Ongoing efforts to curb street racing in Los Angeles are proving to not be as successful as legislation and law enforcement officials have hoped, according to new analysis from Crosstown LA.
The independent news organization cited a report shown to the Los Angeles Police Commission last month, which evaluated current laws on the books meant to target and crack down on street races and takeovers.
The problem continues to wreak havoc for law enforcement and law-abiding citizens and, in fact, has become more prevalent so far in 2024.
The police analysis showed 176 reports of street racing from the beginning of the year through late May. That’s a 49% increase from the same timeframe last year, Crosstown wrote in its report.
There were 190 reports of street takeovers and sideshows during that same period, up from the 187 experienced over the same window last year.
Police theorize that weak laws and young, social media savvy drivers are big culprits in the ever growing problem.
“The current legal remedies have had minimal deterrent effect and are not sufficient to adequately combat these crimes,” the report states.
LAPD Deputy Chief Donald Graham told members of the commission that many racing-related crimes are misdemeanors that are handled in traffic court and often result in diversion programs which he says are not tracked very well by authorities.
The tools that law enforcement possess, Graham said, have limited reach.
Impounding vehicles, often floated as a possible deterrent for reckless drivers, have proven to not be the silver bullet as many vehicle owners will get around possible punishment by reporting their car stolen before a race.
“The analysis detailed 69 impounds so far this year, down 68% from the 214 at the same time in 2023,” Crosstown writes.
Law enforcement are, however, issuing more tickets this year. So far, there have been 103 citations for street racing violations, up from 49 over the same time frame last year. Reckless driving violations are up 138%.
Graham said the LAPD is also looking into some creative solutions that it hopes will put a lid on the potentially deadly behavior, including creating sanctioned races in controlled environments, legal races on drag strips and temporary “burn boxes” for the stunts often seen at street takeovers.
He says the hope is these alternatives could reduce the number of young kids participating in the illegal activity by giving them an outlet to experience the sporting aspect of car enthusiasm.
For more on the report from Crosstown and to read about the methodology used in the analysis, click here.