T H EY ’ R E FAST, W E ’ R E F U R I OUS How street racing and intersection takeovers became a neighborhood problem Story by CONNOR HENRY
YOU CAN HEAR IT FROM MILES AWAY. Engines roaring, tires screeching and spewing clouds of smoke, spectators yelling and cheering. Sometimes fireworks and gunshots ring out. Reports of street racing from the Dallas Police Department (DPD) shot up in 2020 — from 4,867 in 2019 to 8,441 — and 911 calls related to speeding and racing have increased every year since 2016. Metrics from the first part of 2021 show no signs of reports decreasing. “Tuesday night (Jan. 26), from 9:35 (p.m.) ’til 1:30 (a.m.), there were 11 incidents (of reckless driving) in my distric t,” says Councilwoman Jennifer Staubach Gates. “The officers, they made five arrests, four for illegal spectating, and they gave another eight citations … had seven total stops … and then two vehicles were towed. That was just Tuesday night.” Street racing and car stunts are by no means new phenomena, but
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last year, intersection takeovers, excessive speeding and extremely loud vehicles started to infiltrate the downtown area. People noticed the problem, and DPD patrols increased; lane reductions at key intersections and temporary stop signs were also implemented to calm traffic. “Curbing street racing in the city became a priority, and it worked,” says Councilman Chad West. “But since it worked, it got pushed to the neighborhoods.” The DPD’s limited resources mean officers find it hard to keep up. West says on any given weekend, there are anywhere from 1,000-2,000 street racers in the city, but only 800-1,000 officers on patrol. Also hampering the DPD is a strict policy on high-speed pursuit that was revised in 2011 after the determination that high-speed chases, often over misdemeanor offenses, result in increased injuries and deaths. Now, officers can only engage in pursuit when they can identify a threat of physical force or violence.
And like almost ever y other aspect of life, the pandemic has played a part. “I do think the isolation, the COVID quarantine has contributed to it,” Staubach Gates says. “Especially the youth that are involved, because there are just less activities. There are less organized activities for anybody.” At points, crashes related to racing and drifting in intersections have resulted in property damage, injury and even death for both participants and bystanders. Recently, Preston Hollow resident Marybeth Ruchlin took a video of cars doing donuts at Preston Road and Northwest Highway. In the video, a truck crashes into a pole that explodes in a white flash. Preston Hollow resident Jessica Shaw says these types of events happen virtually every weekend. “The races are becoming bolder and more reckless,” Shaw says. “Beyond the frustration from the lack of sleep and infrastructure damage, it’s just a matter of time before they increase their recklessness and someone dies.”
