As street racing has become more popular, and deadly, across the nation, Representative Michelle Steel (CA-45) introduces a bill to put an end to the violence through an FBI task force.
Residents of Orange County cities including Fullerton, Garden Grove, Westminster, Costa Mesa amongst others have become victims of deadly street racing incidents in recent years. Identifying this horrendous trend, Michelle Steel (CA-45) and Brittany Petterson (CO-07) have introduced a new bill, the They’re Fast, We’re Furious Act of 2023 (H.R. 6224), which would put an end to the violence through a ‘Street Racing Prevention and Intervention Task Force’ under the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The task force would respond to street racing incidents, organized takeovers, and sideshows on a local, state, and federal level.
Under H.R. 6224, members of the task force would be appointed by the U.S. attorney general, secretary of transportation, and the FBI director. Any task force members recruited in addition to the FBI would be provided by the Department of Justice Criminal Division, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and state and local law enforcement agencies.
Steel commented on the threat street racing presents and claimed that: “Illegal street racing, takeovers, and sideshows have become a serious safety concern for our local communities. These reckless activities harm innocent drivers, first responders, and local businesses the most and have become a major public safety issue. It is unfortunate to see this behavior grow across our country, and I am proud to introduce legislation with Rep. Pettersen that will strengthen law enforcement coordination and combat this dangerous trend.”
Recent years have shown the statistics for this ever-growing trend with 31 people arrested and 823 people cited for racing in 2022 in Garden Grove alone. In two isolated operations in Compton, California Highway Patrol yielded 65 arrests, 72 citations, and 40 impounded vehicles in September of 2023. In the greater Los Angeles area, the LAPD has reported 19,506 calls regarding illegal street racing between 2020-2022 with 16 people losing their lives at the hands of reckless driving.
This proposed bill is in line with the Steel’s continued advocacy for public safety and the promotion of first responders. Steel reinforces the notion that “Crime is on the rise across the nation and I am committed to cracking down on criminals and standing with our police to ensure our communities remain safe. Police need MORE funds not less to protect our families and children, and I will always back the blue.”
