Street racing (part two): Ontario's top 20 and the GTA's hot zone

PAWEL DWULIT/TORONTO STAR

This week's map, showing Ontario's top 20 postal areas for street racing suspension rates, looks very different from the drunk driving map from a few weeks ago.

The drunk driving map was rural, small-town and northern, while the street racing map is strongly centred in the GTA. Only three communities on the street racing top 20 list are outside the GTA and Dufferin County: Petawawa, Aylmer, and Hanmer, north of Sudbury. (The only community to appear on both maps is Petawawa.)

There is a very strong pattern of high street racing rates in an area stretching northwest from Vaughan, covering all of Caledon and Orangeville and stretching into Dufferin County. Only part of this pattern was visible last week.

The street racing age graph is different from the drunk driving graph, with its two peaks in early adulthood and middle age - it simply peaks at 21 and declines.

17% of the drivers suspended for street racing were female, about the same proportion that we saw with impaired driving. Unlike drunk driving, the age graph for female street racers looks more or less identical to the age graph for male ones.

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I omitted FSAs with fewer than five suspensions during the period. For the record, here are the areas dropped from the top 20 list:

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Comments

[thirdconcession]

Street racing incidences outstrip street racing convictions, of course. I am the head of a rural Neighbourhood Watch group area in which street racing stopped after elevation of Neighbourhood Watch signs followed by municipal speed limit signage, so if you are victimized by street racers, you may find Neighbourhood Watch a shortcut to prevention and a support to effective Policing.

[Rob]

Are these postal codes where the offenders reside, or where the offenses took place?

[Toronto Star]

The postal code on the driver's licence.

[Dhani]

So, what is the MTO's definition of "street racing"?

Please, post the scope or specific acts that MTO considers as street racing. People, could find this map very misleading because they might not understand what is now considered to be "street racing".

[dusty]

maybe if the goverment built tracks, or perhaps a private company like the rest of the g'darn world this might not happen

tell me how you are victimized when they are doing it on a backroad with nobody on it?

stop blaming everyone else, you get behind the wheel to race you know you could die end of story.

so im sorry if i dont see a problem doing it somewhere where nobody else will get hurt but you. maybe the other person involved in the race but again you know what your getting into becuase thats why you get your license at 16 not 8.

[LongTimeRes]

Start adding the driver's name and address to the reports.

[Ernie Francis]

This is not racing unless you are racing against yourself. This law is a joke! The only place I can see that the Police have stopped these people is on Highways early in the am when there is no other cars on the road ( the last one being the exception). All this law serves is the Money grubbing insurance companies which seem to be co-conspirators with the oil companies in their quest to see who can con us out of more money. It would seem to oil companies are winning, hands down! It would be a lot easier for the OPP and other forces to just fine the people for speeding and a second time suspend their licence for a year and impound and sell their vehicle. But then again, common sense does not prevail in Ontario in most matters.

[matrices]

Give it a rest and just quit speeding, you whiners!

[HL]

"Give it a rest and just quit speeding, you whiners!" Maybe you should tell that to those who falsely had their cars impounded.

[Amber]

I would like to say I am married to someone who has falsely had their cars impounded.!!!

It wasnt even a matter of speeding ... everyone has to learn there lesson yes.... but.... CHANGE THE NAME!!! ... It looks and sounds so foolish!!!! ... If I was one of the grubbing insurance companies employees and I had a 70 year old grandma come in for her review I would be devistated to tell her ...hey you insurance is going to an extra 200$ a month! ... Give your head a shake!!!!! ...There is better and more efficient ways of going about this ... I do feel a great pain for these families that do suffer from there kids , friends and family members beng harmed in a car crash .... but again there is better way of going about this

[alex]

I have no sympathy for people who are punished because they were caught street racing. When you break the law you should be punished it doesn't matter whether it's on an empty road or a busy one. There have been too many casualties because these people don't think abou the consequences of their actions.

You do not have a 'right' to speed, so don't say that the govt' should build you a track.