Visakhapatnam: Girls also involved in bike, car racing contests

Visakhapatnam: Not just boys, even girls are also indulging in illegal and dangerous bike/car racing on the Beach Road, IT Hills and a few other stretches in Vizag city.

With cops slowing down on checking the illegal racing activities, students, including girl students of reputed private colleges, and a few IT employees in the city are taking part in racing on costly and high pickup bikes and cars frightening other road users.  

Sources said that not only during weekends, but even in week days (on full moon days mostly), illegal racing is seen on the Beach Road in the night hours.

Even before the city goes to sleep, the rogue bikers come out on the their bikes to these stretches and at time, the bikers, under the influence of alcohol, are engaged in other illegal activities too.  

Racing is a passion for some students of engineering and management colleges and the latest trend is that girls are also indulging in the dangerous game.

There were a few incidents in which the girl students were injured in the racing activities, but the organisers of the racing managed to cover up things.

The dangerous stunts of the racers have been creating much trouble to road users, says S. Prakash, a resident of Sagarnagar area in the city.  As racing has turned into a passion and also a source of income, the students and IT employees are taking part in the illegal sport, he added.

A senior police officer said that due to staff crisis and lack of CCTV cameras at some junctions in the city, it is difficult to nab the organisers and participants.

A few city cops have been deployed in Krishna district on duty for the upcoming Krishna Pushkarams and the shortage of staff has increased.  

Taking advantage of the slowing  down on routine drives against the traffic violators, the organisers are pushing racing, he added.