Seeing ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles doing wheelies going down North High Street on a busy weekend in the Short North isn't an uncommon sight. Neither is hearing loud vehicles around the city.
What is becoming more common, according to city officials, is street racing, street takeovers and other forms of reckless driving. City officials say an increase has been seen anecdotally in neighborhoods since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Columbus City Council wants to crack down on this illegal behavior by adding more punishments for perpetrators that exceed what the Ohio Legislature recently put into place to crack down on street racing statewide.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein's office worked with City Council to craft legislation that will go before the council Monday night.
The law makes two new criminal offenses a first-degree misdemeanor, with a possible driver’s license suspension of 30 days to three years and assessment of six points on an offender’s license.
The new city law would punish those caught doing burnouts, doughnuts, drifting, wheelies or allowing passengers to ride partially or fully outside a vehicle. The new Columbus law would also allow the city to force drivers to permanently forfeit parts of their vehicles the city deems to have been used in reckless driving.
Klein said this could include vanity items like rims or modifications made to wheels or steering wheels that he said can contribute to street racing.
Klein also said that the Ohio Legislature fell short, which is why the city is adding to the city code.
"(This law) allows us to really crack down even further on these crimes that are being committed on our roadways that go beyond just getting on people's nerves and being a nuisance, but also truly threaten public safety," Klein said.
The law describes a “vehicle component” as “any motor vehicle part or accessory specifically adapted for use in street racing, stunt driving, or street takeover."
The law applies to any public road, street, highway or private property open to the public.
The law could punish anyone rendering assistance to stunt driving or a street takeover, saying they must be charged with the same crime as the participants. Klein said this would include people who help block roads. He said spectators who show up to watch one of these events could potentially be charged depending on the role they are playing in the takeover.
Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said the council has been working on legislation for more than a year. He said council received calls from residents all over the city concerned about street takeovers.
Remy also said the takeovers are extremely dangerous for not only participants but for motorists caught up in them.
