Yesterday we learned that California has begun the practice of crushing modified cars obtained while being used for the illegal and dangerous activity of street racing. The hope is that seeing their expensive toys flattened by a compress will deter street racers from endangering the lives of others on public roads. Judging from the news coming out of Canada, it appears that the province of Ontario is prepared to go one step further. Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant has stated that the authorities in his province will confiscate and crush vehicles built for street racing before they even put rubber to pavement on city streets.
"Just on the balance of probabilities if we can establish that a car is being used for the unlawful purpose of street racing, we will seize it and you will never see it again. We will crush your car, we will crush the parts."
The report from The Star in Ontario tells us that Bryant's fiery edict was given just a few days after a truck driver was killed after being cut off by three youths street racing on Highway 400. The driver, David Virgoe, drove his truck off the road and down an embankment rather than cross the divider and risk colliding with oncoming traffic.
More after the jump.
[Source: The Star]
Bryant likened a "juiced-up" car for street racing to "an explosive" and claimed "...we don't need to wait until that car hits the road fully loaded." While street racing is an indefensible act of stupidity, we wonder what standards Ontario will use to judge cars as intended for street racing before they are impounded and crushed and whether or not there will be an appeals process. While many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have laws governing vehicle modifications that dictate how much a car can be lowered, how dark its window tint can be, etc., we could easily imagine a vehicle that violates none of these rules yet still looks like a street racer. And what about show cars? Visit any Hot Import Nights show and you'll find plenty of trailer queens that produce ridiculous amounts of horsepower but are never driven hard for fear their paint might chip.
We certainly don't want to minimize how dangerous street racing is, but at the same time must remember that any vehicle driven straight off the dealer's lot has the potential to be driven dangerously by an idiot. It seems that the focus of Bryant's attack is misdirected at the machines used for street racing when it should be aimed at their operators.
"Just on the balance of probabilities if we can establish that a car is being used for the unlawful purpose of street racing, we will seize it and you will never see it again. We will crush your car, we will crush the parts."
The report from The Star in Ontario tells us that Bryant's fiery edict was given just a few days after a truck driver was killed after being cut off by three youths street racing on Highway 400. The driver, David Virgoe, drove his truck off the road and down an embankment rather than cross the divider and risk colliding with oncoming traffic.
More after the jump.
[Source: The Star]
Bryant likened a "juiced-up" car for street racing to "an explosive" and claimed "...we don't need to wait until that car hits the road fully loaded." While street racing is an indefensible act of stupidity, we wonder what standards Ontario will use to judge cars as intended for street racing before they are impounded and crushed and whether or not there will be an appeals process. While many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have laws governing vehicle modifications that dictate how much a car can be lowered, how dark its window tint can be, etc., we could easily imagine a vehicle that violates none of these rules yet still looks like a street racer. And what about show cars? Visit any Hot Import Nights show and you'll find plenty of trailer queens that produce ridiculous amounts of horsepower but are never driven hard for fear their paint might chip.
We certainly don't want to minimize how dangerous street racing is, but at the same time must remember that any vehicle driven straight off the dealer's lot has the potential to be driven dangerously by an idiot. It seems that the focus of Bryant's attack is misdirected at the machines used for street racing when it should be aimed at their operators.
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