of people who buy after market parts for their cars don't race them. Only the minority are the ones racing. If you think me spending money my car is wasting money, I don't care, it's my right.

*For the record I don't street race nor have I boughten anything to make my car go faster. I merely buy things for my car that are focused on style. Which I do (IMO) tastefully. No towel rack wings or fart can mufflers for me.

I agree, many people modify vehichles and legitimately take them to drag strips and other legal places to do racing. So long as a vehicle is deemed street legal it should be permitted and all owners don't deserve to be painted with the same brush. Even if the vehichle isn't 100% legal and the owner wasn't breaking any driving laws at the time he/she should be permitted to make what ever modifications they need to make the vehichle street legal, or to pay a fine and the costs to have the vehichle flat decked back to their property on a binding agreement that if they are caught using the vehichle on the street again they than forfeit the rights of ownership on that vehichle. Street racers generally don't take their vehichles to the track and often have little or no experience as drivers or they wouldn't try a lot of the stupid crap they pull. Unfortunately pre-emptively catching them usually doesn't occur. It's after these morons have caused danger to innocent victims that they tend to get caught. But there are a lot of people who legitimately race but still respect public safety who are going to get labelled and probably be the ones who get hurt by this law.

[Drunk Skunk]

This is probably a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway, as I'm not sure. Are there many drag strip style raceways up north?

The issue I have is that just because a car is tuned, or built up, does not mean that it will be used to street race. A few years ago, I had a '66 Mustang with a built V8 in it that I ran at the 'strip. It was also my daily driver, and not once did I race on the street with it. As "worth" mentioned, how can it be known what the intentions of someone are?

However, if someone is caught street racing, then I think they should have the proverbial book thrown at them. In my opinion, the first offence should be an impoundment of the car for 30 days and a suspended license. Second offense would be 90 days, and the driver would have his license revoked for a year. The third offense, if it has to be done, would be destruction of the car.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

This is probably a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway, as I'm not sure. Are there many drag strip style raceways up north?

Calgary has it's own race track. Race City Speedway. On Friday nights they have, what is called, Secret Street. You pay to get you and your car in and I think you have pass a safety inspection and have a helmet. Then you can run your car against someone else on the drag strip.

So it's not like there isn't an option for these people who street race. They can do it in a controled environment with safety officials on hand.

http://www.racecity.com/index.php?op...d=17&Itemid=47

[worth]

Race City, which was approved by NASCAR this season:

http://www.racecity.com/

And we run CASCAR across the country up here, so there are many tracks across Canada.

Race city has an oval, drag strip and supercycle course.

[Cowboy89]

This has kinda been the 'Ontario Way' of late. Ie outright banning things despite the reprecussions on the totally innocent.

[Hemi-Cuda]

i also own a Mazda 3 and have put a little bit of money into it (cold air intake, full exaust, new rims) but i have no interest in street racing. i simply like the added power for highway driving and i wanted the rims so that my car didn't look like every other thousand or so 3's in this city now. so if i drive to Ontario, am i going to have my car destroyed simply because it looks like it fits the stereotype of a street racer, even though i have never nor will never do such a thing? unless this law is a little more specific than it seems, it'll be struck down as soon as someone challenges it. government idiocy at it's finest

[Winsor_Pilates]

I don't think they should "crush" your car before even catching you racing. How many cars would have to be crushed? every ferrari? even every BMW?

Maybe Ontario should make it illegal for anyone to drive anything but a Hyundai, but crush the Tiburons too, they look too much like race cars.

As for those who have been caught racing, crush away!!

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

This has kinda been the 'Ontario Way' of late. Ie outright banning things despite the reprecussions on the totally innocent.

What else is "the Ontario Way"? I don't get where you're coming from.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

This has kinda been the 'Ontario Way' of late. Ie outright banning things despite the reprecussions on the totally innocent.

What are the other things?
If I had to guess I would think this is a knee-jerk reaction to the recent few accidents and the case where a couple racers ended up with probation. An over-reaction due to frustration.

Back to the original topic....

What about NO2? If you see that involved in a street car I doubt it would be to get to the cottage a bit quicker.

I don't think they should be able to arbitrarily seize cars, but I would guess they have an idea of some of the modifications they are looking for.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

I don't think the phrase, "can do so before a race takes place or any charges are laid" means the police are going to go around checking every car to see if it is modified for racing.

What I think the phrase is in there for is so that if the cops show up on some kind of Fast & the Furious style get together where it's pretty obvious that some racing is going on they can destroy all the cars there even the ones that haven't had their turn to race yet. Make it so that even going to some obscure road where street racing is happening can be punished.

[Drunk Skunk]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Calgary has it's own race track. Race City Speedway. On Friday nights they have, what is called, Secret Street. You pay to get you and your car in and I think you have pass a safety inspection and have a helmet. Then you can run your car against someone else on the drag strip.

So it's not like there isn't an option for these people who street race. They can do it in a controled environment with safety officials on hand.

http://www.racecity.com/index.php?op...d=17&Itemid=47

Exactly. If you want to prove your car is faster, then take it to the 'strip. You will get a slip to prove that you're faster.