Drivers face brand-new $500 fine on top of existing tickets for dangerous behavior – traffic cameras didn’t work
POLICE are working to organize a crackdown on drivers participating in illegal racing activities to curb the hazardous activity.
Even if the driver isn't behind the wheel, they could be on the hook if it's used for racing.
The City Council of Seattle, Washington is working through a proposed bill allowing officers to issue a $500 ticket to the registered owner of a vehicle used in illegal racing activities.
Therefore, if someone is using someone else's car to participate in street racing, the registered owner would be on the hook for the ticket, reported Police 1.
The law is part of a larger bill proposed to the council by city attorney Ann Davison, the same lawyer part of the lawsuit against Miles Hudson and his Belltown Hellcat, to combat illegal street racing.
Davison helped prosecute the infamous driver, who is now accountable for $83,619.97 in civil penalties and attorney fees after three consecutive months of blatant disregard for city laws.
Read More about Miles Hudson
This law, if passed, would help curb any drivers who Hudson's actions may have inspired.
Punishable dangerous displays include overtaking intersections to do donuts and racing in parking lots.
"This legislation responds to the recent rise in large street racing takeover events that pose a safety hazard to the public — pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers," said Davison.
"The new civil infraction will give police a tool to hold vehicle owners accountable when their cars are used at these events."
Most read in Motors
Illegal racing activities are particularly popular during the summer months.
Those arguing for the bill cited a fatal accident as a result of street racing in the Auburn neighborhood of the city.
Seattle has implemented speed cameras to help detour activities.
However, racers simply move their events to places without cameras, and once events begin, there is little officers can do to stop them.
The new law would allow officers to take note of license plates of multiple cars to cite more drivers.
The current law would allow a single officer to identify and arrest one driver at a time, making it difficult to hold multiple racers accountable.
The outlet made sure to note that Miles Hudson may not have been the obvious inspiration for the change of policy, but the law could be used against him in the future.
What is the Belltown Hellcat?
The Belltown Hellcat is an infamous, modified 2023 Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT that has been terrorizing Belltown, Seattle, Washington for months.
The owner, Miles Hudson, has been making headlines since April after several counts of reckless driving in downtown Seattle, Washington. He has posted videos to his Instagram of him driving well over 100 mph on city streets at 3 or 4 am with the intent to "wake them up."
He's been in and out of courtrooms with speeding, parking, and traffic violations stacking up. His mother, Rebecca, is on the vehicle's title and has been jointly charged to pay $1,300 for every day the vehicle is not within city noise code compliance after April 15.
Reddit has been keeping close track of his, as residents have had enough of being terrorized by the driver.
On June 18, Hudson was ordered by a judge to pay over $83,000 in overdue fines and for failure to prove the vehicle is being repaired to remove modifications that violate city code.
In March, he was charged with two counts of reckless driving after posting videos to social media of him driving at speeds above 100 mph.
Read More on The US Sun
After he was ordered to not drive his Hellcat until the vehicle was restored to the factory setup, he posted more videos of him participating in illegal activities from the passenger's seat while someone else drove the car.
This law would hold drivers like Hudson accountable, who took advantage of a legal loophole.