Street Racing Ordinance Approved By Sandy Springs City Council

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The Sandy Springs City Council approved a street racing ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting to provide regulations and penalties for those organizing or participating in street racing and reckless driving exhibitions and spectators for those events.

State law prohibits street racing on highways and prohibits drivers of any motor vehicle from using streets, highways, public or private driveways, airport runways, or parking lots for reckless driving exhibitions. Generally, the law allows municipalities to regulate and control the use of roads within their jurisdictions. The new ordinance will provide Sandy Springs Police with better enforcement options against illegal street racing.

Under the ordinance, organizers and participants “shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or any combination thereof, subject to the limitations contained in the charter of the city or applicable state law.” In addition, any motor vehicle used for illegal street racing or reckless driving exhibitions can be impounded by the police department for not less than 30 days or final adjudication of the case.

Cities throughout the metropolitan Atlanta area have seen an increase in street racing over the past year, as traffic subsided due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sandy Springs Police reported four incidents since October 2020. In all but one case, arrests were made.

“Street racing poses a danger for participants and spectators alike," said Sandy Springs Police Chief Ken DeSimone. "Whenever you mix high speed and driver antics, it is a recipe with a high potential to injure people and even kill someone. With this ordinance, we want to get the word out that street racing won’t be tolerated in our city."

The ordinance is effective immediately.

For more information about the city of Sandy Springs, visit online or call the Citizen Response Center at 770-730-5600.