Canadian street racing laws

[MaximumMatt]

This is from another site, more people should do this..


Quote:*I have written this letter in response to the article in the Toronto
Star recently. (http://www.thestar.com/News/article/227464).

I have also sent this letter to the Attorney General, and I plan on
sending it to several other Government Officials as well as posting it
on every Car Enthusiast Internet Forum I am a part of. I would
appreciate it if you also posted this letter on your webforum, also post
this link to the Attorney General's email.
(http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.o.../feedback.asp*). *We
need to fight this as a community of car enthusiasts.

Let's get the word spread!
**
*Regarding the issue of crushing cars...

I find it reprehensible that a country as free as Canada would stoop to
such a close minded, Fascist theology as to think they can control the
instances of deaths on the highways by targeting a cross-section of
society that has been over popularized by the media, TV, and movies.
Since I have been involved in the hobby for several years, I can attest
that there is a large difference between someone who puts stickers on
their car and drives like a complete idiot, and someone who tunes their
car to more suit their wants in a car.

Being a car tuner myself, I would like to separate myself 100% from the
"morons" that street race putting their lives in danger, not to mention
the innocent lives of others.


With that, I have a few points to make:

1: Do you crush cars of drunk drivers? No? Why not? They kill more
people in a year that street racing fatalities. SEVERAL times over.
But, I guess drunks have a "Social Problem", and they need help..
Heaven forbid they are accountable for their actions.

2: Do you take guns away from people that own them within the legal
parameters of the law? Well, wait, you tried that.. I guess the Gun
registry WAS a bad idea after all. Billions and Billions of dollars
later... No, you do not.

3: On what basis can you justify taking someone's vehicle? The same
vehicle they go to and from work with. The same vehicle they go to the
grocery store and buy groceries for their family. The same car they
make a living on. Not to mention the THOUSANDS of car-modding related
jobs that will be terminated because of the backlash of this
close-minded "proposed" bill. For a Government so caught up in jobless
rates, employment statistics, and things of that nature, this is not a
wise move.

4: Define "Balance of Probabilities". In a legal sense, this term
means 50%+1. Are you going to give Law Enforcement of this Province a
course on what exactly makes something fall under the guidelines of the
law, or are you going to send them out there to use their
"Interpretations" just as you did a few weeks ago when a co-worker
received a ticket for driving a "Commercial Vehicle" that was only 3500
Kilograms, even though he TOLD the OPP officer that he was incorrect in
issuing that ticket. Hopefully this will not turn into ANOTHER
incorrectly enforced Provincial Offence in the already over-crowded
HTA/Provincial Offence Library.

It is truly unfortunate that the people we have elected to represent us
have been so far removed from society that they begin to cave into peer
pressure from special interest groups that threaten to cry and moan if
they do not get their way. The proof is in the pudding when I say this:

Politicians are too far removed from the life and society of their
constituents. Black and White.

Fear not, repercussions will be felt if this Fascist, Close minded,
Ignorant proposal hits paper. The people of Canada will stand up for
their rights. If this atrocity of a law comes to pass, I am certain
most associated will be voted off the "Hill" to live life as the Common
Folk.

I expect a response for my concerns. I believe I have made enough
relevant points to warrant an in depth answer.

Best Regards,
Matt Portiss
St. Thomas, Ontario

[todd00]

i dont know how they can justify literally stealing the persons car, and crushing it. taking away their license to drive seems a more logical punishment.

good point about crushing the drunks cars, never happen!

[Gforcefd]

This is a great article and I reallyhope it makes waves in Canada, and maybe some waves down here in the USA.

[stefan]

yea i saw that on the news. they were crushing a few rice mobiles, and making the owners watch.

[monkeyracing]

I have to pipe in on a couple of points, Matt.

1. I don't think it is wrong to seize and destroy items used in the commission of an offense. I strongly believe that this policy should be extended to impaired drivers as well. The only way to really make the message hit home, is to hit people where it hurts. It seems often that when someone is stopped for street racing, and they are ticketed, the next thing they do is go to their favorite internet forum and bitch about getting tagged for what they did, and then they do it again, because they see themselves as "rebels" of a sort.

If someone's going to repeat, as a way of dealing with their misguided anger for an offense, then they deserve what they get.

