Street racing charges in Peel Region up 154% in 2 years, police say

Peel constabulary person seen a 154 per cent spike successful charges related to thoroughfare racing from 2022 to 2024, according to a quality merchandise Tuesday. 

In the past 2 weeks alone, constabulary person seized 32 vehicles and laid much than 400 charges, including 26 related to thoroughfare racing, the merchandise said. 

"Street racing puts guiltless lives astatine risk. We're bushed of proceeding astir tragedies of lives taken excessively soon due to the fact that of a reckless act," Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said astatine a quality league connected Tuesday. 

Police launched their yearly enforcement run connected Tuesday to code thoroughfare racing, stunt driving and amerciable car rallies crossed the Greater Toronto Area. 

The campaign, called Project Erase, is simply a associated inaugural including constabulary services successful Toronto, Hamilton, York and Halton regions, arsenic good arsenic the Ontario Provincial Police. 

Illegal car rallies impact organized groups of drivers who prosecute successful actions specified arsenic excessive noise, speeding and stunt driving, arsenic good arsenic blocking oregon impeding centrifugal conveyance oregon pedestrian traffic, said York constabulary Insp. Kelly Chester. 

"These stunts are often performed successful beforehand of ample groups of onlookers who basal acold excessively adjacent to the unsafe activities taking place, conscionable to effort and seizure the adjacent viral video for societal media," Chester said. 

"They are placing themselves successful harm's mode and are risking superior wounded oregon worse." 

Brampton joined Vaughan successful tightening bylaws past year

Calls for work successful York Region related to thoroughfare racing went down 10 per cent from 2023 to 2024, Chester said. 

Vaughan became 1 of the archetypal cities successful Ontario to prohibition unauthorized car rallies successful April 2024, according to a metropolis quality merchandise astatine the time. 

Mississauga and Brampton person since enacted akin bylaws, Peel constabulary Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said. He said helium is assured the cities volition "see the aforesaid melodramatic alteration successful calls for service." 

People successful Brampton tin beryllium fined up to $10,000 for attending oregon participating successful an amerciable car rally, Coun. Rowena Santos said. These fines were accrued successful October. 

WATCH | Vaughan targeted amerciable car rallies with caller bylaws successful April 2024:

She said determination are a fig of hotspots successful Brampton for stunt driving, including Trinity Common Mall and assemblage centre parking lots. Most recently, Santos said she received a ailment from a nonmigratory who caught a motorcyclist driving doughnuts wrong a pickleball court. 

Meanwhile, Toronto police laid 1,134 charges related to stunt driving successful 2024, Acting Supt. Matt Moyer said.

In the state overall, determination were astir 100 fatal crashes wherever velocity was the main casual factor, OPP Insp. Peter Shouldice said. 

Police entreaty to youth, assemblage members 

Moyer encouraged assemblage members to study unsafe driving and amerciable thoroughfare racing to constabulary astatine Tuesday's quality conference.

"We request the nationalist to beryllium broadside by broadside with america and partners successful this," helium said. 

Andrews besides appealed to young drivers to talk up against stunt driving and to beryllium "the dependable of reason" among their peers. 

"Dangerous driving whitethorn consciousness thrilling successful the moment, but the consequences tin past a lifetime," helium said.