NJ Bill Intro'd for Street Racing

[Untamed]

Senate Transportation Meeting 1:00 PM
Committee Room 10, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2007 (continued)


http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2006/Bills/S3000/2842_I1.HTM

STATEMENT

This bill would upgrade the penalties for drag racing. Under current law, a person who is convicted of operating a motor vehicle on a public highway in a race with another motor vehicle, or to make a speed record, is fined for a first offense at least $25, but not more than $100. For a second offense, the fine is at least $100, but not more than $200, a term of imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both.
Under the bill, drag racing would be an offense punishable by up to a year imprisonment, but the offender would be required to serve a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 180 days during which he or she would be ineligible for parole. The bill also increases the fines imposed to between $500 and $1,000 for a first offense, and to between $1,000 and $2,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

[Jersey_TA]

Wow, it's a good thing I don't do that anymore.

[zuuhlsT/A]

That is harsh man.... I hope alotta ricers get nailed!!!!!

[DaSkinnyGuy]

Originally Posted by zuuhlsT/A

That is harsh man.... I hope alotta ricers get nailed!!!!!

They all ready get nailed by those V8's so ricers FTL no matter what law is passed.

[BonzoHansen]

What the hell does "make a speed record mean" - is that the Ron clause? LOL


Holy crap; "Under the bill, drag racing would be an offense punishable by up to a year imprisonment, but the offender would be required to serve a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 180 days during which he or she would be ineligible for parole."

What defines 'drag racing'?

[Frosty]

Too harsh IMO.

[Blacdout96]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Too harsh IMO.

Agreed, I think they should just dothe california thing and crush your car, or dothe australian thing and have your car crushed, and then have the video of it crushed put on youtube

[iamsickofitall]

that just means that idiots will be running like mad when cops show up before/during/after a race and many bystanders/pedestrians/motorists will be killed by people risking it to not go to jail for a minimum of 180 days

[maroman88]

yea wayyy to harsh

[bubba428]

If i was caught racing I would run like hell. good thing I don't street race

[//<86TA>\\]

total bs, way to harsh
________
Vaporizer-info.com

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

I don't support street racing, but this means that most likely making a fast takeoff can be viewed as drag racing due to the ambiguousness. That's why I think it's a bit too harsh.

[IROCZBeast]

Originally Posted by iamsickofitall

that just means that idiots will be running like mad when cops show up before/during/after a race and many bystanders/pedestrians/motorists will be killed by people risking it to not go to jail for a minimum of 180 days

agreed. many people will now try to run causing a lot of havoc. technically nj law states that police are not a loud to chase vechicles the only circumstance were they can chase I believe is if a felony has occured. but then again we all know how the system works, all an officer really has to say is he tried to hit me with his vechicle and the chase is on.

geuss we'll see what happens if this bill get passed.

[Tru2Chevy]

I think the stiffer penalties are great, but they need to make sure that the term "drag racing" is very clearly defined.

Also, as cbrrmike stated in another thread:

Originally Posted by cbrrmike

the no chase policy is for when a trooper is parked or going the other direction and a speeder goes by....

If a trooper is attempting to pull you over, As in his light bar is lit, and you decide to take off, they can and will chase you.

the no chase law is also MAINLY for motorcycles, since the outcome would rarely workout in a safe situation for public, rider, and trooper

- Justin

[98tadriver]

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

What the hell does "make a speed record mean" - is that the Ron clause? LOL


Holy crap; "Under the bill, drag racing would be an offense punishable by up to a year imprisonment, but the offender would be required to serve a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 180 days during which he or she would be ineligible for parole."

What defines 'drag racing'?

lol!!! what are you talking about? i agree with the others, thats a bit tuff!

[98tadriver]

Originally Posted by IROCZBeast

agreed. many people will now try to run causing a lot of havoc. technically nj law states that police are not a loud to chase vechicles the only circumstance were they can chase I believe is if a felony has occured. but then again we all know how the system works, all an officer really has to say is he tried to hit me with his vechicle and the chase is on.

geuss we'll see what happens if this bill get passed.

i was reading online about that before, i think that running from the cops in general is a felony. resisting arrest/eluding an officer it has a few different degrees to it. cant remember off the top of my head but i think 2nd degree is risking the lives of officers/innocent bystanders and 1st would be actually injuring someone or destroying property

[IROCZBeast]

Originally Posted by 98tadriver

i was reading online about that before, i think that running from the cops in general is a felony. resisting arrest/eluding an officer it has a few different degrees to it. cant remember off the top of my head but i think 2nd degree is risking the lives of officers/innocent bystanders and 1st would be actually injuring someone or destroying property

its possible thats it. I'm gonna bring this up in my criminal justice class and see what information I can pull out of my teacher about the chase laws and this new bill. If he gives me any good info I'll be sure to relay it.

