Locals are angry at this dangerous behaviour on their roads.
Two high definition CCTV cameras have been installed at a location known as the landfill site on the Newport/Castlebar road in Co. Mayo in a bid to crackdown on boy racers in the area.
Earlier this week, the road safety office announced that they were working with the local engineering office to install the new CCTV cameras with a view to helping Gardai identify and catch offenders. These high definition cameras will give the authorities clearer images to work with.
The site is a popular location for boy racers and it even featured in an RTÉ documentary.
Aside from endangering their lives and the lives of others, the donuts that these boy racers pull in their cars can also damage the streets. It’s estimated that the cost of repairing these streets can range from from €500- €1,200, depending if a stop or yield sign needs replacing.
There’s also the issue of local residents being plagued by the blaring noises from the racing, skidding, honking horns, flashing lights and music.
Superintendent Kevin Gately has urged the local community to be vigilant and alert the Gardai if they see any gatherings like this.
“Our focus is very much on anti-social behaviour and just dealing with the issues that makes peoples’ lives miserable. Unfortunately, whenever we arrive in country areas, immediately everybody stops doing what they are doing. We have the problem of mobile phones and the message gets about that the Gardai are operating in that area. But we are working with the community and we would ask the community to phone us and to give us registration numbers and by identifying drivers who are doing this and to give us statements,” he said.
Gately adds: “We are willing to take a case to court with a statement from a member of the public because this is dangerous both to the people who are driving the cars – because they are out of control when they are donuting – but also to residents in that area. If a pedestrian was there and that car loses control we will definitely have people very severely injured or, unfortunately, killed.”
Members of the public can report traffic-related incidents using the Traffic Watch lo-call number 1890 205 805.
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