WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Wayne County Commission voted Thursday to make street racing a public nuisance.
“Street racing does endanger lives, has caused injuries and fatalities and I have witnessed it first hand,” Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said. “The measure passed by the Commission provides law enforcement, communities, and neighborhoods with effective tools to combat racing and keep our streets safe.”
Under the new ordinance, anyone caught street racing can have their vehicles and racing equipment, including vehicle trailers, impounded and potentially taken from them through a civil forfeiture hearing in the Third Circuit Court.
“As a motorsports enthusiast myself and a career law enforcement officer, I know public roads are not meant for racing,” said Evans. “The only safe place to race is at the track under proper conditions. For their own safety and for the safety of other motorists and pedestrians, would-be racers need to stay off Wayne County streets.”
The new ordinance defines racing as: “to race a vehicle either against another vehicle or against a timeor speed-measuring device, whether or not there is an agreement to race; or drive a vehicle at excessively high rates of speed or acceleration or in another recklessly dangerous manner in an exhibition or contest of driving prowess, such as drifting, sliding, or ‘donuts’ (involving loss of traction and/or repeatedly driving the vehicle in circles or figure eights or in a sideways motion in circles or figure eights) that is recklessly dangerous and could cause serious injury or death and/or is an impediment to traffic.”
