Since the release of the film The Fast and the Furious in 2001, the Kingston police have faced challenges. The narrative of the film revolves around street racing, which has inspired many Kingston-area motorists to create their own version of the cars used in the movie, said Kingston police.
Many of the replicas are illegally modified and cause a safety risk to the driver and the public, which has spawned a new program called Operation Safe Ride.
The program is run by the Belleville and Kingston police departments along with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Transportation. Their goal is to ensure the safety of the roads by attempting to remove as many illegally modified vehicles as possible.
The team has selected three communities to conduct Operation Safe Ride, starting in Greater Napanee on Sept. 5.
“The few hours spent in Napanee, the police departments were able to pull over numerous vehicles that were suspected to be illegally modified. Fifty per cent of those vehicles were illegal and had their licence plates removed,” said Kingston police.
In order for the illegal vehicles to get back onto the road, they must pass a safety check done by a mechanic, said police.
Operation Safe Ride will be in its third and final unnamed community on Friday, Sept. 7.