Toronto street racing , cars reached 200 km/h

[torontosubway 11]

Two Toronto men have been charged with street racing after police clocked two cars doing 200 kilometres an hour in a 50-kilometre zone in north Etobicoke.

 

Police say the incident happened at about 11:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Martingrove Road and Steeles Avenue West area.

 

The officer used a radar gun and found the suspects were going four times over the limit. She then managed to pull them over at a stop light.

 

A 20 and 21 year-old-man are facing charges and their cars were impounded for seven days under the streetracing law. Their license was suspended for seven days as well. They could be fined up to $10,000.

 

It appears that the two did not know each other and the alleged race was spontaneous. They were both driving the car of an older brother, police say.

 

Toronto police Sgt. Tim Burrows said it would take the length of over two football fields for a car travelling at that speed to stop.

[Aro0w 1]

that's crazy.

wait, how fast is 200 Kilometers per hour?

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

About 160 mph, nearly NASCAR speeds. Call it 235 feet per second.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

That's a crazy speed (would be even on a Motorway), I doubt they were even able to read the road far enough ahead at those speeds.

[VIPStephan 0]

Originally posted by: Merlin of Flyote

That's a crazy speed (would be even on a Motorway), I doubt they were even able to read the road far enough ahead at those speeds.quote>

That’s the usual speed on the German Autobahn (motorway/highway) – if you own BMW, Mercedes Benz, or Audi.

[szarkoz 8]

Originally posted by: manticorefan

About 160 mph, nearly NASCAR speeds. Call it 235 feet per second.

quote>

Rather 120mph.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

Some comparison speeds

31mph = 50kph,

37mph = 60kph,  average European in-town speed limit.

50mph = 80kph,

63mph = 100kph, average European speed limit for coaches.

70mph = 111kph, maximum speed limit for cars in Britain.

Simply 5 miles is 8 kilometers.

[sneakeypete 16]

More places for racing need to be provided. And not some place out in the sticks that takes an hour to get to, requires a lot of time to register for and requires a specific license. What is needed is something that you can rock up to on a friday night, have a few races for a little bit of money on a proper well maintained drag strip.

Also, road laws in Australia are made by the state, it varies depending on where you go. Some places are Draconian, others a lot more lienent, however recently its been all the rage to introduce "hoon laws" that, in my opinion, don't really target the right area. (most are "oh stop the young drivers from driving high powered vehicles", when infact most racing etc. is done by people in their late 20's). I could rant for days about Australia's road laws though.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: sneakeypete

More places for racing need to be provided. And not some place out in the sticks that takes an hour to get to, requires a lot of time to register for and requires a specific license. What is needed is something that you can rock up to on a friday night, have a few races for a little bit of money on a proper well maintained drag strip.

Also, road laws in Australia are made by the state, it varies depending on where you go. Some places are Draconian, others a lot more lienent, however recently its been all the rage to introduce "hoon laws" that, in my opinion, don't really target the right area. (most are "oh stop the young drivers from driving high powered vehicles", when infact most racing etc. is done by people in their late 20's). I could rant for days about Australia's road laws though.quote>

Haveing those places around wont stop street racing. They do have those places in some citys, but people still street race in those  citys.

[confused04 14]

I don't see whats so "currenty eventsy" about this...

[mayor_brando 8]

Originally posted by: confused04

I don't see whats so "currenty eventsy" about this...quote>

Yeah, really. I don't see this on the news or anything. I mean, I like a story that's "off the beaten path" once in a while, but you've posted 7 topics in the last two days, and most of them are local stories. Sorry, but I don't like to hear about everything that happens in Toronto.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: manticorefan

Originally posted by: szarkoz

Originally posted by: manticorefan

About 160 mph, nearly NASCAR speeds. Call it 235 feet per second.

quote>

Rather 120mph.

quote>

Yer right, my math gets faulty at 2 am. I should have done the math properly.

120 (or 125, to be more precise) is fast for city streets, but I've been over that many times on the freeway in rural areas.

I'd like to know what cars were used. Probably tin-can Hondas, like so many here. Real men race American metal, IMHO.

A lot of kids will put a rear spoiler on a FWD car, which is stupid. The last thing you want in a FWD car at speed is downforce on the rear. I've seen a few crashed tuners that didn't think about this.

quote>

[Duke87 1,070]

I don't think you have enough polls there.

On the mph/kph issue... 1 foot is precisely 0.3048 meters. This translates to 1 mile being exactly 1.609344 kilometers. So, 200 kph is about... well, how many significant figures do you want? The windows calculator gives me 124.274238444746679392348683687266 mph. Let's say 124. Or even just 120, given the approximate nature of the 200 we're starting with.

