The California Highway Patrol is stepping up enforcement this summer against illegal street racing and reckless driving across the state.
CHP officials say the warmer months, particularly after dark, tend to bring a rise in high-speed driving and other dangerous roadway activity.
In the Oceanside area of San Diego County, officers have been actively targeting drivers suspected of taking part in illegal street races and other hazardous behavior on freeways and local roads.
Recently released body camera video from CHP Oceanside highlights a July enforcement operation in which officers pulled over suspected racers and made arrests.
The footage underscores how quickly a traffic stop tied to dangerous driving can escalate into an arrest.
“Your vehicle is going to be towed and then we’re going to figure out what’s going to happen with you,” an officer is seen telling a driver in the video. “The way you were driving was extremely dangerous. You were cutting it up in lanes. You could have hurt somebody. You could have killed somebody.”
Oceanside CHP Officer Hunter Gerber told Fox 5 News that the drivers involved in these reckless incidents are most often young adult men.
“They do it for the thrill. They’re driving in and out lanes at high speed,” Gerber said.
CHP says illegal racing not only puts the drivers’ life at risk, but also that of other motorists who suddenly find themselves sharing the road with others driving at extremely high speeds, leaving no time to react if something happens.
Officers say racing activity is more active during the summer months because people are out and about for other social gatherings later into the night.
To prepare, CHP conducts targeted enforcement actions, meant to identify racers before anyone is hurt or worse killed.
Officers are reminding drivers that illegal racing can lead to citations or arrest and also that in some circumstances, their vehicles can be impounded.
To all those that encounter reckless driver, CHP suggests that driver don’t engage the vehicles in any activity, keep their distance and report the incident to local law enforcement.
