Hundreds of charges laid as cops target street racers in Mississauga, Brampton and across GTA

Mississauga | Brampton | Crime | Latest News | Police |

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Published July 11, 2024 at 2:21 pm

Peel cops target street racers in Mississauga and Brampton.
Street racers such as those shown here are constantly targeted by police in efforts to clamp down on the illegal activity. (Photo: Peel Regional Police video)

A two-month clampdown by police on illegal street racing and stunt driving in Mississauga, Brampton and elsewhere in the GTA has led to 366 charges as cops continue to target the dangerous road behaviour.

Charges laid during Project Offramp, a joint-forces campaign during May and June across the GTA led by Peel Regional Police, include 96 for stunt driving, 24 for impaired and dangerous driving, and 246 for cars having improper or no mufflers.

In total, police investigated 933 cars during the sweeping initiative, among several in Peel and across the GTA currently running that aim to put an end to the growing problem of illegal street racing and other dangerous driving habits.

“Street racers do not acknowledge jurisdictional boundaries. They move freely through neighbourhoods without concern or thought for public safety,” Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said in a short video posted to social media on Thursday. “These actions put people’s lives at risk and are unacceptable.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility between law enforcement, multiple levels of government, community partners and residents throughout the GTA.”

A man stands poised to give the go-ahead for two cars to start racing.

Andrews added clamping down on street racing and stunt driving is a top priority for police in Peel and elsewhere.

“Let me be clear,” he said. “There is zero tolerance for street racing and stunt driving anywhere across the GTA.”

During May and June, police across the GTA increased patrols with an eye toward preventing street racing. And where they found the illegal behaviour taking place, charges were laid.

Stunt driving in Ontario is defined as travelling at:

  • 50 km/h or more over the speed limit where the posted limit is above 80 km/h
  • 40 km/h or more over where the limit is 80 km/h or less
  • a speed of 150 km/h or more on any road or highway

Illegal street racing is characterized by two or more cars taking part in speed competitions, whether they take place on busy roads or in more isolated parts of town such as shopping mall parking lots late at night.

Typically, groups of street racers show up in large numbers to race in industrial areas in Peel and across the GTA late Friday and Saturday nights from about May through the end of October, police have said.

The view from the driver’s seat of a police cruiser as an officer chases down a street racer. (Photos: Peel Regional Police video)

Peel police have also taken to social media on other occasions recently in efforts to shine a light on the illegal street activity and their ongoing efforts to stamp it out.

Two weeks ago, they revealed via social media they had laid more than 1,000 stunt driving charges so far this year in Mississauga and Brampton. They also noted at the time that number is expected to rise dramatically now that summer is here.

The informal social media public awareness campaign is meant to complement ramped-up enforcement efforts such as Project Offramp and the annual Project ERASE (Eliminating Racing Activities on Streets Everywhere).

The latter initiative sees police in Peel and across the GTA combine forces each year to crack down on dangerous driving between May and October.

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