Ontario police promote racing to reduce stunt driving crime

Ontario police promote racing to reduce stunt driving crime (Photo: David Miller/Autofocus.ca)

The statistics tell the story: 84 Ontario drivers have been charged with street racing in 2015 and 46 more in the first four months of 2016.

The charge is “stunt driving,” and it comes with a mandatory seven-day driver’s license suspension and a seven-day vehicle impound—no questions asked. Fines could net you up to $10,000 plus court costs. For a second conviction, the punishment escalates with a license suspension of 10 years with a court option of a six-month jail term.

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The punishment for street racing is serious, but the act still seems to be on the rise, a growing problem police services across Southern Ontario are trying to combat. And that’s where Project E.R.A.S.E. (Eliminate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere) comes in.

Back in 1996, E.R.A.S.E. was formed by a task force of three officers that included Staff Sergeant David Mitchell from the York Regional Police department. It may have started small with information sharing between three departments, but it’s grown into a collaboration involving 22 police services, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of the Environment.

For the second year in a row, the program is trying out a new line: “Take it to the track, leave it at the track.” And that’s why Project E.R.A.S.E. had a large number of police officers across many departments recently come out to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Clarington, Ontario. CTMP provides legal racing fun, letting car enthusiasts take their cars up to speed without putting themselves or innocent bystanders at substantial risk.

Constable Cory Adams, Durham Regional Police Traffic Services, was one of those police officers, and acted as emcee for the event.

“Once you get on the track, you will never want to race the streets again,” he says.

As great as the message and campaign is, it’s not easy changing perceptions. The scariest part of the aforementioned conviction statistics is that those numbers only focus on people who have been charged—what about the others getting away with it?

Project E.R.A.S.E. showed off a few of the tools it uses to stop the cultural spread of street racing. The biggest weapons in its arsenal are the helicopters that patrol each region on a 24-7 basis. These choppers use radar detection to spot and follow racing activity or vehicles moving at high speed. In other areas, fixed-wing planes are the region’s eyes in the sky helping to protect communities.

Another successful tool is traditional unmarked vehicles, such as Adams’ pristine blue Chevrolet Camaro. You wouldn’t suspect it’s owned by an undercover police officer, and it might just be the ticket to fire up other speed junkies hoping for a little street excitement.

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In addition to the physical tools in the sky and on the road, the police services monitor their own communities using technology and by getting help from the community. Social media and online message boards can also be point out where street racing may be occurring.

“We gather information from cameras at intersections, individual dash cam files, and automatic license readers; we will use any technology and data that comes our way – a lot of times from community members – in order to find these street racers,” said S/Sgt. Mitchell.

To understand the rise of street racing, one only needs to look at the current crop of movies and video games with street racers playing the role of hero.

The highly successful film series The Fast and The Furious and the recent Need for Speed movie based off of the video game series showcase street racing in a positive light—something cool with a touch of danger. Gone are the days when a game of chicken, like in the 1955 classic movie Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean, was the most dangerous thing you could get up to.

For the past 20 years, since the foundation of E.R.A.S.E., it’s evident that different tactics beside information sharing have to be used. The message of taking your sports car to the track is a good one, and hopefully one that registers with wannabe racers. E.R.A.S.E. is trying to work on the same level by bringing in suped-up Chevrolet Camaros and Mazda MX-5s to show that racing is cool—just not on our streets.

The BMW Car Club – who were racing during the speech portion of the event – leant their support by offering hot laps to anyone who wanted to feel the rush of the race track. Furthermore, Ben Young, a Scotland-born motorcycle racer competing in the Canadian Superbike Championship, spoke on behalf of the racing community, underscoring the only way to really show off your skills is on the track.

E.R.A.S.E. is thinking outside the box and providing an alternative that might hit home with at least some kids. One less enthusiast turning their back on street racing can save a broken family that might otherwise have to cope with tragedy for the rest of their lives. Sometimes, a small step in the right direction can make a big difference in the long run, and that’s all you can ask for.