'I'm grateful to be alive': Lawmakers raise penalty for street racing as it plagues Houston area

Street racing, a dangerous form of adventure, continues to plague the Houston area, prompting Texas lawmakers to raise the penalty for those caught participating in the potentially deadly activity.

Those charged with illegal street racing face a Class A misdemeanor. That carries a fine of up to $4,000 and as much as one year in jail. 

Any street racing that results in bodily injury carries a third-degree felony. It is hoped the penalties will combat street racing, which has gotten worse during the pandemic.

Prosecutions for street racing have increased more than 45% since 2019, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

The Texas Department of Transportation indicated that from 2019 to 2020 there was a 15% increase in speed-related crashes.

Street racing can have deadly and life-changing consequences. Among the victims is Christine Felgere, who in 2018 was T-boned by a racing car going 120 mph. She survived but lives with irreparable injury to her body.

"It happened three years and three months ago, approximately, and I have so much damage to my body," Felgere told KHOU. "But I'm grateful to be alive."

Another victim of street racing has started a nonprofit organization to raise awareness. Lili Trujillo Puckett, founded Street Racing Kills in 2013 after her 16-year-old daughter was killed in a street-racing crash. Puckett is traveling across Texas with AAA Texas to spread the word about the dangerous consequences of street racing.