B.C. street race with $2M in luxury cars

[bubba zanetti]

Registered owner of the Lambo is 18    Jeebus ... I know that Vancouver is rolling in money but when you start out in life with a Lamborghini at 18 .. where do you go from there ? Kinda gives a new interpretation to the terms spoiled and entitled.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/09/01/bc-cars-impounded.html


Alleged B.C. street race with $2M in luxury cars
13 drivers fined

B.C. Mounties say 13 high-end luxury cars were impounded and 13 people fined after an alleged street race in Metro Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon.

At about 3:30 p.m. local time, police received several complaints of high-end cars speeding southbound along Highway 99, near White Rock, in the area of the George Massey tunnel. It is not clear how fast the cars were going.

Thirteen drivers were pulled over and their cars — worth a total of more than $2 million — were impounded.

"The vehicles that we're dealing with here were Lamborghinis, high-end Mercedes, Maseratis, Austin Martins, high-end Nissan sports cars," said RCMP Insp. Bryon Massie.

"The majority of them had personalized plates as well and were suped-up, so they're fairly distinguished and the witnesses had no problem in providing us with the descriptors that were tracked back to the vehicles."

The names of the drivers have not been released, and Massey said it's not clear where they are from.

"The drivers of the vehicles are all in around the age of 20 years old. They're all new drivers. The majority of them do not have their full drivers license status — they're still in the 'N' new category," Massey said, referring to B.C.'s graduated licencing program, which puts restrictions on new drivers and requires them to put an 'L' or 'N' decal on their car to alert other drivers of their novice status.

The registered owner of the Lamborghini, Massey said, is only 18 years old.

Massey said it appears the group was getting together to celebrate one of their colleagues leaving the area.

The drivers have each been fined $196 and will have to pay for the cost of impounding and storing their vehicles for seven days. Police are also recommending charges of driving without due care for others.

"Speed is fairly unforgiving. Whenever you're involved in a motor vehicle accident where there's any speed at all, it's unforgiving ... Slow down, be responsible and understand that speed limits are there for a reason," Massey said.

[radman]

I agree on the age deal, but damn, you guys sure have some pretty draconian traffic rules up yonder.  Horsies killed/injured people too, hell, people injure themselves walking.  How slow can you go?  Why not ban cars altogether-oh wait, NHTSA is already working on that here.

[Rincewind]

Only a 7-day impounding?  I thought they took away your car if you were caught 30mph over?

I heard another severed foot in a sneaker has washed up in Vancouver beaches, too.  Probably related.

[sammyseaman]

Only a 7-day impounding?  I thought they took away your car if you were caught 30mph over?
I heard another severed foot in a sneaker has washed up in Vancouver beaches, too.  Probably related.

If true add another place this simian isn't gonna visit  

[Rincewind]

If true add another place this simian isn't gonna visit 

I have seen these signs when riding in Ontario.   I believe BC has similar laws.

[sammyseaman]

I have seen these signs when riding in Ontario.   I believe BC has similar laws.

That's okay. I don't like hippies anyway.

[sodapop6620]

I have seen these signs when riding in Ontario.   I believe BC has similar laws.

Glad I have never seen those signs.  But I usually travel in the French section.  When are they going to form their own country?

[Burners]

Here's how truly fucked up the Ontario Racing law is...My old man gets pulled over doing 140kph in an 80 zone. Late afternoon/early evening, two lane highway, minimal traffic. He probably wouldn't have been going so fast if he hadn't been impaired at the time.  

ANYWAY...under the Ontario racing laws, they impound his truck for the "Racing" and suspend his license for the impaired (DUI.) So far so good, no sympathy from me since I sincerely believe it was just a matter of time before he got caught or hurt someone. Better this way.

