Covid-19 Causes a Surge in Street-Racing

Street Racing is defined as an unsanctioned, illegal form of auto-racing on a public road (AAA). These races can be organized illegally and include a crowd of fans as well as multiple participants in the race. Despite the many dangers and health risks of street racing, there appears to be an increased cultural influence on younger generations. Speeding has typically been an issue among teens and young adults, however, this “need for speed” is starting to translate into illegal road racing. The lockdowns during Covid-19 caused roads to become ghost towns and these street racers had more opportunities to work on their cars. New Hampshire is not exempt from this issue and has had many cases of speeding and street racing in 2022.

There was one particular case on the news that shocked many New Hampshire communities and was my motivation for writing this article. Recently, there were two young men arrested for road racing on Interstate 93 (More commonly known as I-93). Police reports state they reached speeds of up to 130 miles per hour. For those who are unaware, the speed limit on I-93 is only 65 miles per hour. One of the young men was only 18 years old at the time of the crime, the other was 20 years old. The 18-year-old is facing charges of negligent driving and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. The 20-year-old is facing some more serious charges with negligent driving, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and child endangerment. While the 20-year-old was engaging in dangerous road racing, he had a passenger in his car who happened to be a minor. The name or age of the passenger was not stated in any of the articles I read. The pair are due in the Derry Circuit Court at a later date.

This case caused me to wonder, how common is street-racing and speeding in the state of New Hampshire? Turns out, these illegal activities were much more common and profound than I originally thought.

In another case, a 23-year-old man from Portland, Maine was stopped on Interstate 95 (I-95) for speeding. Reports from state troopers claim the man was reaching criminal speeds on the highway. Amber Legace, a state trooper, originally clocked the car’s speed as 109 miles per hour. Again, for those who are unaware, I-95 also has a speed limit of 65 miles per hour. When Legace attempted to get the vehicle to pull over, the man only accelerated his vehicle leading to a car chase. In this chase, the vehicle reached speeds up to 120 miles per hour. Eventually, the man decided to pull over at an exit, where he was arrested. The 23-year-old faces charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and he is due in the North Hampton Court in February of 2023.

The last case is of an 18-year-old from Eliot, Maine who was stopped in Greenland, New Hampshire. Police accused the teen of speeding in the Greenland portion of I-95. The officers' reports claimed they originally clocked the teen’s speed at 118 miles per hour, but the speed increased to 127 miles per hour when they tried to get the teen to pull over. The teen was due in court on November 21, 2022. I tried to do a follow-up to see what the charges were and what the teen was sentenced to, but I could not find any articles dated after the initial arrest.

Law enforcement officers nationwide noticed an increase in illegal street racing and speeding. As a high school student and a new driver, hearing about news articles like these can be frightening. Innocent people are being killed all over the nation due to illegal street races. Even if you are only a spectator at one of these events, you can still be charged with the same crimes. Here is a link to Street Racing Kills (SRK), an organization dedicated to educating people about the dangers of speeding and street racing. They have intervention programs for reckless driving across the nation. You can donate to the cause, or help the organization by volunteering. Through the website, you can also see many victims of street racing being honored, https://streetracingkills.org/.

Works Cited

Bekiempis, Victoria. “US sees surge in deadly street racing amid pandemic.” The Guardian, 13 May 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/13/us-deadly-street-racing-surge-pandemic. Accessed 31 January 2023.

Downey, KC. “New Hampshire speeding arrest: Man accused of driving 120 mph.” WMUR, 13 December 2022, https://www.wmur.com/article/north-hampton-new-hampshire-speeding-arrest-1213/42232118. Accessed 31 January 2023.

“18-year-old from ME charged for allegedly driving 127 mph in NH.” WMUR, 12 October 2022, https://www.wmur.com/article/18-year-old-maine-127-mph-new-hampshire-101222/41604585. Accessed 31 January 2023.

“Police: NH pair charged with 'road racing' at about 130 mph on I-93.” CBS News, 5 December 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/road-racing-new-hampshire-i-93-quintal-adams/. Accessed 31 January 2023.

Schinella, Tony. “Maine Man Accused Of Driving More Than 120 MPH On I-95: New Hampshire State Police.” Patch, 13 December 2022, https://patch.com/new-hampshire/hampton-northhampton/maine-man-accused-driving-more-120-mph-i-95-state-police. Accessed 31 January 2023.

“Street racing prevention.” AAA, https://www.ace.aaa.com/information/aaa-in-the-community/street-racing.html. Accessed 31 January 2023.