By Rodney Wardle, News Channel 3 Reporter
rwardle@kesq.com

THERMAL -- It was once peddle to the metal. Now, illegal street racing is on the skids around the Coachella Valley.

"There were guys coming out of here from LA, Riverside on the outskirts of the area out here street racing but that's tamed down tremendously," says Randy Walker, owner of Walker Automotive in Bermuda Dunes.

Walker supplies performance parts to all sorts of customers, including street racers. He says the decline is two fold. One, because of the economy with high end parts costing thousands. And two, because of police awareness.

In February, Indio Police wanted to send a message to illegal racers. They crushed a car found with stolen parts. And the California Highway Patrol reports no street racing arrests over the past 2 years. They say it's tough making arrests when it's not reported and their resources are tied up enforcing drunk driving.

"A lot of these people are involved in these traffic collisions and they don't report it. Unless someone's injured and the hospital calls us they're not going to report these kinds of injuries to us," says Officer Ramon Perez, with the CHP.

According to CHP, the hobby hit it's heyday 2 years ago, but has slowed to more of a weekend activity. Cities like San Diego and Fontana have provided tracks for street racers to use. Walker says it would be a good idea to have one in the valley before it's too late.

"Hopefully someday we'll see something out here in the valley that will give these guys a place to go and race and be safe about it," says Walker.

The CHP says parents should pay attention to any modifications made to their childrens car. It's a sign they could be street racing.