5 to 8 is actually pretty close for an approximate conversion factor. 5/8 = 0.625. The actual factor is 0.621 (to three significant figures). Slightly off, but perhaps easier to remember. I know 0.621 off the top of my head, but that's me.

As for the matter of street racing itself... yeah, if you're doing it on city streets where you can cause significant damage to people and property, it's a problem. But at 2 AM on a deserted highway in the middle of nowhere... go nuts, I say. Having tracks specifically designed for this sort of thing might be nice, but I don't know how commercially viable an idea that would be, and besides... no street racer wants to race on a track. It's just not the same. They want to take to actual streets.

Though I think it being illegal and taboo with there being a risk of getting caught and getting in trouble is also a major part of it. It's something bad boys do specifically to break rules. If it was legal and society accepted it, they wouldn't want to do it because the thrill would be largely gone. They'd find something else against the rules to do instead. It's one of those things where, paradoxically, by banning it we encourage it. For whatever reason, human psychology is such that if something is forbidden to us, we want it more. And if all of a sudden it's allowed, we lose interest.

[torontosubway 11]

you'ar right, put mostly I just want to see the poll results.

[spa 970]

Anyone found streetracing should have their car crushed into a cube. You see these jerks around in souped up cars with annoyingly loud steros. Cars like that shouldn't even be legal to have on the road. If Transport Canada can ban slow vehicles as hazards I don't see why these kinds of cars should be allowed. They have only one purpose. You don't see real racing cars driving around the streets so why should they? It's just dumb luck that more innocent people just trying to go about their lives aren't mowed down by these low lifes.

[koleje 2]

Here in South Australia they have these new laws. Anyone who is caught 'hoon' driving as we call it will have their car taken away for good and crushed or sold.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: spa

Anyone found streetracing should have their car crushed into a cube. You see these jerks around in souped up cars with annoyingly loud steros. Cars like that shouldn't even be legal to have on the road. If Transport Canada can ban slow vehicles as hazards I don't see why these kinds of cars should be allowed. They have only one purpose. You don't see real racing cars driving around the streets so why should they? It's just dumb luck that more innocent people just trying to go about their lives aren't mowed down by these low lifes.quote>

Souped up is one thing, it's not violating the law all the time. The capability to violate the law is not the same as doing such. However...

The stereo issue is another thing; some people think the whole world wants to share in their love of gangsta rap. They have no respect for others, and often get off on being as obnoxious as possible. I endorse the crushing of them (well, their cars anyway) after multiple violations.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

200k or 120mph is pretty fast even on Motorways, never mind in town. You'd have to concentrate for a long way ahead, and you'd have no control on what other road users did in the roadspace in front of you. That spells disaster.

[sneakeypete 16]

Haveing those places around wont stop street racing. They do have those places in some citys, but people still street race in those  citys.

quote>

They might not stop it outright, but i'm sure as hell sure that they'd help reduce it.

Originally posted by: spa

Anyone found streetracing should have their car crushed into a cube. You see these jerks around in souped up cars with annoyingly loud steros. Cars like that shouldn't even be legal to have on the road. If Transport Canada can ban slow vehicles as hazards I don't see why these kinds of cars should be allowed. They have only one purpose. You don't see real racing cars driving around the streets so why should they? It's just dumb luck that more innocent people just trying to go about their lives aren't mowed down by these low lifes.quote>

Congratulations on steryotyping people! Yes, all people who drive in souped up cars have loud steryo's. Shame that i don't like music that much, it'll he hard for me when i buy myself a new car in a few years, i'll have to start playing some then won't I?

"these kind of cars" have a purpose. they look good. Why people would want to drive aroudn in some civic or something that's painted mettallic bright green with twin 5" chrome exhaust tips and a stupidly lound BoV set to a stupidly low boost level, i will never know. But i respect that that's what they like doing.

But yeah, just becouse some tools like to street race, lets punish anyone who likes to do a bit of motorsport! great idea! We all know that they really have all their suspension, braking, handling and power modifications on their cars so that they can run down old ladies and babies in pramm better! I mean, how could they possibly contain themselves on the roads between the time, all those people who drive faster cars are cold blooded maniacs  (who like gansta rap!) amiright?

Here in South Australia they have these new laws. Anyone who is caught 'hoon' driving as we call it will have their car taken away for good and crushed or sold.quote>

Ah yes, SA, along with WA, have taken fear of "hooning" to hysterical levels. Go over a bump in your car, loose traction for a second and if a cop is having a bad day/thinks your a tosser for some reason, you can loose your car (loss of traction offence)

I'd like to know what cars were used. Probably tin-can Hondas, like so many here. Real men race American metal, IMHO.quote>

Your biased (and so am i!). I'd take a skyline over american muscle any day of the week.

