Boy racers leaving an unwanted mark

Despite police crackdowns on boy racers in Wairarapa, drivers have again caused havoc on the road at the intersection of Longbush Rd and Millars Rd.

Boy racers spent 15 minutes tearing up the road – leaving burnt rubber and tyre marks all over the road earlier this month.

A resident on Longbush Rd, Carterton – Karen Sinclair – said she reported the burnout to police on Monday, September 4, where she was told in an interview with police that there is an organised group of boy racers who come over the Rimutakas [especially Friday and Saturdays] and target certain roads in Wairarapa.

Sinclair also said that police told her they were made aware of the planned meetup 24 hours before through a Facebook page and that the “boy racers” were not youths, but adults.

“They’re old enough to know better,” Sinclair said.

Meanwhile, Wairarapa area commander Inspector Scott Miller told the Times-Age they are doing a lot of work across Wellington into the boy racer situation – through their road policing and prevention management.

Another concern Sinclair has is the white lines on the road – that have been damaged from tyre marks– are hard to see at nighttime for motorists.

At the intersection, motorists often overcompensate their turn onto Millars Rd, due to the lack of visibility of the lines – which could cause a crash, Sinclair said.

“There’s already been a few crashes on this intersection.”

According to the Community Law website, if convicted of Street-racing and “cruising”, the individual can face up to three months imprisonment or a fine up to $4500 – as well as an automatic disqualification from driving for at least six months.

However, if someone is injured or killed, the punishment is much heavier – up to five years in prison if someone is injured or up to 10 years if someone is killed – in either case – the culprit can be fined up to $20,000 with an automatic disqualification from driving for at least one year.