By Alex Reid driving.ca

We may have just found something worthy of the Darwin Awards

With COVID-19 keeping everybody inside, some people were bound to go so stir-crazy they would do something stupid. And now, they have — street racing on Toronto’s empty highways, apparently.

Some 18, uh, “enthusiasts” lost their driving privileges and had their vehicles impounded for seven days over the weekend when they were caught street racing on the provincial capital’s desolate streets, according to Narcity.

Another group of opportunist individuals were caught traveling at speeds up to 171 kilometres per hour.

While it’s easy to look at this situation and think the impetus for racing is the streets being empty, it’s important to look at the bigger picture here. There has always been racing on the streets of Toronto, but the police have always had more important problems to deal with. Now, with fewer people around to commit crimes, the street-racing crowd that continues to race up and down the DVP is a lot easier to catch.

Evidence this problem is bigger than COVID-19 can be found in the recent installation of 50 new speed cameras on Toronto streets.

The lesson remains the same, though: don’t street race, or you’ll get your vehicle taken away, or lose your licence, or both.

In New Zealand street racers can have their cars confiscated and destroyed.

‘Duh, I know my car’s in there somewhere.’