2. I do take issue with the way the law has been worded. I feel it allows too much interpretation by individual officers in deciding what charge, if any, should be laid against a perceived offender. As with any other law, there will need to be a strong set of checks and balances in place to offset bogus charges laid by law enforcement officials who are not fully versed on the law and its' meaning. I have run into several officers over the years that were not fully aware of the spirit of the laws they were hired to enforce, and therefore enforced it incorrectly, thus clogging the courts with bogus tickets that were summarily dismissed by judges.

3. Name calling completely obliterates any objectivity in this context. You do make some good points, but in calling the policy 'fascist' you are, by extension, referring to the people legislating it, and the very people you are writing to as fascist as well. That will completely discredit your argument against these policies, and paints you as an aggressor. It's not good to have the people in power feel that you are an aggressive individual.

Anyway, with all that out of the way, my feelings regarding street racing are strong, just as strong as they are about impaired drivers: the devices/items/vehicles used in the commission of a crime can and should be confiscated. Whether they are crushed, impounded or sold at auction is of no real concern to me. The blame for the car being destroyed should lay solely on the head of the person committing the crime, and not on the people who are simply doing their jobs, trying to make our streets safer.

I do agree with you that this legislation is a "flavour of the week" sort of thing. Like anything else, interest in this subject will pass, just as it did with dangerous dogs and SARS.

Just my 2 cents.

Jim

[anomoly40]

Dangerous dogs hasn't passed down here.

They're going to outlaw pit bulls in Pine Bluff.

Cocker spanials and Dalmations do more damage.

[todd00]

i still dont see seizing their cars. fine them, take their drivers licenses. or make them sell the car or serve jail time if they refuse. make them ride with officers that work accidents. but seizing property for traffic offenses like that isnt right. but it is just a way to get fast headlines. there are better more equitable ways to make the same point of no tolerance to drag racing.

and in regards to pit bulls, people always blame the dogs. owners can make any dog mean. jail the owners. ive had 2 pit bulls, both way more gentle than terriers ive had as far as snapping. i also have a rottie, another that gets a bad rap. ive taken in strays for 20 yrs and worked at shelters. so i know dogs. governments reactions to the problems are not always sensible. make that seldom sensible. :roll:

maybe they should out law stupid people in pine bluff instead of pit bulls. :lol:

[Damkid]

i am totally against the street racing law, because what if some young kid is driving their parents car, do the parents deserve to have their car crushed because of what their kid did? no, but i would agree if they took a drunk drivers car

i do beleive that there are better ways to punish street racing

[Gforcefd]

Until they are 18 the kid is your responsiblity. Doesn't matter what car they are driving, but I am still against the stupid laws up in Canada for street racing.

[Damkid]

Until they are 18 the kid is your responsiblity.

True, but there are some kids older than 18 that still drive mommy and daddy's car

basically the point i was trying to make is what if the driver doesn't own the car

[GenevaDirt]

Taking away the car for the first offense I do not see as appropriate....but if that person is a repeat offender then by all means I do not see a problem with taking it and doing whatever they want with it. If it is a kid driving a parents car then the kid gets busted for racing it....you better not let your kid drive your car again...because then you are only becoming an enabler and if you know there is a possibilty they are gonna race it..... then you assume all the responsibilty and have to pay the price for what happens.
They deffinately need to confiscate repeat offenders cars when they are drunk drivers....might help curb them from driving anymore...as it would become very expensive to keep replacing cars. Right now it is no big deal to them because they will just drive without a license or insurance knowing that they will only end up with a fine...over and over and over and over again. Laws definately get handled differently all the time , and that sucks....but if there is a law against it....and you know there is....and you decide to go and do it anyway....then you deserve what you get. No matter how unfair you think it is.

[monkeyracing]

seizing property for traffic offenses like that isnt right.

This is where the fine line stands. Since street racing has now been classified as a felony, rather than as a traffic offence, it is being treated the same way as when someone uses their vehicle as a weapon.

If it is classed as felonious, then the authorities have every right to do with the vehicle what they will. I still don't know if it's right to class this type of offence as such, even though I have very strong opinions on the matter.

Jim

[GenevaDirt]

All I know....no matter what my opinion is, I agree/disagree, if you tell me that if I go race my car and I get caught you will take it and crush it or just plain sell it.....I am not gonna do it. If I do and I get caught....that is my own stupid fault and even though I would be mad about it...the only real person I have to blame is myself.

[neanderpaul]

^ + 1

[25Horseplay]

I have a license plate frame that says " Hell yes I street race" its on my Mustang!