Police launch drive against drag races

Police launch drive against drag races

The Hindu

143 drivers booked for violations

BANGALORE: The traffic police on Saturday night undertook a special drive to check "drag races," which are causing several road accidents in the central parts of the city.

According to a press release from Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East) M. Abdullah Saleem, the police booked 143 cases for violations against the motorists.

The police booked 43 drivers for dangerous driving, 41 for reckless driving and 54 for fitting defective silencers to their vehicles. Five cases were booked for other violations, the release said.

It is common during late in the nights, especially on weekends, for youngsters mostly on cars, some on motorbikes, to challenge each other "Want to drag?" meaning if they wanted to race from one point to another. Mahatma Gandhi Road and Residency Road and some stretches of Hosur Road are the favourite "tracks" for such racing. Though incidents are common on the Ring Roads, they are relatively free of traffic at night and fewer accidents have occurred. To simulate the sound of racing cars, many such drivers have modified their car silencers to emit more noise, adding to what they consider fun. Women drivers are not lagging behind in such escapades, covering roads into race tracks, at risk to themselves and other road users.

While the police were patient all these days, being tolerant of drag racing as a sign of youthful high spirits, a spate of accidents and complaints from others on the roads, are believed to have prompted them to take a tougher stance now.