Anti- social use of a vehicle, such as street racing, street cruising, off-road use and speeding is more than a matter of noise pollution.
Regular anti-social vehicle use can have a wider impact on a neighbourhood. It can lead to:
- Criminal damage of roads, other vehicles and surrounding property;
- Drivers/riders risking injury to themselves, other road users, cyclists and pedestrians;
- Driving or riding can be seen or used to intimidate. Loud noise from engines and music, and deliberately creating large amounts of exhaust or tyre smoke can be seen as aggressive;
- Riders of motorbikes and mopeds can cause unwanted attention from the police by driving recklessly. These vehicles are often used to rob (or ‘snatch’) mobile phones and valuables from pedestrians on pavements so anyone riding carelessly is likely to attract police attention.
Speeding is still the biggest problem on the roads for most residents. According to road safety charity Brake, four in 10 drivers admit sometimes breaking the 30mph speed limit by at least 10mph.
Speeding increases the braking distance for vehicles so they are less likely to avoid a hazard when it appears in the road. If they are travelling faster, they are also likely to hit it harder.
Common types of vehicle Nuisance
Street racing
Street racing is illegal racing on any public road. It involves racing in traffic at high speeds and is extremely dangerous. It puts other road users and the public at risk.
Street racing is only permitted when the organiser has obtained prior permission from the police and forms part of an organised event.
Street cruising
A group of drivers driving up and down a street or around a neighbourhood in convoy is known as street cruising.
Drivers usually do this to show off their cars or bikes. They often drive slowly and may even take up both sides of the road. Street cruising can hold up traffic and cause frustration for other road users.
Riding unlicensed powered vehicles
It is against the law in the UK to ride hoverboards, minibikes (or ‘mini motos’) and motorised scooters such as GoPeds, on public roads and pavements. The same is true of ‘trail’ bikes, three-wheeled bikes and quads – unless they display valid number plates.
These vehicles may only be used on private roads or land with the road or landowner’s permission.
Misuse of off road vehicles
It is against the law to ride quad bikes, three-wheeled bikes, trail bikes and some other two-wheeled vehicles, built for off road use, in public parks or on publicly-owned land without permission.
You can only use these vehicles on private roads or land with the road or land-owner’s permission.
Performing stunts and tricks
Performing stunts and tricks, such as doughnuts and wheelies, can be dangerous for both drivers and bystanders.
It can also cause noise nuisance, especially if it takes place at night in residential areas.
For this reason, these stunts are not permitted unless they are part of an organised event with prior permission.
What you can do
If you can approach the drivers or riders involved, talk to them calmly or leave them a polite note about the nuisance, which they are causing.
If talking hasn’t worked, or you would prefer not to talk to them, there are two ways you can get in touch:
- Report vehicle nuisance including bikes, mopeds and other vehicles to Cleveland Police
- Report a collision or road traffic offence to Cleveland Police
Speeding
Speed is a critical factor in all road crashes and casualties. Driving faster not only lessens drivers’ chances of being able to stop before hitting someone or something, it also means they will hit the object with greater impact. The greater the impact, the greater the chances of causing serious injury or death.
Reducing and managing traffic speeds is crucial to road safety. Breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions is recorded by police at crash scenes as a contributory factor in almost one in four fatal crashes in Britain, according to road safety charity Brake.
What has PCC done?
- Supported an operation to clamp down on anti-social driving at Teesside Retail Park;
- Backed Operation Checkpoint, which aimed to provide high-visibility policing in rural communities and prevent criminal activity. Police used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) heavily in the operation.
What can you do?
Community Speedwatch
Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative. Members of the community use detection devices to monitor local vehicle speeds in partnership with the police.
Volunteers report drivers exceeding the speed limit with the aim of educating them to slow down. If drivers ignore repeated warnings, police can prosecute
For more information, go to CSW Online.