After dozens of dangerous street racing incidents in the past year, Maryland lawmakers are driving a bill to stop it.
Maryland Sen. Pam Beidle, who represents Anne Arundel County, says there have been at least 139 major street racing incidents in the past 12 months in the state.
“It’s happening across the state,” Beidle said. “Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Howard, Montgomery, just to name a few.”
On Saturday night, a large group gathered for an event in Takoma Park, forming a circle around an intersection, driving recklessly and performing what the department called “dangerous maneuvers.”
Some of these incidents are high-speed races on public streets. Other times, groups of people take over public parking lots or street intersections to watch vehicles perform spinouts and donuts, with videos often posted online.
Mike Shier with the Anne Arundel County police spoke at a Maryland Senate committee hearing Tuesday in support of the legislation, saying police need more tools to be able to crack down on these incidents.
“It’s certainly an extremely scary situation for the citizens. It’s also not great for us as police officers,” Shier said, adding that this kind of behavior is a serious public safety issue because it drains police resources.
“We don’t know where they’re going to be until the last minute and we’ve got to have dozens of officers staged somewhere, ready to go and respond to these,” Shier said.
Laurel Police Chief Russell Hamill said there is unanimous support for the legislation.
“Across Maryland, there have been continuous concerns regarding the safety of our roadways due to the reckless and careless driving engaged in by street racers and exhibition drivers,” Hamill said.
He also said at that same Maryland Senate committee hearing that Senate bill 4022, “increases penalties and points assessments for violations related to participation in racing or speed contests. The bill also establishes a statewide prohibition on exhibition driving on any highway or private property that is used for driving by the general public.”
While the final bill details are still being worked out, the penalties could include eight points being added against the driver’s license of people who participate in these activities, as well as 60 days in jail, a $1,000 fine and the impoundment of involved vehicles.
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