Web clips are turning roads into race tracks

Jan 29 2008 by Rhodri Clark, Western Mail

A CRAZE for posting clips of reckless driving on the internet could turn some Welsh roads into Le Mans-style race courses, it was warned yesterday.

Police around Britain are concerned at the growing number of video films on sites such as You Tube showing motorists exceeding the speed limit, often on motorways.

In Wales there are concerns that rural speeding is being glamorised by film clips, such as one showing a car reaching almost 80mph on a wet lane in rural Pembrokeshire.

One motoring organisation, the IAM Trust, warned that inexperienced young motorists could regard a clip as a challenge and make a beeline for the same road to beat the previous driver’s time.

While most speeding videos on the internet are on unidentified highways, specific Welsh roads featured in driving clips include:

The A4069 over Black Mountain, Carmarthenshire, described as “quite dangerous but like a track”;

The A470 near Brecon, in a clip categorised as “rally”, “race” and “fast”;

The A542 Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen.

Various roads in Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire are featured, at unspecified but often recognisable locations.

In the feedback section, many drivers are praised for fast driving or mocked for their timidity. One clip from the Horseshoe Pass drew the response, “Not that special – been down there quicker in my Honda.”

One driver filmed himself at 100mph on a single-carriageway Welsh road while apparently holding the camera, pointing it alternately through the windscreen and at the dashboard. A deriding viewer claimed to have driven a similar car at 135mph.

One recently posted clip boasts about “doing over 75mph in the wet on a single track road” in Pembrokeshire. The camera, apparently held by the driver, shows a narrow lane through the rain- covered windscreen and the speedometer almost reaching 80mph.

Tim Shallcross, the IAM Trust’s Welsh policy officer, said the trend posed a new challenge in the battle against bad driving by naive and inexperienced youngsters.

“Having that easy access to cameras to film yourself and media to put your videos in the public domain is, unfortunately, a part of modern life. We have to accept that and find solutions,” said Mr Shallcross, who lives in rural Carmarthenshire.

He warned that some rural routes could become racecourses for youngsters eager to better their online rivals. He compared it with Le Mans, France, although roads there are closed to the public for the 24-hour endurance race.

“A route in the Brecon Beacons could become part of the underground movement for filming yourself speeding.

“People could set challenges for that route, in the same way lap records are set at Le Mans.

“It’s bravado. It’s what young men are all about – attracting a mate and being even better than the other guys. For a small minority, that gets out of hand.”

Lorna Jackson of road-safety campaign Brake said there was a potential problem of some roads becoming well known.

“These people are publicising the fact that they’re breaking the law. They’re almost laying down a challenge to other drivers.

“The videos going up are often saying, ‘This is my time.’ They’re very much about showing off.

“The roads are public roads. You’re putting other people at risk if you drive in that way.

“Rural roads are particularly dangerous. They account for three-quarters of deaths on Welsh roads. They have a lot of corners, dips and hedgerows – it’s sometimes hard to see what other traffic could be coming towards you.”

Police should enforce the law where drivers could be identified from clips, but educating young people in road safety was also important, she said.

A North Wales Police spokeswoman said, “Young drivers are disproportionately represented in casualty figures. As we continue to monitor footage on You Tube, it is not surprising that this is the case.

“We will explore every possible avenue in our attempts to improve road safety and reduce the tragic loss of young life on our roads.”

South Wales Police said, “We monitor You Tube, as well as many other similar websites. If anyone is seen on the internet doing anything which appears illegal, we will investigate.”

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokeswoman said the force did not routinely monitor the internet for clips of speeding drivers.

Le Mans and other road races

THE 24-hour race at Le Mans, held annually since 1923, uses a circuit of bespoke and public roads to test the endurance and performance of cars and drivers.

Before the practice laps that precede the event, officials cordon off the public roads to reduce the risk of accidents. The roads are reopened soon after the race.

Every year roads on the Isle of Man are temporarily closed for the Tourist Trophy motorbike races and car rallies. Footbridges keep pedestrians clear of speeding vehicles.

In mainland Britain racing on public roads is prohibited. Welsh rallies are held mainly on forestry tracks.