Connecticut has added some tougher legal penalties for residents who organize, participate in, or gather to watch illegal street takeovers under a new law signed this month and intended to address concerns from law enforcement and local officials.
The legislation, approved with near-unanimous support in both chambers of the General Assembly, aims to crack down on the dangerous trend of blocking public roadways for reckless driving stunts, often coordinated on social media. It expands the authority of local police and includes new municipal options to address the problem.
Sen. Jorge Cabrera, D-Hamden, applauded the policy after it won overwhelming passage through the state Senate last month.
“My hope is that people will think twice about participating in such stupid, dangerous stunts if they know they can lose their dirt bikes and ATVs or lose their driver’s license,” Cabrera said in a press release.
Under the statute, repeat offenders convicted of three or more street takeover violations will face a mandatory two-year driver’s license suspension. Municipalities were also granted authority to pass local ordinances penalizing street takeovers and may destroy seized vehicles such as ATVs, dirt bikes, and mini-motorcycles used in the events.
In a statement issued after signing the bill, Gov. Ned Lamont called street takeovers a dangerous national trend that put lives at risk.
“This bill gives state and local law enforcement and municipal leaders additional tools to protect the safety of our roads and our communities,” Lamont said. “It is the result of bipartisan input and advocacy, and I appreciate all who worked to advance this bill to my desk so that I could sign it into law.”
