CHICAGO — A Chicago City Council committee unanimously passed an ordinance intended to crack down on drag racing Monday, on the heels of another video going viral of drivers doing donuts at a crowded Chicago intersection.
The Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee advanced the legislation that would allow Chicago police to impound vehicles they believe were involved with drag racing or drifting, even if the owner is not present. The full City Council will vote on it Wednesday.
Before the vote, lead sponsor Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, noted attention-grabbing footage from this weekend that purportedly took place at South Clinton and West Monroe streets in the West Loop, where drivers were spinning in circles while a mass of people circled the intersection. He added that sometimes those drag-racing spectators light fires in the street with gasoline to “add extra excitement.”
“It is an absolute recipe for disaster, and it is just a matter of time before we’re going to see people killed in these incidents,” Reilly said. “And it shouldn’t have to come to that.”
A Chicago police spokesperson said they could not confirm the Clinton and Monroe drag racing but did say that about 4:20 a.m. on the 1100 block of South Canal Street in the South Loop, officers responded to a call of drag racing and fireworks exploding on the upper level of a parking garage.
A 17-year-old boy was running to and from a vehicle to throw fireworks at the cops and one officer was struck, the police statement said. The teen was arrested about an hour later on the 500 block of West Taylor Street and charged with felony aggravated assault of a peace officer.
Drag racing is defined as when at least one driver is “competing in a race against time,” or two or more drivers are racing each other in cars next to or one behind the other and the drivers are preventing each other from passing, according to the city code. Drifting, on the other hand, is when a driver purposely makes a vehicle “spin, skid, slide, turn abruptly or sway” upon acceleration or braking, often to make circles or figure eights.
Reilly cited the recent examples in a bid to make the case that officers can be outnumbered when responding to drag racing and would better enforce laws against the practice after the fact. The police must have evidence the vehicle was indeed used to drag race, but Reilly said that shouldn’t be an issue given the prevalence of people recording the act.
“Oftentimes, these people are dumb enough to post it in high definition on social media platforms,” Reilly said. “They’re actually busting themselves. So let’s avail ourselves of their wonderful footage and use it to take their cars away.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said her office worked with Reilly on the ordinance. She noted drag racing has been a problem for decades but said the city has “shut down” the drag racing scene along Lower Wacker Drive. She also encouraged city drivers to “slow down.”
“We want people to be able to enjoy the city, but they’ve got to do it in a way that is safe. We shut down — I think effectively; time will tell — the drag racing that’s going on on Lower Wacker because that was obviously creating a significant public safety (risk) but also hazard to the onlookers. One of those cars spins out of control, a whole crowd can be taken out,” Lightfoot said at an unrelated news conference. “What we want to encourage is people to be smart about how they use their vehicles.”
Michael Howlett, of the city’s legislative office, said the ordinance would be implemented the same way existing city tows work. He said if there is “probable cause” the vehicle was used in violation of drag racing bans, the police department would send a notice to the owner, who can contest the impoundment if the car was not in the city at the time of the alleged violation, or if it was stolen or the license information doesn’t match the vehicle’s make and model in the police report.
A Chicago police representative also testified in favor of the proposed ordinance.
The legislation does not change existing fees on drag racing and drifting violations or subsequent towing. Anyone caught doing either in Chicago is subject to a fine between $5,000 to $10,000, plus a $500 penalty for towing.
“It’s happening all over,” Ald. Felix Cardona, 31st, said. “On the North Side, South Side, West Side, downtown. It’s just brazen lawlessness.”
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