SJPD warns against racing ahead of potential uptick due to warm weather

By Kyle Schmidt

Local police are reminding drivers of the dangers of drag racing after a Kansas City Chiefs player was involved in a crash while speeding.

Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has made headlines recently due to his involvement in a six-car crash in Dallas that left four people with minor injuries.

St. Joseph police define drag racing as “the operation of two or more vehicles from a point side by side at accelerating speeds in a competitive attempt to outdistance each other.”

“I get it, racing is fun,” said John Foster, St. Joseph Police Department traffic investigator. “That’s what the racetracks are for … public roadway is not for that.”

Foster spoke about the tendencies he sees throughout the year. 

“In the summertime, it’s going to be more prevalent since spring’s around the corner, I’m sure it’s going to pick up more so with motorcycles,” Foster said. “It’s because they weave in and out of cars and have no common sense really about it, personally.” 

Many different consequences can come from drag racing. The most serious one is the possibility of taking a life, but there are legal troubles to face as well. 

“So we get reports of careless and imprudent driving or excessive speeds. You know, if the speeders themselves, if they don’t get in a wreck, they can easily cause a wreck because of the vehicle surrounding them trying to avoid their bad behavior,” Foster said. “So there’s more than one time where somebody was speeding and reckless driving caused another person to drive off the roadway.”

Legal consequences that follow can vary based on the situation.

“So if you’re ever in an accident, that is a violation of city ordinance and state law not to report the collision; it creates more problems for yourself,” Foster said. “You know, the charge of leaving the scene of an accident if you don’t have insurance, no driver’s license, impairment, whatever the case may be, you know, it just adds extra charges, more court fines and costs. And it can, in fact, it would impact your license as well.”

As the weather gets nicer, it’s best to follow speed limits, and if racing is on the mind, take it to a place where it is legal.

“I know everybody likes the little rush of adrenaline,” Foster said. “But no amount of adrenaline is worth your life for someone else’s.”