A subgroup of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council members are considering an ordinance that would ban drag races in Fayette County beginning next year.
The ordinance would prohibit vehicle speed contests or reckless driving exhibitions, like burnouts, doughnuts, drifting and wheelies. That includes races against another vehicle, clock or timer. The draft ordinance was modeled after a similar one passed by Louisville in 2022.
It also bans the promotion of such contests, as well as blocking off streets to hold them.
The proposed penalties include a $2,250 fine and impoundment for 30 days for the first offense. For repeat offenses, a $4,500 fine is imposed along with a 60-day impoundment. The vehicle’s owner would also have to pay towing fees and storage fees past the initial impoundment period.
Those who promote a drag race would get a $1,000 fine for a first offense and a $2,000 fine on repeat offenses.
At a Tuesday meeting of LFUCG’s Social Services and Public Safety Committee, members discussed whether smaller vehicles, like e-bikes and e-scooters, would be included. Some also questioned if the city’s system of Flock cameras would be used to enforce the ban.
Donnell Gordon with the Lexington Police Department said he doesn’t anticipate Flock cameras would be used regularly. If they are, they would be used to read license plates after an investigation begins. Automated enforcement is banned by state law.
“I don't see it going that direction,” he said. “One thing that we'll do is use our tools as far as investigation. Hopefully, we'll get a lot of social media. A lot of the stuff will come in through social media anyway, where somebody will post an event, and then, which we find with a lot of these events anyway, is that people will post the event, and then that's pretty much where we see it, where we were able to pick that type of behavior up.”
The ordinance did not make it out of committee Tuesday. Some council members worried the proposed penalties are too harsh.
“I do think that 30-day vehicle impoundment is a stretch, particularly on the first offense,” District 1’s Tyler Morton said. “In an economy where many families are already struggling, I think we should consider whether the punishment creates additional hardships that go beyond what we're trying to address.”
District 9’s Whitney Elliott Baxter, who introduced the ordinance, said those penalties are necessary.
“I can't stress enough that the reason that it is as harsh as it is is because we're serious about the safety of our community,” she said. “So if any of our colleagues want to work together to make some changes, happy to do that, and then we'll bring it back as soon as we've got those updates.”
The ordinance will stay in committee as discussion continues. If passed by the full council, it would take effect Jan. 1.
