Hitting The Brakes: Street Racing In Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- In October, CSPD announced a program to report illegal street racing on ReportStreetRacing.com

In the first day, there were 9 complaints. As of this week, there were 17.

The new reporting system is part of an ongoing effort to put the brakes on a problem that is almost as frustrating for police to investigate as it is for neighbors to hear night after night.

KRDO spent several evenings over the last few weeks in northeast and southeast Colorado Springs at spots that are known to be popular for street racing.

At Austin Bluffs and Dublin, our crew witnessed tires squealing and engines roaring as two cars raced up the hill when the light turned green.

Minutes later, another aggressive driver totally disregarded a solid red light while turning left at the same intersection.

That intersection is one of several hotspots for street racing in Colorado Springs.

Drivers often begin their evening with a meetup in a parking lot, then hit the streets.

Although street racing is hard to capture on camera, there are plenty of tire marks to be found afterward, and there are plenty of complaints from neighbors on sites like Next Door, where people write, "the motorcycles are crazy," or "we've heard them for years," or "someone is going to get killed".

Sadly, some have already died.

In 2019, a motorcyclist traveling in a pack was killed on Rangewood near Briargate Boulevard, although police couldn't confirm if the victim was racing.

The year before, the driver of a car was fatally injured at Academy and Constitution, and police did blame that crash on "extreme speed".

"It is absolutely a problem here in Colorado Springs," says CSPD officer Scott Mathis who specializes in targeting street racing.

Every month, Mathis meets with officers from across the state to discuss the problem and solutions.

Earlier this year during a special operation in Pueblo, five street racers were cited for speeding.

One of them was caught going 84mph in a 35mph zone.

CSPD recently put speed bumps on Aviation Way near the airport, shutting down what was another hotspot, but the drivers simply went elsewhere.

Mathis says unlike a real race track, neighborhood streets aren't designed for extreme speeds.

"They cannot react in time," he explains, "nor can other people react in time, when they're coming at such a high speed."

However, responding in time to catch them has been challenging.

"We'll get reports of them down here in the Sand Creek division. An hour later, we'll get reports that they're up on the north end of town, around Voyager Parkway and North Gate and Highway 83," Mathis says.

He hopes that the public will assist police by using websites like ReportStreetRacing.com, to let them know exactly when and where the racing happens, so they can either catch them in the act or find other ways to stop them in their tracks.

Drivers who do race can be charged with "Engaging In A Speed Contest" and that can lead to jail time.

And while CSPD says you won't have much luck if you call the police about an especially loud car or motorcycle in your neighborhood, the illegal modification of an engine to make it that loud can be added on as an extra offense if the driver is pulled over.