Say You're at a Sideshow — Driving, Watching or Just Lending the Car

A sideshow, as the Vehicle Code now defines it, is an event where two or more people block traffic on a road or in a parking lot so drivers can perform stunts, races, exhibitions of speed or reckless driving for spectators — also called a street takeover. There are three ways a young person ends up involved. Here is what applies to each, as hypotheticals.

Role 1: say you're 20 and you're the driver

Racing. Vehicle Code section 23109 bans speed contests — a race against another vehicle, a clock or a timing device — on a highway or in an off-street parking lot. A conviction carries county jail from 24 hours to 90 days, a fine, or both, plus 40 hours of community service. The court may suspend your license for 90 days to six months, and if the car is registered to you it may be impounded for up to 30 days. Injuring someone raises the penalties sharply.

Donuts and burnouts. An exhibition of speed is a separate offense under the same section, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both. From January 1, 2029, a court may also suspend the license for 90 days to six months when the exhibition happened at a sideshow.

On your record. Vehicle Code 12810 gives either conviction two points. The DMV's records page says most two-point violations are reported for 10 years from the violation date, so at 20 you would carry it to 30. Safety record is the first mandatory factor in California pricing, and how heavily a company weighs a conviction like this is its own decision.

Role 2: say you're 19 and only watching

The statute also makes it an offense to aid or abet a speed contest or an exhibition of speed, and to help block a road for one. A conviction for those carries up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both. Standing in the circle filming is not the same as being somewhere else.

Role 3: say you're 22 and lent your car

A friend borrows your car and takes it to a takeover. Under Vehicle Code section 23109.2, an officer may arrest the driver and seize the car for up to 30 days, and the registered owner is responsible for towing and storage. The law releases the car early to the owner if the owner was neither driver nor passenger, or was unaware the car was being used that way, on showing a valid license and current registration. The registered and legal owner is also entitled to a storage hearing. If the driver took the car without your permission and is convicted, the court orders them to reimburse your towing and storage costs, unless it finds they cannot pay.

And if the car hits someone, you are its owner: Vehicle Code 17150 makes owners liable for permitted drivers' negligence, within set limits. Whether your policy responds to a crash during racing or a stunt is a question of its exclusions, and that wording varies by insurance company.

What to do

• If a takeover forms around you, leave by the first open route; do not stop to watch.
• Do not lend your car to anyone who talks about going.
• If your car is impounded and you were not there, ask about early release and the storage hearing right away — storage charges grow daily.

Already dealing with a violation like this? Talk to us honestly about your record and we will tell you what is realistically available.