If you’re a big fan of living on the edge and participating in street racing, it’s important to know what health and legal risks are involved from engaging in it.Because street racing encourages thousnads of people around the country to drive at speeds that can put their life in danger, it is illegal in most states and is deemed to be an extremely dangerous form of reckless driving. Street racing threatens the safety of the people racing, but also any spectators, nearby cars that are driving, and pedestrians walking down the street. Arizona street racing in particular is known for the variety of motor clubs involved and the amount of injuries reported from frequent get-togethers in public.

In order to protect yourself and your future, you need to know what laws are placed against street racing so you aren’t put in a bad position. Car shows in Arizona and other warmer states may put street racing on a pedestal, but that doesn’t make the activity perfectly safe and legal to take part in. Let’s walk through what the Arizona car scene looks like and what legal consequences may be involved if you happen to get caught.

Street Racing Risks

Phoenix auto events have a history of hosting popular street races for spectators to bet on and racers to gain popularity through. While it is definitely exhilarating to be involved in, street racing is incredibly dangerous for everyone at the scene because it increases the chance of high impact collisions, decreases the reaction time of the drivers, lowers to ability for cars to retain control through tight curves in the city, and increases rollover risk of the vehicle as well. Arizona street racing is highly prohibited for this reason and can lead to the potential loss of your license. If a cop first sees you racing someone on any road, you will get a ticket for racing as an initial warning sign.  Even if a cop sees you drive or accelerate quickly by yourself, you could get a ticket for racing in the form of an exhibition of speed instead. Either situation isn’t ideal since your name will be marked and watched by the legal force for a long period of time.

Since street racing on a either a smaller road or a highway is a class one misdemeanor, a convicted driver could get a fine of at least $250 and a few hours of community service. Their license may be taken away for up to ninety days with a permanent legal record as well. If the driver doesn’t learn their first lesson and is caught a second time, they will face a fine of at least $500 along with more community service and license suspension. However, the important thing to remember is that If the second conviction is within two years of the first, the driver will be charged guilty of a class six felony and will not be eligible for probation or pardon. This means that they will be serving no less than ten days in prison and their driver privileges will be permanently revoked. The driver will also have to attend an 8-hour traffic survival school class in person if they haven’t already. Since we live in America and getting from one place to another is extremely difficult without a car in some areas, this situation is definitely not one you want to find yourself in because of a little street racing.

Know Your Rights

If you’re ever charged with an account for street racing, make sure you know what your defenses are if you believe that it was incorrect. Since the law requires that multiple vehicles have to be present for drag racing to occur, it can frequently be argued by people that no other vehicles were at the scene. This defense is quite effective when only one driver was cited for street racing and no other people were around. Since cops are often managing public traffic by themselves, they can only cite one vehicle at a time and could have misjudged the scene.

Another possible defense someone could use against being charged for Arizona street racing is that they were fleeing road rage. The person committing road rage may have not been stopped by the police and the person charged for racing may have been feeling by necessity. Remember that this argument is only effective if your vehicle was ahead of the other vehicle when you got pulled over.

Lastly, if the police do not follow the correct Miranda procedure with you, your statements could be considered involuntary. This may lead to your case being thrown out of court along with any misleading police reports, false identifications, and unfair practices the cop may have used against you. Unfair tools usually include flawed photo lineups and inaccurate accident reconstruction in many Arizona street racing cases. In order to use these defenses it’s in your best practice to hire a trusted attorney who will efficiently represent your case in court. Most of the time public defenders won’t spend as much time on your case and may not pose as strong of an argument.

Practice Safe Measures

There’s much more to life than street racing and risking your life, so practice safety as your number one priority on the road. These days, many Phoenix auto events have canceled the street racing because of the legal repercussions it has led to. Instead, consider attending events such as luxury car exhibits, public auctions for cars, and other fun events to bring together car lovers around the country. A car is a highly powerful vehicle and needs maintenance to work its best, so treat it with respect and abide by the law. You’ll be better safe than sorry!