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John Bisset / Things
Police stopped eight vehicles after drivers were caught at street races in Hastings on Monday.
Street races at Hawke’s Bay during alert level three could have ended with “disastrous consequences,” police say.
On Monday, police responded to a report of illegal street racing on a rural highway near State Highway 50 in Hastings around 3 p.m.
Eight vehicles were stopped after drivers attempted to leave the scene.
Police confiscated four of the illegal street racing vehicles, two of which drivers were operating with suspended licenses.
Hawke’s Bay prevention coordinator sergeant Glenn Restieaux said the illegal activity could have had disastrous consequences for those involved as well as members of the public.
“There is more traffic on our roads now that we are at Level 3 Alert, so we encourage all road users to drive to conditions and be considerate of others.”
Restieaux said a member of the public had no choice but to stop on the side of the road when two cars on either side of the road roared at him.
“It stopped to avoid a head-on collision,” he said.
Police had attended street races during the Level 4 and Level 3 blockade, but could not confirm how many.
Police have been dealing with illegal street races long before the Covid-19 pandemic, with events often organized via social media or group text messages.
“The speeds that some of them reach … many think they are invincible and unfortunately things can go wrong very quickly.”
“You have the drivers and the passengers, sometimes there are spectators and then, of course, members of the public who are innocently caught up in it.”
“This risk of injury to everyone involved is something we don’t want,” Restieaux said.
