UTAH has cracked down on racing enthusiasts who cause danger on the streets by partaking in or viewing street races.
Police in Salt Lake City said in a press release last year following the arrest of 15 street racers that illegal racing events "have resulted in numerous criminal activities including reckless driving, illegal weapon possession, illegal gambling, and aggravated assaults."
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A crackdown on illegal street racing last year saw Utah Governor Spencer Cox sign SB53 into law on March 22, 2022.
This law made such speed contests, or burnouts, a Class A misdemeanor.
As a result, those found guilty of reckless driving can be fined up to $2,500 and face up to a year in jail.
Under SB53, reckless driving is defined as someone "who operates a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property."
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This includes driving 150 mph or more or committing three or more traffic offenses in a continuous period covering three miles or less in total distance.
The car involved will also be "State Tax impounded" and it will cost the racer $400 to get it released along with towing and yard storage fees.
Subsection one states: "A person may not engage in any motor vehicle speed contest or exhibition of speed on a highway."
The law states that "a person who violates Subsection one is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
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"In addition to the penalty provided under this section or any other section, a person who violates Subsection one shall have the person's driver's license suspected under Subsection 53-3-2210(1)(a)(xv)."
For a first offense the license will be suspended for 60 days, for a second offense within three years of the first offense it will be suspended for 90 days.
It adds that a vehicle found to violate subsection one can be seized forever.
"A motor vehicle that is not street legal that is operated or used in a manner that violates this section is subject to seizure in accordance with Title 24, Chapter, 2, Seizure of Property."
The amendments made last year also saw those who obstruct the highways or help to obstruct them will be guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
Class B misdemeanors in Utah can see offenders get up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown spoke in favor of SB53 to the Senate committee in 2022.
Brown called for immediate action as highways were being increasingly used as "potentially deadly drag strips."
He told the committee that his department saw a 467 percent increase in calls about illegal street races in 2020, he added that calls remained at an abnormally high level in 2021.
Officers fielded 71 calls in 2019 and a whopping 409 in 2020.
“For those who engage in street racing, there is little to no fear of punitive action and even less fear of being caught. As it is nearly impossible for law enforcement to navigate their way through the immense crowds, to the actual offenders — who rarely yield and typically flee,” Brown told the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee.
“At the same time, there is absolutely no penalty for the crowds who fuel this dangerous activity.”
In a tweet, he said: "Allowing these events to go unchecked will erode the community safety we hold dear."
In March this year, The Salt Lake Tribune spoke to street racer Shawn Atkin who said that racers take to the streets "because we don't have a track.
"Fast cars aren't going to go away because we don't have a track."
Atkin reportedly races on the freeways in Utah in the late hours of the night.
In 2017, the Rocky Mountain Raceway closed down which saw many take to the streets to enjoy their dangerous and illegal hobby.
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Detective Michelle Peterson from Salt Lake City PD told the Tribune after the law came into effect last May: "We’ve already seen a decrease [in racing] and increase in the [penalties] for when you’re participating when you’re there to watch and/or participate,”
“There is a more severe penalty, and that has been a deterrent for sure.”
