Grants Targeting Illegal Street Racing Announced by California Office of Traffic Safety

ONTARIO, Calif.--Aug. 2, 20053, 2005--Police departments and other local law enforcement agencies in Ontario, Irwindale, and Riverside will share $1.2 million in local traffic safety grants in connection with a major education and enforcement campaign targeting illegal street racing. The grants are part of a $5 million statewide effort funded by the Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH).

"Illegal street racing is not just a great annoyance to the public; it exposes the public, spectators and racers themselves to extreme hazards," said BTH Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak. "Deaths and injuries due to illegal street racing are a serious problem in many California cities."

The grants will pay for officer training to recognize automobiles that have been illegally modified for street racing and provide funds for officer overtime for joint enforcement operations cracking down on illegal street racing events.

"Far too many people, including innocent victims, have been hurt or killed by the actions of street racers," Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety, said during a 10:30 a.m. press conference today at Ontario Police Department. "Illegal street racing is a choice that in many cases put the drivers and others in harm's way."

Joining Murphy was Ontario Police Chief James Doyle, Irwindale Police Chief Joe De Ladurantey, Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon, and Captain Lynne Jones of the California Highway Patrol's Inland Division.

"Street racing kills, and it's not just the racers who die. The Bureau of Automotive Repair is honored to be a part of this life-saving program," said Charlene Zettel, Director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, whose Bureau of Automotive Repair provides technical support for the program. "Law enforcement officers can contact Bureau of Automotive Repair technical experts to get advice on whether modifications to street-racing vehicles violate California's laws against emission-system tampering."

The grants are modeled after the highly-successful Drag-Net Program through the San Diego Police Department, a pilot project funded 3 years ago through a $700,000 grant from the Office of Traffic Safety. The grant, which provided training in San Diego County to aid communities in implementing illegal street racing enforcement programs, assisted in bringing down the number of street racing deaths from a high of 16 in 2002 to just four over the past two years.