May 13, 2021 Share
Jaye Sanford, a 52-year-old mother of two, was driving home in suburban Atlanta on Nov. 21 when a man in a Dodge Challenger muscle car who was allegedly street racing crashed into her head-on, killing her.
Sanford was remembered by friends as kind and thoughtful, but now she will also be remembered for something else: a new state law that requires jail time for all convictions for drag racing and stunt driving.
Across America, illegal drag racing has exploded in popularity since the coronavirus pandemic began, with dangerous upticks reported from Georgia and New York to New Mexico and Oregon.
New York reported more than 1,000 drag racing complaints in a six-month timeframe in 2020. By Istock
Story at a glance
Illegal street racing cases are reportedly on the rise as streets emptied by the pandemic offer would be racers seemingly vacant spaces to race.
Cases apparently surged in New York, Georgia, New Mexico and Oregon, and several illegal street races led to the deaths of bystanders, officials have said. “Illegal street racing puts lives at risk and keeps us up at night,” Hoylman said. “While there’s been less traffic during the pandemic, some drivers have used this as an opportunity to treat our streets like a Nascar speedway,” New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman said.
May 14, 2021 Share
Jaye Sanford, a 52-year-old mother of two, was driving home in suburban Atlanta on Nov. 21 when a man in a Dodge Challenger muscle car who was allegedly street racing crashed into her head-on, killing her.
She is one of the many victims of a surge in street racing that has taken root across America during the coronavirus pandemic, prompting police crackdowns and bills aimed at harsher punishments.
Experts say TV shows and movies glorifying street racing had already fueled interest in recent years. Then shutdowns associated with the pandemic cleared normally clogged highways as commuters worked from home.
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