He gets a lawyer because he has finally clued into how freakin' stupid he's been and how much trouble he's in. This is where it gets fucked up. The lawyer advises him to plead guilty to the DUI in exchange for the prosecutor throwing out the racing charges! The penalties and ancilliary consequences (insurance surcharges, etc.) are less for driving drunk than they are for driving 50Kph over the limit!   Good Frickin' Christ! I honestly thought he was shitting me when he told me that.

The good news is he hasn't touched a drop since. Pretty proud of him for that!

[mxvet57]

I have seen these signs when riding in Ontario.   I believe BC has similar laws.

I saw a sign on TC17 coming out of the sault That said "speeding fine menu" I should of stopped to get a pic.

[SlakeMoth]

Update - the cars may be seized and sold.

http://jalopnik.com/5836880/thirteen-supercars-in-rich-kid-street-race-could-be-seized-and-sold

[TuffguyF4i]

Does this promote reckless driving?  If i was giving my bike a good ripping, and got hit with radar.  I'd make sure they didn't catch me if the fine was $10k.

[radman]

Does this promote reckless driving?  If i was giving my bike a good ripping, and got hit with radar.  I'd make sure they didn't catch me if the fine was $10k.

That would be a bad idea.

[Redbandit14]

The Street racing law here is bad on a bunch of levels. Technically standing on your pegs to shake out the boys is cause for a cop to charge you impound the bike for 7 days and a minimum $2000 fine.  

The worst part is if you go to court and win the 7 day suspension stays on your record and you cannot get reimbursed for the impound fees.

75% of the charges are not even pursued by prosecuters. They know they won't stick or if they do a constitutional challenge is possible. There's already a couple before the court as it is. And who cares the driver /rider has already been severely punished long before his day in court.

Already at least one cop has been busted making the stuff up and sending vehicles to a buddies impound .

It will eventually be changed but it will take time. I hope anyway.

[phaze5]

yea i feel thats what your gonna see guys leaving at all cost not to get caught, i am gonna invent and market some plate flippers i think hahaha

[Baz]

The Street racing law here is bad on a bunch of levels. Technically standing on your pegs to shake out the boys is cause for a cop to charge you impound the bike for 7 days and a minimum $2000 fine.  

 

I would so fight this is court using humanitarian grounds as my reasoning.

I bet the judge would not let me finish my description of the feeling one gets when his testicles are wedged between a seat and vibrating gas tank for hours in a day.  

[Kootenanny]

A bit more stuff on this.  First, a couple of local new videos:

http://www.globaltvbc.com/rush+hour+street+race+ends+in+13+arrests/6442473821/story.html

http://www.globaltvbc.com/more+high-end+vehicles+impounded+in+west+vancouver/6442474795/story.html?video=true

Note that, in the first incident, the arrested drivers may not be Canadians (note the comment in the article, "The names of the drivers have not been released, and Massey said it's not clear where they are from.").  There is a trend for wealthy Asian families to send their kids to Vancouver for schooling, and to get their residency requirements for possible immigration.  It is so common that it affects the high-end real estate market there: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/housing/foreign-buyers-buoy-vancouver-housing/article1997038/ (note that the house buyers don't plan to actually move to Vancouver themselves, just their kids).  

These are people for whom $300K for a car is pocket change.  Send the kid off to live in the $3M mansion you bought in a foreign country as an investment, give him a $500K allowance--out of sight, out of mind, I guess.  It is a different approach to parenting than most of us are used to...

[Justin]

yea i feel thats what your gonna see guys leaving at all cost not to get caught, i am gonna invent and market some plate flippers i think hahaha

Already been done..

http://www.flipaplate.com/

Although Harely flip-a-plate? What's the point of that? They couldn't even outrun a crown vic.

[falconati]

I was once arrested in BC for smiling too wide.  14 days in prison really straightened me out.  

[PatM]

Glad I have never seen those signs.  But I usually travel in the French section.  When are they going to form their own country?

50 kmh over is around $2000 + impounding for 30 days in the french parts. You pay the towing charges and impounding fees.