SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Standing in front of a wrecked car staged beside a sign reading "Street racing kills," state officials announced Tuesday a safety-first approach to cut off sideshow activity in California.
At least 30 people have died in California sideshows and street races since 2015, said California Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray.
Now, the state's Traffic Safety Office is funding Ray's efforts to curb illegal sideshows through its Communities Against Racing and Sideshows (CARS) grant.
While Ray said the grant funding lasts through September 2022, money will be used to deter crimes.
"More specifically, we're going to use these grants to focus on reducing the number of victims injured and killed resulting from street racing and side shows," Ray said.
CHP will also launch a social media campaign, with one of the focuses being to educate communities on sideshow activity.
"There's not a weekend that goes by where there's not street racing, each week we read new headlines highlighting sideshows," State Assemblymember Vince Fong, who also spoke at the gathering, said. "And each one deals a devastating blow to families and communities."
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed Fong's Assembly Bill 3 into law, which could suspend the licenses of drivers caught participating in these dangerous street events for up to six months.
"State law enforcement identified drivers license suspensions as an effective tool for deterring illegal street racing activity," Fong said.
But you shouldn't intervene if you come upon a sideshow, Ray said. Just call 911.
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How California aims to put breaks on illegal sideshows, street racing
