Yakima Police may soon be cracking down on street racing in the city. The department has been conducting emphasis patrols around the city since the first of the year. Officers have been stopping an average of 200 drivers a week. Police are trying to slow drivers down a prevent serious crashes.
On Tuesday the Yakima City Council talked about street racing being a problem in Yakima. In fact the council directed city staff to develop an ordinance based on the City of Fife model to combat street racing and prevent a serious crash that could injure or kill a driver or someone watching on the side of the street.
The city of Fife passed a law in 2020 that makes it illegal to watch or participate in illegal street racing in what the city calls "no racing zones." The zones include major streets in the city of Fife where officers say they see a lot of street racing.
Authorities say there are many areas in the city that are popular with street racers including West Nob Hill Blvd. and Ahtanum Blvd.
Yakima City officials want a similar law in the city to stop the problem and prevent someone from being seriously injured or killed. A story in the Yakima Herald Republic says the Yakima Police Department wrote 68 citations for street racing and 64 citations for reckless driving between January 2020 and May 2021.
Many cities have faced the problem of street racing and it's been a problem in Yakima in the past. City officials say they'll talk more about street racing at the next Yakima City Council meeting.

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