RICHLAND, Wash. – A recent arrest by the Richland Police Department has highlighted the ongoing issue of street racing in the area.
Officer Steve Heid from the Richland Police Traffic Unit explained the arrest, which involved two individuals racing on Keene Road near Badger Mountain Park. “There were two individuals that were caught on a traffic officers, light our unit going about 80 miles an hour on the on Keene Road near Badger Mountain Park,” said Heid.
Keene Road, which typically has a speed limit of 45 miles per hour, has seen reckless driving and racing. “We are we’re just out there on Keene Road specifically just trying to combat these reckless drivers and and racers. And we’ve gotten a lot of calls from our citizens. And so we’re just responding to the requests that we’ve got that there’s an issue out there,” said Heid.
Heid noted the road should not be treated as a racetrack, emphasizing safety and the importance of adhering to speed limits. “We do see it more once the weather breaks and starts getting warmer. This time of year, we don’t see the meet ups, but obviously we still do have some issues,” he said.
As a car enthusiast himself, Heid understands the appeal of fast driving but stresses there are appropriate venues for such activities. “There is a time and a place to do that. There are racetracks. You can go out there to do it. Our roadways are not a raceway. And, there’s there’s kids, there’s pedestrians. There are, there are innocent people in is in people’s lives at stake when you decide to drive faster or to show off or to do anything like that,” said Heid.
Richland Police confirmed that one of the drivers involved was arrested at the scene for reckless driving, while the other managed to escape.
