Motorists got a reassurance from the Colorado State Patrol that it is serious about cracking down on dangerous and illegal street racing on Colorado’s highways and byways. The State Patrol announced Monday it had worked with 19 local law enforcement agencies along the Front Range last Memorial Day Weekend in a joint effort to curb the rogue activity. The agency said in a press statement that dozens of its officers on both air and ground patrol assisted. Uniformed and undercover officers conducted traffic stops.

This isn’t your granddad’s hot-rodding down Main Street. Today’s races are large, organized, yet illegal events involving high-powered vehicles capable of reaching startling speeds on interstates and major local streets. Their cohorts even hinder other traffic to make way for the race. An impromptu racing event that was shut down in Lone Tree on the Saturday before Memorial Day had drawn an estimated 400-500 vehicles at one point.

It poses a serious hazard. State Patrol Captain Matthew Beaudin called street racing, “a dangerous game with lethal consequences.”

“We hear the complaints of citizens, we have seen the results of it, and we are taking actions to stop it from happening,” he said. If you witness or know of an illegal race, you can bring it to the attention of authorities at ReportStreetRacing.com

We have nothing against muscle cars, but they must follow the rules of the road. They owe it to the rest of the motoring public.