New proposed street racing bill HB191 for Ohio

Snow, Beer, Sports... and some of the finest EG's in the Midwest.
 Reply
User avatar

New proposed street racing bill HB191 for Ohio

By teal_dx
- Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:31 pm #120012
COLUMBUS — Individuals caught street racing would face higher fines, lose their driver’s licenses and forfeit their vehicles to law enforcement, under legislation introduced in the Ohio House.
State Rep. Ted Celeste, a Democrat from the Columbus area, offered House Bill 191 after discussions with a capital city family whose daughter was critically injured by a street racer who crossed a highway median.
The legislation would call for an automatic license suspension for individuals caught street racing, with their vehicles impounded. The bill also would ban use of nitrous oxide — used by racers to give their vehicles a quick boost of power — in vehicles driven on public streets.
The legislation was prompted by Monica Durban, an Ohio State University student who suffered life-threatening injuries when a street racer collided with her last year. The driver of the other vehicle was killed, and others involved in the incident were later found not guilty of related charges.
Durban spent six weeks in a coma and subsequent months in a nursing home, her father, Lee Durban, told reporters Thursday. She continues to receive therapy.


Now read the full story below... they failed to mention in the press release above that the driver drank 8 beers before getting in his car to race.
I don't condone street racing in any way, but I think drunk driving is the culprit in this incident more than 2 cars racing on the highway. True, one couldn't happen without the other... but if you pass a law stating that your vehicle is seized if pulled over for street racing and/or they see you have nitrous, then to me that means a lot more high speed chases from people running from the police. :?
Last edited by teal_dx on Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar

By teal_dx
- Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:32 pm #120014 and here's another detailed version of the same incident I found on a local forum:

Eight beers into the evening, George Staton Jr. decided he was up for a "kill" — street-racer lingo for a win over another car.

He clambered into his 2004 Pontiac GTO at his Grove City home and rumbled to I-70 on the Far West Side to pair off against a challenger in a hopped-up Camaro.

Staton's "Goat," as the GTO is known among motorheads, was built for top-end speed. His vanity license plate —

1 BLUBYU — captured both his car's color and performance.

Drag-racing tires. A modified engine and other after-market parts to boost speed. A nitrous-oxide supply to generate more horsepower.

The race against the Camaro perhaps just concluded, the 30-year-old lost control. His speeding car slid across the median and into the westbound lanes of I-70 near Hilliard-Rome Road.

Monica Durban had just finished her shift at the Starbucks near Lennox Town Center. She was only minutes from home.

The 20-year-old Ohio State University junior doesn't recall what happened early on Jan. 27. She did not regain consciousness for six weeks.

Staton's car spun sideways in front of Durban's Mercury sedan. The impact sheared the Pontiac GTO into two pieces, throwing Staton out of his car.

Trapped in the wreckage, Durban was near death. Staton was dead.

His wife, Michelle, cried inconsolably as she bent over his body until she was pried away by rescue workers. Following in another car to watch the race, she witnessed the death of the father of their two young daughters.

Only moments afterward, Mrs. Staton appeared proud of his last race. In a reference to her husband's opponent, she told police: "That boy didn't have anything."

Monica Durban used to have everything.

She loved her film-study classes and romping around on her horse, Lil' Deacon. The engagement ring on her finger had been there only four weeks. She planned to marry, move to California and pursue an acting career.

Now, she would be satisfied with anything remotely approaching normalcy. "I've been to the depths of hell and back … I want to be like this again," she says, pointing to a pre-crash photo of herself.

Durban's once fast-paced life has slowed to baby steps. She is undergoing physical rehabilitation to learn how to walk again. A rod props up her crushed left leg while hunks of metal hold together her shattered right heel.

The traumatic brain injury she suffered apparently still plays tricks. "My hand hurts so bad, daddy. Love it," she says, asking her father to rub her hand. There's nothing wrong with her left hand or wrist. Her brain, though, tells her it hurts.

Monica's strength is amazing, her father Lee Durban says. The neurosurgeon gave her a 200-to-1 shot of survival.

"For six-weeks plus, you think you have an absolute vegetable. It's a hell you can't describe. But we're past the miracle and piling miracles on top of miracles," he said of his daughter's ongoing recovery.

Racing used to be a source of pride for the Durbans. The late Bob Durban, Lee's brother, was a successful drag racer, winning the pro-stock championship at the 1972 NHRA Gatornationals.

But Lee Durban never had given a thought to street racing. Not until that night, when the hospital called and literally told him his daughter was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I got blindsided. I didn't know anything about it. By Jan. 30, I was too educated," he said.

Now, Durban, a lawyer, is protesting what he calls the inadequate police investigation of his daughter's crash and Staton's death and the apparent fact that no one, including the other racer, will be prosecuted.

"The facts are so hideous," Durban said. "This was a planned illegal act. I hate to conclude this is over. It's never going to be over for us."

Columbus police detective David Cornute Jr. said there is no probable cause to charge anyone. "I can't prove they were racing at the instant this crash occurred," he said.

Staton's blood-alcohol content was 0.08 percent, the level at which a driver is considered drunk in Ohio. Mrs. Staton denied he was racing when the crash occurred and expressed concern for Monica Durban. "My husband paid the ultimate price for his mistake. He was a good man and a good father," she said.

Lee Durban observed that two other street racers have died in Franklin County since the crash that killed Staton and injured his daughter.

He's calling for laws to make it easier to charge and convict those who turn public roads into personal raceways. Perhaps the confiscation of racers' prized cars and more jail time would make them lay off the gas, he said.

"There's no turning this back. None of this will help us. But if it can keep some other parents' daughter from being exposed to what we've gone through ..."

After Staton's death, some among the Columbus performance-car community conducted a memorial "cruise-in" and raised money for his widow and kids.

The Durban family never got anything from Staton's fellow auto enthusiasts — no call, no note, no money.
User avatar

sad to hear

By teal
- Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:15 pm #120030 hopefully people reply to this in an adult manner. but street racing laws have been on my mind lately. I quit street racer a long time ago. after fines and non stop court troubles and of course I couldn't live with an outcome of a maybe future tragedy. I think the actions taken to stricken up on street racing will hurt more then help. they need to work with people. it wont go away. its always been there. but If there was a track open daily it would be a big help. but instead of investing they'd rather deal with the harsh outcome. NOTE: I know this WONT stop everyone from doing street runs duh. but if over publicized and put through the media it would put a dent in the statistics. I do believe movies like F&F are not helping. having kids in avengers with wings fly by you around 100mph. No one can tell me they haven't seen the Rice-o-meter fly throw the roof after fast and the furious!

PLEASE REPLY TO THIS TOPIC!!!!!! GREAT TOPIC THAT WE NEED TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT!!!!
User avatar

By teal_dx
- Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:49 pm #120206 I have never used Nitrous before, but I don't think it's right for the lawmakers to say our cars could be seized if we are caught with it. Especially if the bottle is not open. Not everyone can afford to have a dedicated track car and NOS is your best bang for the buck.
Plenty of street racers have aftermarket superchargers and aftermarket turbo kits too... so are those going to be illegal next? What about DOT Drag Radials? I feel like they are slowly taking away our rights a little at a time.

edit: by "our rights" I mean all automotive enthusiasts who like to modify their car, not street racers
 Reply
Return to Ohio