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A measure to enhance penalties for street racing is making its way through the legislative process on Capitol Hill. It is a bill that ought to be approved.
You may remember a year ago when the Eyewitness News provided a frightening glimpse of street racing in Salt Lake County. Home video showed a street racer's vehicle reaching a speed of 130 miles per hour on 7th East between 3300 and 4700 South.
We learned then that such utter recklessness is not uncommon among those involved. We also learned that the penalty in Utah for street racing is a mere fine - a few hundred dollars - which participants willingly pay, if caught, as the cost of a perverse, death defying thrill.
That's hardly a deterrent!
It is why Senate Bill 193 needs to be enacted. The measure would allow authorities to seize and impound the vehicle of anyone involved racing on public streets. And it would require the Driver License Division to suspend the racer's driver license: 60 days for the first offense, 90 days for the second.
KSL is disappointed the measure doesn't provide for stiffer fines, as well. In Texas, for example, the fine is $2,000.
Nonetheless, Senate Bill 193 is a significant step in the right direction.
