A steady dose of warmer weather will hopefully be arriving very soon. No more of these "tease" days, where it's 67 degrees one day, then the next day it tops out around 40, and that's if we're lucky.

Along with the nicer weather comes more outdoor activities, unfortunately one of the nice weather activities Sioux Falls has seen a rash of in previous years is street racing.

Street racing has become somewhat of problem at night in the city on many roads located near the edge of town where traffic isn't that heavy, and patrol cars aren't that plentiful.

When officers attempt to locate individuals trying to reenact their favorite scene from a Fast & Furious movie, sound is an obvious giveaway, and can usually point them in the right direction. However, when these drivers are going 80 mph or 90 mph, they usually don't stay in one place long, making the job of finding them much harder for police.

According to Officer Sam Clemens of the Sioux Falls Police Department, the publics help is key in helping track down street racers. "We've been encouraging people to call in when it's happening," says Clemens. "If we can find out where it's happening and when it's happening then we're better able to use our man power and try to catch the people doing this.”

The main objective in putting the kibosh on street racing is preventing a major accident.

Clemens said, "When you have cars that are traveling 80 mph on streets that are designed for 35 mph, there's a good chance that there could be some good injuries that come from it.”

Street racing is of course against the law, the repercussion for getting caught can vary.

Police could issue a violator a reckless driving ticket, which requires a mandatory court appearance. Or they could hand out a speeding ticket ranging from $120 to $240 depending on much the driver was exceeding the speed limit.

Anyone inclined to do a little street racing this spring and summer should know, the Sioux Falls PD, along with the Highway Patrol, Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office will once again be instituting a collaborative effort to catch you. It's been successful in years past and they plan to continue it again this street racing season as well.

Source: KDLT

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