Boy racers laughing at Gardai
"He overspeeds and he never gets pulled over" sang Morrissey in his 1995 single "Boy Racer". The Celtic Tiger and all that jazz meant that males in their late teens and early twenties were suddenly awash with money. This coupled with a gradual lowering of insurance premiums in recent years has led to the explosion of a boy racer culture here in Ireland.
Before I come across as a complete fuddy duddy, let's get something straight - I'm not against the idea of dedicating yourself to a hobby such as car modification. If that's your bag, well and good. It's the lack of respect for human life that concerns me. The claim that huge numbers of road deaths are attributable to young drivers is backed up by statistics.
Rural Ireland seems to produce more boy racer types than in urban areas. The lure of unpoliced country roads it seems is too much for these car modifiers. Country folk are now used to the sound of booming exhaust pipes and engines late at night. And if you've got a nice big yard, they'll be sure to pay you a visit, doing a few "doughnuts" while they're at it. Walking lonely roads at night time has become a very dangerous pursuit indeed.
And what's being done about this, you might ask? Unfortunately, the Gardai are fully cognisant of the situation but are powerless to tackle the problem. A recent story I heard concerned a boy racer who thought it would be funny to call his local Garda station and tell them he was about to drive past at high speed. The Gardai gave chase but they themselves collided into another vehicle while the boy racer fled the scene.
Recent changes to the NCT criteria allowed testers to fail cars with unauthorised modification. This however has had little impact.
Parents who buy cars for their teenage sons to modify are not without blame. If these young drivers are allowed to continue giving two fingers to the law and show such disrespect for human life, it can only mean that the number of road deaths will increase.
Ultimately however, it is only the law and its keepers who can have any meaningful influence on the situation. Why are UK-registered cars being allowed to take the road in such numbers? Why has the penalty points system failed to put these drivers off the road? Rural communities are pleading with the Gardai to get a grip on the situation to no avail. Until that happens, it'll mean many a restless night for those kept awake by four-inch exhaust pipes.
tags:boyracers
Published by Colm.
Before I come across as a complete fuddy duddy, let's get something straight - I'm not against the idea of dedicating yourself to a hobby such as car modification. If that's your bag, well and good. It's the lack of respect for human life that concerns me. The claim that huge numbers of road deaths are attributable to young drivers is backed up by statistics.
Rural Ireland seems to produce more boy racer types than in urban areas. The lure of unpoliced country roads it seems is too much for these car modifiers. Country folk are now used to the sound of booming exhaust pipes and engines late at night. And if you've got a nice big yard, they'll be sure to pay you a visit, doing a few "doughnuts" while they're at it. Walking lonely roads at night time has become a very dangerous pursuit indeed.
And what's being done about this, you might ask? Unfortunately, the Gardai are fully cognisant of the situation but are powerless to tackle the problem. A recent story I heard concerned a boy racer who thought it would be funny to call his local Garda station and tell them he was about to drive past at high speed. The Gardai gave chase but they themselves collided into another vehicle while the boy racer fled the scene.
Recent changes to the NCT criteria allowed testers to fail cars with unauthorised modification. This however has had little impact.
Parents who buy cars for their teenage sons to modify are not without blame. If these young drivers are allowed to continue giving two fingers to the law and show such disrespect for human life, it can only mean that the number of road deaths will increase.
Ultimately however, it is only the law and its keepers who can have any meaningful influence on the situation. Why are UK-registered cars being allowed to take the road in such numbers? Why has the penalty points system failed to put these drivers off the road? Rural communities are pleading with the Gardai to get a grip on the situation to no avail. Until that happens, it'll mean many a restless night for those kept awake by four-inch exhaust pipes.
tags:boyracers
Published by Colm.
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