We found the street racing hotspots in the Houston-area

(8/29/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Street racing is a problem in Houston that many residents might not know about. It's happening more and more often and we've uncovered which areas of town have the most problems.

Examples have been gruesome and deadly. For residents on the county's north side, it's getting out of control.

"Just about every weekend you catch them," resident Christine Harrison said.

Data from the Harris County Sheriff's Office shows there have been 87 calls for service for street racing in the county this year alone. The main areas are along the Katy Freeway past Highway 6, up along Highway 290 past the Beltway and the North Freeway between Airtex and Spring Stubner.

"We had a guy working on the medians out there that was hit by a car," Harrison said.

Officials say calls for service don't necessarily reflect actual street racing cases. Since the beginning of the year, officers have arrested 26 people on that charge. Deputies say officers routinely target racing-area hot spots when they have the intelligence.

"Saturdays and Sundays in areas we know there is a problem, we stake out those areas," said Sgt. Dana Mackey with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Street races can happen anywhere like along the Gulf Freeway where a pregnant mother and her unborn child were killed. Even along residential roads like Spring Cypress.

"We did get to the scene before Daniel was taken out of the truck," said Susan Reiter.

Susan lost her 22-year-old son from an alleged street racing accident. Her hope is that parents become aware street racing is a problem not going away.

"Parents need to get involved with their kids and make sure that if they know their kids are doing this, get the kids away from them, don t let them drive," she said. "Driving is a right and not a privilege and everyone around here forgets that."

That is not just a county problem, it is happening in Houston too. However, Houston police do not track racing data. The District Attorney's Office does and so far this year, say eight people died as a result of street racing.

You can help cut down on street racing. The Harris County Sheriff's Office wants you to call them if you see someone racing. The number is 713-221-6000. Deputies say even if they don't catch people who are racing, they at least know where it's happening more often so they can watch that area.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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