[GMT 389]

licence suspended for 7 days?

must be paradise over there.

the calculator gives me a nice 3 months that the licence would be suspended in germany. but the fines would be much lower, at 680

[sneakeypete 16]

Me Manticore never said street race. Only race.

[spa 970]

Sneakypete: Hey if the shoe fits. It's not the everyone who has a loud stero has a souped up car, but if you're spending money to get all sorts of gadgets for your car, you're also 9 times out of 10 spending on tunes. I live downtown and I see/hear these people all the time (especially on Friday nights). If the music isn't making things in my living room vibrate I get to hear squealing tires. They're a real nuisance. And I'm sorry, looking good isn't a valid purpose. There are limits on freedom. You're not allowed to build unsafe buildings for example so you shouldn't be allowed ot build unsafe vehicles. If people want to do motor"sport" they can do it at a racing track or on private property. The community has a right to be safe from harm. It's not that any of these people set out to hurt innocent people, but that's the end result of reckless driving. If you're speeding down a city street at well over 100 mph, you have no ability to react and it's all too easy to lose control. End result is that if you don't kill or injure yourself you stand an excellent chance of doing it to others.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: sneakeypete

Ah yes, SA, along with WA, have taken fear of "hooning" to hysterical levels. Go over a bump in your car, loose traction for a second and if a cop is having a bad day/thinks your a tosser for some reason, you can loose your car (loss of traction offence)quote>

Hold on a second. Losing traction is a ticketable offense in Australia?

How does that work exactly? I mean, I doubt too many people do it on purpose. Maybe we should just ban black ice. And require all cars to have six wheel drive and spiked tires. Better yet, make them run on rails like trains.

Seriously, what?

Originally posted by: spa

Hey if the shoe fits. quote>

*sigh*

Looking suspicious is not a crime.

It's not the everyone who has a loud stero has a souped up car, but if you're spending money to get all sorts of gadgets for your car, you're also 9 times out of 10 spending on tunes.quote>

I don't know if that's true, but if it is, so what? It's their car, they can mod it as they please.

I live downtown and I see/hear these people all the time (especially on Friday nights). If the music isn't making things in my living room vibrate I get to hear squealing tires. They're a real nuisance.quote>

Sometimes people are going to be inconsiderate. It's a fact of life. But just because you like what they're doing does not mean thare's necessarily anything wrong with it.

And I'm sorry, looking good isn't a valid purpose.quote>

I'd be inclined to agree with you, it's a waste of money if you ask me. But again, their car, their money... their choice.

There are limits on freedom.quote>

!

Limiting the freedom of others to do things you don't like may be tempting, but what then if it's something you enjoy that your freedom to do is being limited?

You're not allowed to build unsafe buildings for example so you shouldn't be allowed ot build unsafe vehicles.quote>

Depends on how you define "unsafe vehicles". A vehicle with no windsheild wipers is unsafe. A vehicle with no headlights is unsafe. And, well, yeah, cars are required to have those things, and rightly so.

But the difference is that they're inherently unsafe. You can't drive a car safely at night or in foul weather with no headlights.

On the other hand, a car with a massive V8 engine capable of flooring it at Daytona-level speeds isn't inherently unsafe, it's driving that fast that is. The spedometer on my car goes up to 120. Presumably that means it can go 120 mph, though I haven't tested it. It would be unsafe for me to be attempting to drive that fast under any normal circumstances. But is my car unsafe because it's capable of doing so? No.

After all, brutally cutting people to bits is illegal, but I'm perfectly within my rights to own a chainsaw.

Ban the dangerous activity, not the equipment used for it.

If people want to do motor"sport" they can do it at a racing track or on private property. The community has a right to be safe from harm. It's not that any of these people set out to hurt innocent people, but that's the end result of reckless driving. If you're speeding down a city street at well over 100 mph, you have no ability to react and it's all too easy to lose control. End result is that if you don't kill or injure yourself you stand an excellent chance of doing it to others.quote>

All of this is true, but how does that translate into needing restrictions on how much you can soup up your car?

