Teens and young adults have always participated in street racing to some extent, but when The Fast & The Furious films were released, these illegal sporting events saw a major rise in popularity. To help combat the dangers of such activities, police have since stepped up in their enforcement of these crimes while prosecutors have increasingly sought the strictest possible penalties for those charged with street racing. That is why anyone who has been charged with the serious crime of street racing or speed exhibitions should immediately contact a skilled San Diego traffic crimes attorney like Peter M. Liss.
While most illegal speed, drifting and drag racing competitions that result in charges will carry misdemeanor penalties punishable by up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 in fines, they can quickly become felonies if anyone was injured during the act, or if drivers were carrying weapons or illegal drugs in their vehicles. Additionally, whether the offense is a misdemeanor or felony, those convicted will also face a driver’s license revocation, vehicle impoundment, multiple points being added to their driving record and more. All of these extra consequences will result in additional costs, from vehicle towing and storage fees to increased insurance premiums. In some cases, vehicles may even be permanently seized by the state. As you can see, the consequences for street racing and speed exhibitions are incredibly serious, which is why anyone facing such charges should only work with top-rated North County San Diego criminal traffic offense lawyers.
Fortunately, while these offenses are incredibly serious, there are defenses your traffic crimes attorney in San Diego can use to fight the charges. For example, if you were stopped without just cause or if your vehicle was searched without reasonable suspicion, your rights may have been violated. In many cases, persons driving cars featuring legal racing modifications are illegally stopped by police with the assumption that owning such a vehicle means you are participating in illegal races. If your rights were violated during the traffic stop or arrest, your North County San Diego criminal driving offense lawyer may be able to have evidence against you suppressed, charges you are facing reduced or even have all charges against you dropped if your rights were seriously violated.
Even if police did follow proper protocol, the prosecution must be able to show ample evidence that you were actually engaged in a street race, which is often a difficult burden of proof for them to meet. For example, just because you drive a car with modifications and you were speeding next to persons with similar vehicles does not mean you were involved in a race with the drivers. It is critical you remember that this burden of proof is on the prosecutor, not you and your driving offense lawyer in San Diego. If it seems the prosecutor may not have enough evidence to back up these charges, your San Diego traffic crimes attorney may be able to work out a plea bargain that will minimize the penalties you could face.
If you have been charged with street racing or have any questions about this serious offense, please call San Diego driving offense attorney Peter M. Liss at (760) 643-4050 or (858) 486-3024 to schedule a free initial consultation.
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