CHENNAI: For about two hours on Saturday, nearly 10 youngsters on eight two-wheelers raced through Kamarajar Salai near the DGP office.
While senior police officers denied there was racing, police sources said the racers escaped into residential areas when police tried to nab them.
Bike racing has become a menace for the public and law enforcement authorities. “Every once in five or six months it emerges creating menace,” said a traffic police officer. On Saturday around midnight, the youngsters were racing on fast bikes and performing stunts without proper protection gears, police citing eye-witnesses said.
“After information reached police, the youngsters who were near Vivekananda memorial drove towards Radhakrishnan Salai and Triplicane. We chased them, but they escaped,” said a police source.
Though barricades were set up near Stella Maris college and City Center, the youngsters took the streets leading to Triplicane and Royapettah. Police said they are scanning CCTV footage to identify the vehicles.
People who witnessed the racing were scared to cross the roads. Other motorists were also scared, said police. During one such racing on Saturday night, a two-wheeler rammed against a wall and was smashed. The rider abandoned the vehicle and escaped with his friends, said police.
“Bike racing and stunt performing is a very dangerous trend where a simple miscalculation can be devastating both for the rider and for pedestrians and other motorists. Most boys caught in this act are juveniles without proper driving licence and there are no proper documents for the vehicles as well,” a senior police officer said.
Most two-wheelers used in the racing had changed hands many times before the riders laid their hands on them. Hence, tracing the owner is a difficult task.
He added that some of those vehicles either belonged to others or they were taken from mechanic shops at Triplicane and Sowcarpet.
In June, for the first few days, Chennai police slapped traffic violation cases against 873 persons and seized 167 vehicles. While police are trying to reduce the menace, the law is not strict.
As per traffic rules, riders are fined and their parents warned not to let children to race on the roads.
According to police, youngsters were involved in racing since they need some recognition. Most vehicles involved in racing have tampered silencers and modified engines to create more noise.