Punishments for street racing pass North Carolina House. Here’s what would change.
With a bipartisan and unanimous vote, the state House of Representatives approved new punishments for street takeovers — which typically involve swaths of spectators blocking off traffic to watch car stunts and racing.
The provisions, unveiled Wednesday, would make driving in a street takeover a Class A1 misdemeanor, which is the state’s most serious misdemeanor and is punishable with a $1,000 fine for a first offense.
A subsequent offense within two years would be a Class H felony, with a fine of twice the value of the vehicle used.
For those who promote or facilitate a street takeover, including on social media, the bill would create a Class A1 misdemeanor.
When the provisions were introduced in the committee, those who merely watched a street takeover could have been subject to a Class 3 misdemeanor, with penalties increasing with repeated offenses. But during the House session, the bill was amended to specify that mere presence alone was not enough to be charged.
The bill, which now returns to the Senate for agreement with changes from a previous version, still includes language from that version that would amend civil and criminal court procedures.
This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 7:15 PM.
