Illegal street racing law now in force

The new Street and Unauthorised Drag Racing Act, which comes into force today, will be rigorously enforced said Transport Minister Paul Swain.

The new law gives Police more teeth to deal with the problem of illegal street racing, allowing them to impound the cars of offenders for up to 28 days, where there are reasonable grounds to believe that a street racing offence has been committed. Street racing offences are, broadly speaking, using a vehicle in an illegal street race and causing wheel spins.

“Police have informed me that they will be carrying out operations to enforce the law over the next few weeks,” said Mr Swain. “Anyone who may be tempted to flout the law should not try to second-guess where local operations may take place.

“Police will also be targeting vehicles with ineffective silencers or exhausts. A roadside test has been developed in consultation with LTSA and where exhaust or silencer systems are found to be substantially noisier than would be expected, action will be taken. Vehicles will be ordered off the road and will need to be checked at limited testing stations approved by the Director of Land Transport Safety.

“Anti-social and reckless behaviour on our roads will not be tolerated,” said Mr Swain. “Those who have participated in illegal street racing in the past should be aware of the consequences if they continue to do so.”

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