Street Racing Is Illegal, New Laws Take Effect September 1st

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other North Texas law enforcement leaders reportedly met Wednesday as Abbott signed two bills addressing street racing in the Lone Star State, according to WFAA.Abbott was joined by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Weybourn and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw to speak on the impact of the laws and interagency cooperation in addressing street racing and street takeovers in Texas.

The new law comes after recent incidents regarding street takeovers by street racers in DFW and Austin.

Governor Abbott has signed two laws to combat street takeovers:

House Bill 1442 gives law enforcement and prosecutors new powers to investigate organized street racing and takeover events around the state. According to Abbott, it adds two new charges to the organized criminal activity statute: reckless driving exhibition and highway racing. Vehicles and contraband used in the conduct of crimes can also be seized by law enforcement. It takes effect on September 1.

House Bill 2899 authorizes the rapid removal and impoundment of vehicles implicated in a street takeover. This is already the case.

“Both of these laws will protect Texans from dangerous and illegal street racing,” Abbott stated during a press conference.

On July 30, the governor appointed Texas DPS troopers to patrol city streets. The need came after Austin police requested assistance from DPS during a street takeover event. Over the course of a few hours late Saturday night in Austin, at least five illegal street takeovers occurred.

Street racing is not only illegal, it usually ends in someone being hurt. The other end of a viral social media video is someone seriously injured or killed. If you witness a street race, you can report it to authorities immediately.