What are the Street Racing Laws in Florida?
In Florida, street racing, also known as “Highway Racing”, is a crime pursuant to Statute 316.191. According to the statute:
“A person may not:
(a) Drive any motor vehicle, including any motorcycle, in any race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of physical endurance, or exhibition of speed or acceleration or for the purpose of making a speed record on any highway, roadway, or parking lot;
(b) In any manner participate in, coordinate, facilitate, or collect moneys at any location for any such race, competition, contest, test, or exhibition;
(c) Knowingly ride as a passenger in any such race, competition, contest, test, or exhibition; or
(d) Purposefully cause the movement of traffic to slow or stop for any such race, competition, contest, test, or exhibition.”
What are the penalties for street racing?
Highway racing is a misdemeanor criminal offense in Florida, which means if convicted you will have a criminal record. Furthermore, highway racing carries a MANDATORY 2 YEAR LICENSE REVOCATION if convicted. This means if you show up to your arraignment (initial court date) and enter a plea of no contest or guilty you WILL lose your license for two years!
There are also fines (up to $1000) and possible jail time (up to one year) associated with a conviction for this crime. Subsequent offenses carry even harsher penalties.
What should you do if charged with highway racing?
If charged with this crime, contact a lawyer. He or she may be able to get the charges reduced or dismissed to help you avoid the automatic license suspension. EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED YOU MAY STILL BE ABLE TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY WITHDRAW YOUR PLEA AND HELP YOU AVOID CONVICTION. Your license is on the line – take this citation very seriously!