“Street racing” is the act of driving a motor vehicle in a race with at least one other motor vehicle on a street, road, highway or another public place1. It is often accompanied by "stunted growth", which occurs when a driver of a motor vehicle intentionally attempts to lose traction on the road or highway, to spin in circles without maintain control, drive with a person in the trunk of the motor vehicle, drive in excess of the speed limit by more than 50 kilometers per hour, or drive without care, attention and consideration for others2. Street racing is considered an attack on the person and reputation3. This is due to its extreme nature, the risk of personal injury and death, and the risk of damage to roads and property. This is considered a public health and safety issue. Although there are laws with penalties intended to combat street racing, several allegations have been made that sections of the stunt laws are unconstitutional for various reasons4. In order to combat the problem of street racing and the setbacks it causes, many jurisdictions have implemented programs aimed at reducing the number of incidents. Street racing is a dangerous and illegal act that carries various penalties, is in conflict with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is being prevented across Ontario through the ERASE program. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Since street racing is a key contributor to motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths, there are several penalties when someone is charged with street racing and stunting5. Over the years, laws against street racing have become stricter. In May 2007, the Ontario government passed Bill 203, which increased the minimum fine for street racing from $200 to $2,000 and the maximum fine from $1,000 to $10,000 . According to Transport Minister Donna Cansfieldin, this penalty was increased in the hope of cracking down on dangerous driving6. Currently in Ontario, according to section 249.2 of the Criminal Code of Canada, anyone who causes the death of another person by criminal negligence during a street race is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to life imprisonment while Anyone who causes bodily harm to another person through criminal negligence while street racing is guilty of an indictable offense and faces up to fourteen years in prison7. Additionally, if a person is found guilty of street racing, the vehicle driver's license is immediately and mandatorily suspended for seven days and the vehicle driven at the time of the incident is impounded for seven days and the driver may do facing possible punishment. a driving license suspension of up to two years and receiving at least six demerit points on their record8. Penalties can vary depending on what the driver was caught doing. The more damage the driver causes, the more severe the penalties. On the evening of May 5, 2014, 18-year-old Vince Lisi was caught speeding 240 km/h on Highway 407 in Vaughan, Ontario. After being arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police, Lisi was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, stunt driving and failure to surrender her driver's license. His car was immediately impounded and his license was suspended; both for seven days. He also received six demerit pointsfor exceeding the speed limit of 50 km/h9. This is an example of lower fees for street racing. Although Lisi still faces a fine of up to $10,000, the consequences he faced remain minor, as he did not cause any damage to the road, other property, or any bodily harm to pedestrians or to other drivers10. On June 22, 2010, in Ottawa, Ontario, Christian "Sisco" Williams, 18, was killed while street racing with his friend Kareem Alli, 19, when Williams Honda crashed into a light pole while both men were racing at speeds of up to 120 km/h11. Alli was convicted of dangerous driving causing death and was sentenced to 30 months in prison12. This case is an example of a harsher penalty for street racing. Since the dangerous driving between Williams and Alli resulted in Williams' death, the consequences Alli faced were more severe than Lisi's. In the majority of cases, young drivers are responsible for street racing charges. In 2011, in Waterloo alone, 69 stunt driving charges were issued and almost a third of the drivers were under the age of 2013. Laws against street racing have been made stricter in order to protect the safety of others, but they are controversial and subject to debate. When the Ontario government unveiled Bill 203, widespread public debate arose14. Many believed the new laws were unconstitutional. One of them was subsection 3(7) of Ontario Regulation 455/07, as it "created an absolute liability offense for which a person can be imprisoned for six months, contrary to section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This means that it was found unconstitutional to convict a person of stunt driving or speed racing under section 172 of the Highway Code solely on the basis of the fact that he was speeding15. In fact, this takes away a person's right to security, which is protected by section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms16. If a person is found guilty of stunt driving due to speeding, their right to safety will be deprived, making it a direct violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The issue of speed and street racing is one of the biggest issues when it comes to Ontario's street racing laws. In April 2008, Jane Raham, 62, was charged with street racing after being stopped at 131 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. The 51 km/h difference was the reason for the charge, which included the possibility of a prison sentence of up to six months, but was found unconstitutional by lower courts because Raham was unable to defend themselves against such accusations. Similarly, in the fall of 2009, Alexandra Drutz, 18, was caught speeding 157 km/h on Highway 407 north of Toronto and was charged with street racing, but her charge was dismissed. rejected by a judge in Newmarket17. These two cases show the conflict between street racing laws and other Canadian laws and constitutions. In either case, neither defendant would be able to defend against street racing due to the speed at which they were driving. Since both women were driving 50 km/h over the limit, it was automatically assumed that they were both street racing. This meant that both defendants could face prison time when instead of street racing, they engaged in speeding, which, although similar, is not the same offense. Speeding and street racing are two offenses.