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HIGH POINT — Street racing cost 18 young men their licenses on Friday. A judge also ordered all but four of them to forfeit their vehicles, which had been tricked out for speed.

The men, one as young as 16 but most in their 20s, either pleaded guilty or were found guilty by Guilford County District Court Judge Tom Jarrell.

Most of the suspects received suspended sentences, probation and fines that ranged from $500 to $10,000.

Prearranged and spontaneous racing are misdemeanors punishable by revoked driving privileges, fines and jail time. But prearranged racing also allows the seizure of the vehicles involved.

The charges stemmed from a Highway Patrol investigation late last year in Guilford and Forsyth counties. In all, troopers seized 34 vehicles and filed 188 charges, Lt. Keith Stone said.

Friday’s marathon court session, which lasted past 6 p.m., covered most of Guilford County’s cases.

Jarrell paused during one sentencing to ask troopers why they had focused on High Point as a trouble area.

Troopers had received numerous complaints about street racing on North Main Street in High Point and on U.S. 311 in Guilford and Forsyth counties.

“This is a hot spot in this region of the state,” said Trooper J.M. Byrd, who noted that social networking Web sites also provided information.

Racers brag about their cars and past races online, he said. “This stuff is common knowledge,” Byrd said.

The patrol mounted an investigation using undercover officers, confidential informants and hidden cameras. The planned, three-month sting was cut short because the volume of races was deemed too dangerous, Stone said.

Street races tend to be quick and short, lasting seconds and sometimes covering less than a mile. Troopers testified that three horn blasts often signal a driver’s desire to race.

“They can get pretty quick in about 10 seconds,” Stone said. “It’s all about how fast they’ll get there.”

The races, however, can be deadly. Stone cited a statistic of 50 fatalities for every 1,000 who attend street races.

Jarrell told several defendants about a case more than a decade old where a young man who was racing lost control, flipped his vehicle and killed two bystanders.

He ordered most vehicles forfeited Friday to be sold at auction with proceeds going to the school system. Some will be given to law enforcement.

“There’s a lot of unhappy defendants out there today,” Jarrell said. “But the truth is, we may have saved your life.”

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com