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The crackdown by Ottawa police on stunt driving and other road-related offences is a good start, but so much more must be done.
Bruce Deachman
Published Aug 01, 2024
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In combination, young brains and fast cars make a bad cocktail that too often has tragic consequences. You’ve no doubt seen or heard the combo yourself: a couple of cars flying past you on the Queensway, weaving dangerously in and out of traffic without signalling, or the late-night roars of modified mufflers set to maximum masculinity — or whatever it is their juvenile drivers are trying to prove as they wake entire neighbourhoods.
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Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill is among those who would like to see harsher penalties, especially for repeat offenders, which is not unreasonable considering the potential human cost of allowing irresponsible drivers back on the road.
Sometimes, when the sound of cars racing along Riverside Drive keeps me up at night, I imagine transgressors having to watch as their tricked-out cars are crushed into scrap metal.
Hill cites other actions he thinks could help, including noise-detection systems currently used in some European cities. These employ four microphones and a 360-degree camera, affixed to a street pole or traffic light, that can detect, isolate and identify loud noises, and either ticket or warn motorists who are driving with modified (or absent) mufflers.
Increasing the number of community safety zones, where fines for traffic violations are doubled, should also be considered, Hill adds, which would mean installing more speed enforcement cameras. I know they’re unpopular with many motorists, but getting caught is as optional as speeding.
All of these will help deal with, and perhaps lessen, incidents of stunt driving and street racing, but awareness is fundamental to solving the problem too.