Street racing has spiked in Southern California during the pandemic
Street racing has spiked tremendously during the pandemic, officials say, and the Auto Club is teaming up with the California Highway Patrol and families who’ve lost loved ones to street racing, with the hope of cutting down on this illegal and dangerous activity.
"We are hearing about this all too often. It's surged during the pandemic. In fact, CHP responded to 25,000 calls regarding street racing activity last year alone. And that was 3,500 more calls than in 2019," explained Doug Shupe with AAA.
To combat street racing, Shupe advised parents to keep an eye on their teen's activities.
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"You know, if you noticed that your teen is starting to save money to purchase things like this, you know, a turbo or some of these modified exhaust pipes, you want to start asking questions. You know, what is this for? Where are you driving? Remind them that street racing is illegal," he said.
Recent research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that even modestly higher speeds at the time of a crash dramatically increase the chances of severe injury and death, as well as cancel out the benefits of vehicle safety features (like airbags).
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"We want people who engage in this illegal activity to remember they're not just putting themselves at risk. They're putting all road users at risk, other drivers, passengers and other vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, people out for their morning jog or late-night jog," said Shupe.
Shupe said that they're working with the CHP and we're working with a group, a nonprofit called Street Racing Kills to remind everybody about how deadly this activity is.
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