Police cracking down on illegal street-racing events drawing crowds in Surrey, B.C.

In response to complaints from residents and business owners, the Surrey Police Service has launched “Project Rogue Racers,” an enforcement effort targeting illegal racing and stunt driving on public roads. (Handout)

Nearly 100 violation tickets for speeding and stunt driving were handed out over the weekend in Surrey, B.C., where police say hundreds of spectators had gathered to watch illegal street racing.

In response to complaints from residents and business owners, the Surrey Police Service has launched “Project Rogue Racers,” an enforcement effort targeting illegal racing and stunt driving on public roads.

As part of the effort, more than two dozen police and bylaw officers were in the 2800 block of 192 Street on Friday night, where dozens of vehicles and more than 300 spectators had gathered for unsanctioned racing, the Surrey Police Service said in a news release Tuesday.

Once the gathering was broken up, officers moved to the Port Kells neighbourhood on the Surrey-Langley boundary, where approximately 40 racers and 200 spectators had gathered for races, according to the release.

Between the two events, officers wrote “almost 100 violation tickets for various offences” and impounded five vehicles for excessive speeding, stunting, and impaired driving, according to police.

“Of note, two vehicles were stopped after being caught going 167 km/h and 171 km/h, respectively, in a 60 km/h zone,” Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said in the release.

“Both vehicles were impounded for seven days, and the drivers issued $483 fines.”

Officers also issued a pair of immediate roadside suspensions for suspected impaired driving, and issued orders to rectify a dozen illegal vehicle modifications, according to the release.

“Illegal street racing and stunting is extremely dangerous and puts drivers, spectators, and other motorists at significant risk of injury,” Houghton added.

“The potential for something to go wrong at such high speeds leaves no margin for error and it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed.”

The street-racing crackdown is expected to continue in Surrey throughout the year, according to the department.

“The irony is that there are places to legally race that cost a fraction of the fines that these drivers will get if they’re caught by police, and that does not include the lifetime of costs associated with being in a collision and hurting yourself or someone else,” Houghton said.

Stunt driving includes behaviours such as deliberately losing traction, spinning tires, driving into oncoming lanes, driving too close to other vehicles, objects or pedestrians, or preventing other vehicles from passing, according to the provincial Motor Vehicle Act.