July 5, 2007 - Peel Regional Police are teaming up with their counterparts in Halton in an effort to erase street racing.
Project ERASE (Eliminating Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere) involves 18 police services, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of the Environment. They are teaming up in a coordinated effort to combat street racing and high-risk driving behaviour.
Today, Peel and Halton officers will launch the initiative, which will see special teams of officers targeting street racing hotspots over the next few weeks.
The program was developed to eliminate fatalities and serious crashes that occur all too often as a result of drivers racing modified vehicles aggressively and with no regard for public safety or traffic laws, according to Halton Sgt. Steve MacDonald.
Since 1999, 38 people in the Greater Toronto area have lost their lives as a direct result of street racing, he said.
"Street racing is a dangerous, unlawful activity which puts innocent people at risk. Public roads are engineered and designed to accommodate everyday vehicles traveling at normal speeds," he said. "Modified vehicles traveling at high speeds render roadway safeguards useless. Spectators of these activities are sometimes under the influence of alcohol or drugs, increasing the potential for disaster."