wstr75

Six vehicles (mostly Hondas) destroyed in front of their owners at an auto graveyard as the local lawmen ramp up enforcement after illegal street racing has been linked to 13 deaths in So. Cal. since March.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19339955/

Man, it would be hard to see my wheels crushed before my eyes. Some nice wheels on those cars. So, do the owners get scrap metal value from the recycler or does the state keep that too?

jftjr

I wanna see cop cars with "Just Say No To Rice" bumper stickers.....

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

thats fucked that they can do that. what about the 20gs they paid for the car? I would understand striping all the illegal parts off but crushing it is just not fair. And wtf is an illegally modified car? where's that boundary, is E/I/H illegal? or does it have to be turboed? whats the line i dont get it.

Rexorg

Great idea. The only problem is that their "owners" will simply go out and rob and steal again from us law abiding citizens and then we foot the bill for the death and destruction they do. Isn't America great?

SpicyMikey

Either way these guys loose their cars. Normally the state just confiscate it and they get nothing for them. This new tactic is a psychological ploy to stun them into stopping the racing. From what I've read, it actually works. I guess it's worse to watch your car be crushed then have it simply confiscated.

Haven't given it much thought so not sure where I stand on the idea.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

There's nothing fucked up about it. I'm sure these people were repeat offenders and that their cars violated too many parts of the vehicle code. Sucks to be them, but they they should learn the rules if they are going to modify their cars.

Rob L

Serves the morons right.

Humans....

SpicyMikey

From what I read, it's not about the parts or illegal mods. It's the street racing. They're not crushing cars because they don't have the proper lights, etc. They're crushing them because they were caught dragging down a blvd doing 100 in an illegal street race. Those are the cars being crushed. At least that's what I saw on NBC news last night.

jftjr

If your car doesn't meet emissions and safety laws, they can take it off the road and destroy it. If you're using your car in connection with a crime, they can impound it, and under the California forfeiture laws they can probably do whatever they want with it.

Many states impound the cars of people buying drugs on the street, and some have famously impounded cars of "johns" using prostitutes, as a deterrent.

Of course, they can't go beyond the 5th Amendment, and need to ensure the taking is done with due process under the 14th, but they're also probably banking on the fact that no "2fast2furious" wannabe is going to bother bringing a §1983 suit against the state for wrongful deprivation of personal property, either.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

If that's the case, then even better.

TampaRLX-SH

Keep the cars and crush the offenders. Street racing has no place in the world.

neuronbob

Great thread, but it really belongs in Car Talk, where there is already a thread on it HERE.

Street racing is indeed bad. That is the most severe punishment I've yet seen for the problem.