Too Fast for the Streets of Corpus Christi
Statistics show that driving too fast can lead to devastating crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 37 percent of traffic fatalities in Texas, in 2012, were related to speeding, including 16 deaths in Nueces County and one in San Patricio County.
As of recently, the Corpus Christi Police Department is cracking down on drag racing, KZTV reported, attempting to reduce hazardous driving conditions for citizens of Corpus Christi. At speeds of nearly 100 miles an hour, drag racers have been creating hazardous conditions on the streets of Corpus Christi for drivers and pedestrians alike.
The police department has focused on Shoreline Boulevard, Saratoga Boulevard, and the Ocean Drive area, where street racing seems to occur most often. Captain Mark Gutierrez told the television station that this part of Corpus Christi has seen some terrible automobile crashes due to drag racing.
Over the past eight months, the department’s mission to stop street racing has been a success, resulting in 52 arrests; seventeen of these arrests came from the Bayfront area.
In January, a Corpus Christi police officer charged a 19-year-old with drag racing on Saratoga Boulevard. However, two other vehicles, involved in the race, were not stopped. It is not clear how fast these drivers were going on the 45 mph road.
In February, three teens were arrested after police discovered a street race on North Shoreline Boulevard. Officers reported observing one of the automobiles performing “donut” maneuvers before a crowd of onlookers.
“When people are out there racing they are putting everyone at risk,” Captain Gutierrez said in his interview with KZTV.
Consequences for Drag Racers
Police want drag racers to know they are taking a big chance with their futures. Not only will the racers’ vehicles be impounded, but those convicted will face time in jail and have criminal records as drag racing is considered a class B misdemeanor.
If you want to race with other cars, in the Corpus Christi area, police advise you to go to Chase Field in the Beeville area; it is legal to have races there.
