Motor associations call for crackdown on illegal racing

MADRID
CAR enthusiasts have called on the authorities to provide areas for holding races in an effort to prevent the type of illegal events that are being held in Majorca.

The request comes just a few days after the police arrested 15 people in Palma for illegally racing high-powered cars around the city.
The spokesman of RACE, Tomás Santa Cecilia, called for spaces especially equipped to facilitate these types of high-speed races, and with some minimum safety controls, to enable these young motorists “to let off steam”.

He said he wished to see the authorities providing facilities for racing enthusiasts, in much the same way as they would provide facilities for football or tennis. He said that “those who carried out illegal races and recorded them for exhibition were indulging in antisocial behaviour and were anti-sport” The RACE spokesman also called on the authorities to step up their fight against illegal races.
The European Commission of the Automobile (CEA) has said that legislation needs to be brought in to deal with the problem.
Nuria Alonso believes that “the penalties for this type of crime don't fit the possible consequences”.
The CEA also wants more money to be invested in educating young people about road safety. She also said that young people arrested for illegal racing, like those in Majorca, should carry out community service with associations that work with the survivors of accidents or the emergency services, to face up to the consequences of their actions.

The association are also calling for more control of internet pages where videos of these races appear. She said that 98 percent of images classified as motor sports were of “young people racing and only a small percentage were dedicated to prevention”.