Birmingham mayor, lawmakers team up with plan against street racing

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and several state legislators announced Tuesday that they have been working on a bill to combat street racing, which has been a recurrent problem in Birmingham.

The bill would prohibit street racing and provide penalties including confiscation of vehicles.

Woodfin joined Sen. Rodger Smitherman and Rep. Allen Treadaway and Rep. Rolanda Hollis to discuss the proposed legislation on Tuesday.

“I’m personally very optimistic and think we’ll get the bill passed,” said Treadaway, who plans to sponsor it when the legislature goes into session in March.

Smitherman said he’s witnessed dangerous reckless driving in downtown Birmingham. “I was down at Publix, between Third and Second Avenue South; I was standing on a balcony, and I’m looking at these people on Second Avenue and 20th Street doing donuts, so I had a chance to see it my own self, personally,” Smitherman said. “On Third Avenue, I’ve had a chance to stand on a similar balcony and see people at night racing up and down the street just like it’s a drag race.”

Woodfin said the speed bumps that have been placed on some streets in downtown Birmingham have helped deter the problem in those areas. “They’re working well,” he said.

But it’s a widespread problem throughout the city that speed bumps alone won’t solve, he said.

“This takes place at various times,” Woodfin said. “It takes place on weekends, it takes place on weekdays. It takes place at night, it takes place in the day. It takes place on public property, it takes place on private property.”

Birmingham police are trying to combat the problem, but can’t be in all the places where street racing and trick driving is happening, he said. “It has all the officers’ attention,” Woodfin said.

Some speed bumps are now in place along Third Avenue North at 19th and 20th Streets and others will be added, Woodfin said.

Woodfin has said that Birmingham Police gave out 89 citations for reckless driving in 2020, 146 in 2021 and 57 this year from Jan. 1-July 31. Drivers showing off by doing stunts like spinning out and doing donuts has been an increasing problem, Woodfin said.

Treadaway said the bill would add enforcement consequences such as confiscating vehicles and taking away driver’s licenses for multiply offenses, which could significantly deter the problem.