RIYADH: Several young boys, including citizens and some Arab expatriates, involved in car drifting have been detained and their vehicles confiscated by the Riyadh police.
“At least five car drifters were seen sitting in police vehicles near the public park of Rawdah,” said Tahseen Malik, an eyewitness, who runs a grocery shop nearby. “The police also seized some vehicles on the spot.”
The exact number of those detained was not immediately known. The Riyadh police spokesman could not be reached for more information.
In a nail-biting moment, a drifting car which had someone riding on the back, narrowly missed hitting a parked vehicle on Thursday night. At another point, a rider crouched down and then went up and started dancing on the rooftop of the running car.
Referring to the problems caused by drifters, Chunnu M. Ahmed Khan, an executive working for a local company, said drifting is very dangerous, as the car can even hit a passer-by or a vehicle parked along the roads. “In fact, I have stopped going to the park with my family because of this menace.”
Khan said that some Pakistani boys were also detained recently by the Riyadh police, probably for drifting and waving the Pakistani flag from the window panes of their car. He, however, said that the new drifting legislation has deterred the youngsters.
According to the new law, first-time drifters will be fined SR10,000 and car impounded for a month. If he is caught for a second time, he will face up to a year in jail and fined SR10,000, besides confiscation of the vehicle for three months.
Third-time offenders will have their vehicle impounded from between one and five years and be fined SR40,000. Those found sitting with the drifter will also be fined.
The new regulations come in the wake of increased traffic-related accidents caused by irresponsible drifters. A recent study found that 19 people die each day in road accidents in Saudi Arabia.
A number of youths still perform stunts and indulge in drifting on roads despite warnings and the new legislation. The Riyadh Traffic Department has reiterated its warning to refrain from such dangerous behavior.
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