Published on Monday, March 6, 2006
in the WESH News

Police Crack Down On Bike Week Street Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Hundreds of thousands of bikers are in Daytona Beach, and law enforcement officers are busy trying to keep everyone safe on the roads.

While most bikers say they are very concerned about safety, there are some who have turned one of the city's most heavily traveled roadways into a speedway for racing and high-risk stunts, WESH 2 News reported.

Some bikers do dangerous things, such as the one who popped a wheelie in traffic on West International Speedway Boulevard on Monday.

A stunt like that is just one of many things that troopers are cracking down on during Bike Week as part of a special enforcement to put the brakes on street racing, excessive speeding and stunt riding along the boulevard.

"It's going to get someone seriously hurt or even killed," said Lt. Jerry Adams, of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Adams said he has seen the dangers of Bike Week firsthand as an officer and as a biker in his off-duty hours.

"They're racing two, three, four at a time," Adams said. "Splitting vehicles at a high rate of speed."

Drivers caught street racing could pay the price. First-time offenders could be slapped with a fine up to $1,000 and could have their license revoked for a year.

"Even though the statute for racing has considerably changed and made it much tougher, we still have motorcyclists out here pulling these stunts," Adams said.

"I enjoy sitting out here and watching," biker Chuck Robinson said. "They ought to save it for the track," Robinson said.

Six people have already been cited for street racing during Bike Week. Most drivers said the crackdown is a good idea.

"I think they should crack down on the street racing because it's very dangerous," local driver Seantay Wardlow said. "Especially since this is an attraction town and there are other people other than the bikers here."

Troopers said they are not only targeting bikers, but also any drivers who are street racing or breaking the law.

They are urging all drivers to be especially careful with so many bikers in town for the event, which runs through Sunday.