(COLORADO) – If you haven’t seen them or even heard them, there’s no doubt you know about these large street racing groups. They slow or even shut down traffic on major streets and highways, so they can brazenly and recklessly race at speeds upwards of 100MPH putting themselves and everyone else on the road in danger. You’ve asked how you should respond if you get caught in these situations and if anything is being done to combat the problem.
The Colorado State Patrol and our partnering law enforcement agencies would like to provide some guidance in the event you get caught amongst the racers. First off, stay in your vehicle and do not engage with the racers. Second, do not try to impede or block the racers. Third, if the racers are trying to slow or block traffic, stay back or pull to the right shoulder and call 911. The racers could be held liable for their actions and consequences of racing could result in a loss of their vehicle, a citation, arrest, injury, or death. Hence the reason it’s extremely important for the public to contact law enforcement.
To date, 49 different law enforcement agencies have received reports of street racing, and we’ve received 2700 reports within the last year on our reporting website. Please share this information, partner with us and report these street racing activities, or learn more by going to reportstreetracing.com. “We legitimately care for everyone in our community,” says Sergeant Troy Kessler with the Colorado State Patrol. “This website is a great partnering resource for you to learn more and report street racing. If you’re a racer whose passion is cars and racing, there are 12 locations listed where you can do what you love legally.”
The Colorado State Patrol, in partnership with multiple law enforcement agencies, investigators, analysts, and district and city attorneys, has joined forces to address this problem. Over this last summer, coordinated efforts with multiple law enforcement agencies over the past summer resulted in 1,007 street racers being contacted and 829 citations issued. Those numbers do not include other police contacts outside those officers working the team operation.
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ABOUT THE COLORADO STATE PATROL
Since our origin in 1935, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) has focused on preserving human life and protecting property within our communities. Our 1,100 members embody the core values of Honor, Duty, and Respect in their daily jobs. In addition to our expertise in motor vehicle safety on the state’s roadways, the CSP is responsible for the Governor and other dignitaries’ protection, commercial motor vehicle enforcement, hazardous materials, homeland security, communications, investigative services, criminal interdiction, community education, aviation operations, and more.