Streetcar Speedsters Take Over California’s Streets During COVID-19
The threat of coronavirus doesn’t seem to scare California’s street racing community. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), an increasing number of drag racers and streetcar performers are taking full advantage of the Golden State’s now empty roads.
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Ever since the COVID-19 lockdown began, California officers say they’ve broken up dozens of streetcar races on major roads and freeways. There has also been an uptick in the frequency high speed tickets and accidents.
Since many of these events usually attract hundreds of spectators, public health officials are extremely worried about the spread of the coronavirus. Most of the people who attend these streetcar shows are not wearing facemasks or maintaining proper social distance.
In addition to the spread of COVID-19, public safety officials are worried about the risks these streetcars pose to other drivers and pedestrians. The high speeds that the drivers reach can cause catastrophic outcomes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road occupants.
But it’s not just California that’s experiencing a rise in street races and shows.
In a single illegal street race in Maryland, 8 spectators were killed while watching the race.
Recent data out of New York City shows a four-fold increase in the number of complaints related to illegal street races. Since NYC’s lockdown began, there have been at least 400 reports of drag races throughout the city.
On top of these growing street races, US cops are dealing with more speeding during the day. In big cities like Orlando, Los Angeles, and NYC, police have handed out hundreds of citations to people driving well over 100 mph.
To help curb these issues, CHP announced it would start handing out tickets to any spectators who visit illegal drag races. Many legal drag races like Detroit’s Roadkill Nights also announced they canceled this year’s event, which might help encourage road-racing enthusiasts to stay home and slow the spread of COVID-19.
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