http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...geid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1052251855883
All modified cars aren't street racers
Many changed just to look better
Clear rules sought on modification
NECO COCKBURN
STAFF REPORTER
While movies such as 2 Fast 2 Furious glorify souped-up street racers, all cars that are modified to improve looks and performance aren't used for racing.
Many changes can be made to cars, some legal, others illegal. And some fall into a gray area, said Mathew John, chief executive of the Police and Community Educating Racers program, which partners car communities, police and corporate sponsors to fight illegal street racing.
But the common idea "that all (modified) cars or all performance enthusiasts are street racers is a very bad stereotype," John said yesterday.
The release of 2 Fast 2 Furious has local police worried that people may emulate the racing portrayed in the movie.
A joint blitz by police in the Greater Toronto Area ? dubbed Eliminate Racing Activities on Streets Everywhere, or ERASE ? resulted in more than 150 related charges on Saturday. Despite the increased enforcement, street racing was blamed for a six-vehicle crash Saturday night that injured four young people on Highway 400 near Finch Ave. W.
John said a clear set of rules governing all aspects of car modification would give both police and people modifying cars a definitive set of guidelines with which to operate.
"There are a lot of variables that are involved with it," he said. "The Ministry of Transportation needs to make a uniform code when it comes to making modifications ? in everyday layman's terms, so people can understand what the laws are governing modifications."
A road safety bill making its way through the Legislature would prohibit some aspects of car modification, such as the use of nitrous oxide tanks on public roads. Nitrous oxide, common among racers, boosts a car's speed. Another section would regulate after-market window tinting. It's one of many areas currently left to a police officer's discretion. If an officer can't see clearly into the car, a ticket could be issued.
"There's that discrepancy where ... one officer may have better vision than the other," said John, 29. "One officer may say that's okay, another one may say that's not okay."
He said people making the modifications also need to be aware of what is allowed.
"A lot of kids like to go to the extreme of modifying their cars, which is fine, but they need to research it properly and thoroughly," he said, adding that many modified cars are fixed up only for looks.
"A very large number of cars that are modified are not being used for street racing activity.... It's really a few individuals who ruin it for a lot of people."
John said modified cars are often pulled over because of their overall look, something that frustrates car enthusiasts who aren't into racing. "Usually the ones that have the nice look to them, with the 500-pound stereo system, are not obviously out there to street race."
Some cars are more popular to modify than others ? Hondas especially ? "because of the amount of modifications you can get for an affordable price."
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