Spokane City Council approves new racing, aggressive driving fines

Aggressive drivers and street racers in Spokane may soon start getting tickets in the mail after the City Council on Monday unanimously approved new penalties.

Fines can now be issued for "street racing," which includes racing against another vehicle or against a set time, or an "exhibition of speed," which includes intentionally trying to draw the attention of other people with squealing tires, rapid acceleration, rapid swerving or weaving, drifting, producing smoke from tire burnout, or leaving visible tire acceleration marks on the roadway.

Creating excessive sound or emitting black smoke - also known as "rolling coal" - could also be an infraction if it's for "an exhibition or contest of driving prowess."

In many cases, criminal charges related to driving can only be pursued if the driver can be identified, limiting the ability for law enforcement to make arrests without resorting to high -speed chases or aerial pursuit.

Because violations of the new law are an infraction and not a criminal offense, that limits the penalties to tickets - escalating from $500 for the first offense to $1,500 for the third, past which point state law does allow a gross misdemeanor charge - but allows city police to issue infractions based on video evidence, even if the driver can't be identified.

If the driver is unknown, the registered owner of the vehicle could be cited under the proposed law instead, unless the car was stolen.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 7:05 PM.