[spa 970]

Duke: It has nothing to do with limiting behaviour that I don't like, and everything thing to do with consequences to innocent people who didn't choose to be part of the risky behaviour. Souped up cars are built for racing and pretending otherwise is just the height of naviety. There is a whole subculture of street racers who have no regard for anyone but themselves. So yes, I would see it as inherently unsafe to modify a car in the way that these racers do. To me, a car with a massive v8 engine capable of going Daytona speeds is inherently unsafe and shouldn't be licensed for the road. It has a use on a racetrack where all participants except the risks, but not on city streets. To go back to my original example, you can't build a building that is unsafe because doing so will affect the community as a whole so why should you be able to when it's a car? Banning the dangerious activity is of course necessary, but at the end of the day is fairly ineffective since it only comes into play after the fact. It's like diagnosing your patient after they've died. Much better to treat the disease before it kills them. If these jerks couldn't revel in their subculture and build these vehicles, it wouldn't be so attractive and our roads would be a lot safer.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: spa

Souped up cars are built for racing and pretending otherwise is just the height of naviety.quote>

I can think of a couple of guys that own heavily modified Hondas that didn't use them for street racing.  One did it simply for the cool factor and for display at car shows, and the other did it for when things like drifting events were held in the city.  Both enjoyed racing, but both considered street racing to be stupid.

There is a whole subculture of street racers who have no regard for anyone but themselves. So yes, I would see it as inherently unsafe to modify a car in the way that these racers do.quote>

It may be true that there is a street racing subculture, but not everyone who drives a modified import car is looking to street race.  Suggesting that driving a modified car means you're a street racer is a logical fallacy.

To me, a car with a massive v8 engine capable of going Daytona speeds is inherently unsafe and shouldn't be licensed for the road.quote>

So I'm guessing we should ban Corvettes and Vipers because they can be driven at "Daytona speeds," nevermind the fact that they are professionally engineered vehicles and most owners drive them fairly responsibly?

To go back to my original example, you can't build a building that is unsafe because doing so will affect the community as a whole so why should you be able to when it's a car?quote>

Because law enforcement officials and experts in the field largely recognize that the chief safety threat is not the vehicle, but how the vehicle is used?

Banning the dangerious activity is of course necessary, but at the end of the day is fairly ineffective since it only comes into play after the fact. It's like diagnosing your patient after they've died. Much better to treat the disease before it kills them. If these jerks couldn't revel in their subculture and build these vehicles, it wouldn't be so attractive and our roads would be a lot safer.quote>

Police departments have tried this tactic and largely found it doesn't work.  Again, forbidden fruit is that much sweeter.  Many police departments have found that crackdowns on street racing do little to reduce the number of illegal races being held and serve to drive the activity further underground where it becomes even harder to stop.

Compare this with an example from a friend in Galveston, Texas.  Street racing had been a problem for years and the city police department considered it a significant safety threat.  The city government was tired of not making any progress to stop the activity so it adopted a radically different tactic.  The city government partnered with a local race enthusiast organization, set up an empty concrete space as a place for legally sanctioned racing and drifting activities, and invited everyone to come and enjoy the event.  It took about three years for the city to convince people that it was serious about this new approach, but it got the message across and the city police say street racing has gone from being a significant safety threat to minor law enforcement annoyance.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

A good many municipalities have police drag cars, either for a street-race program or for DARE publicity. They race at all kinds of events, giving out t-shirts and the like if you beat them. A local town near here has a serious drag Impala.

[sneakeypete 16]

Originally posted by: Duke87

Originally posted by: sneakeypete

Ah yes, SA, along with WA, have taken fear of "hooning" to hysterical levels. Go over a bump in your car, loose traction for a second and if a cop is having a bad day/thinks your a tosser for some reason, you can loose your car (loss of traction offence)quote>

Hold on a second. Losing traction is a ticketable offense in Australia?

How does that work exactly? I mean, I doubt too many people do it on purpose. Maybe we should just ban black ice. And require all cars to have six wheel drive and spiked tires. Better yet, make them run on rails like trains.

Seriously, what?

quote>

Sorry, i should have explained that one better, the law is there because of tools drifting and doing burnouts at traffic lights etc. It is, of course, up to the officer to inteperate, so technically if you loose traction for a slight period of time (eg, a bump while acellerating out of a driveway), an officer could claim that you had lost traction.

I am not 100% sure if that has happened to anybody, however there have been a few stories about it, to the best of my memories. I personally do not like these kind of laws, however, as it pits you word up against the officer. i've heard of plenty of cases of officers who have greatly exadurated things because they are a tool. (eg. someone who accelerated to the speedlimit... vigoursly, then stopped at the closest safest spot after being hailed down by an officer who was standing a bit up the road became "speeding past at 80km/h and tried to run me down" (was a 60 zone, guy never went past 60km/h, but was in first gear most of the way.))

In short: I don't like giving police these summary powers, because the courts in general are so against any "hooning" that you can't really fight any false charges.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Local Racing.

For a fee.

 

Scion Drag-n-Brag

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D99DNNKO0.html

[torontosubway 11]

i start the poll on July 18 and right now it's saying that government is not doing enough in North America.