[JL8Jeff]

Yeah, that doesn't look like it's worded very well. You could be pulling out into traffic and hit the gas a little too hard and it could be falsely called 'making a speed run'. They need to clearly define the actual acts.

[SteveR]

If they make it a mandatory jail term, I can see it ending up like car chases in Newark. Too many innocent people will get hurt and killed as the racers try and get away so there would be a no chase clause.

[procamaroz28]

tooo harsh but how can they prove racing it just could happen that 2 cars are speeding on same street unless there like neck and neck and u can hear from a mile away

[NJSPEEDER]

just two cars speeding side by side while accelerating down the same road? lol

i think that it is a good idea to crack down on street racing. prison is a bit of an extreme minimum for a first offense in my opinion, but i do like the increased fines.

they need to come up with a clear cut definition of "drag racing" to apply and they need to make sure that the appropriate related offenses get charged as well.

[Savage_Messiah]

I'm mostly against street racing (yes I've done it, yes i probably will do it again at some point since i have hopefully many many more yers of life ahead of me) but mandatory jail time is BS, because i know how easy it is to fall into the "street racing" category. IIRC, you don't even have to be going above the speed limit to get a street racing ticket... just hve to be is "a contest of speed" which is extremely vague.

[79T/A]

Jail time is indeed a bit too much for a first offense. Higher fines, definitely. I wouldn't object to it being a second or third offense, though. Kind of like DWI. Let's face it: Both involve the risk of someone getting hurt, whether they're in the car or not.

To clear up the degree of crime (We don't technically have felonies in NJ; anything other than disorderly or petty disorderly persons offenses are crimes and are graded in degrees, with 1st degree being the most serious and 4th degree being the least), here's the statute:

2C: 29-2b. RESISTING ARREST; ELUDING OFFICER.

Any person, while operating a motor vehicle on any street or highway in this State who knowingly flees or attempts to elude any police or law enforcement officer after having received any signal from such officer to bring the vehicle to a full stop (The shiny red lights), commits a crime of the third degree, EXCEPT THAT, a person is guilty of a crime of the second degree if the flight or attempt to elude creates a risk of death or injury to any person if the person's conduct involves a violation of Chapter 4 of Title 39 (Motor vehicle code, your moving violations).

In other words, if someone simply refuses to pull over but continues to stop for red traffic lights and obeys the speed limit, they are guilty of a crime of the third degree. If someone refuses to pull over and speeds, passes improperly, disregards every traffic signal and generally breaks just about every moving violation in the book, they are guilty of a crime of the second degree.

The current fines are no less than $25 and no more than $100 for a first offense. It needs to hurt a little more, like $200 to $500, and $500 for a second offense with 30 days of community service and $1000 for the third offense plus no less than $180. Similar to the DWI penalties.

And whatever you do, remember:

39: 4-24: USE OF WHIP
No person shall crack or so use a whip as to annoy, interfere with or endanger a person or excite a horse other than a horse which he is using.
(As long as I was flipping through the book, I thought I'd have some fun.)

[NightRydaSS]

i think this is to crack down on the organized street racing, not the "red light traffic runs". They're tryin to stop the 50 or so ppl who hangout on empty roads from racing.

[IROCZBeast]

in all seriousness though street racing will never be completely stopped. The world of racing motor vehicles started on the streets when it began and most likely if racing ever dies it will die on the streets. I don't street race(anymore at least), but I think I can probably safely say at least 90% if not all us have engaged in a street race at one point or another in our life whether it be from a role with a buddy on the highway or a $1,000 race down at the hole. Everyones done it and people will probably continue to do it.

Street racing is dangerous and shouldn't happen, I agree 100%, but I still don't think these stiffer punishments will keep people from street racing. It'll just make people more likely to try and evade the police.

just my .02 cents.