A POLICE officer has written a heartfelt open letter to people taking part in car meets to ‘stop risking their lives’ in reckless drag races.
The letter, published on the South Yorkshire Police Operational Support page on Facebook, comes after a number of incidents at Cortonwood over recent weeks where drivers have been stopped and vehicles seized by police.
In the letter, the officer from the Roads Policing Unit makes a passionate plea to the ‘groups of young people risking their lives’ racing on the Dearne Valley Parkway dual carriageway.
“Last night, I picked up the father of a 17-year-old who was laid critically ill in hospital in Nottingham, taking him through from South Yorkshire to the hospital so he could be with her, seeing the pain and anguish clearly overwhelming him, having to hold him up as he walked into A and E,” the letter states.
“All from a road traffic collision.
“Then tonight, being sent to Cortonwood to patrol the main arterial route of the Dearne Valley Parkway.
“Hundreds of people lining the dual carriageway, vehicles travelling past at high speed.
“Seeing groups of young people risking their lives, and those of others, in the manner of their driving.”
The letter then implores people to ‘stop risking their lives’, and enjoy ‘showing their vehicles off’ without acting unlawfully.
There is an amount of tension in the area between car enthusiasts who meet at Cortonwood Retail Park, and those who choose to partake in dangerous drag races on the nearby dual carriageway, according to Roxanne Shaw, who uses Cortonwood as a place to socialise and show off her vehicle.
She said the drivers taking part in dangerous races were damaging the reputations of the people who used the car park in a safe and conscientious manner, as a meeting place for people who appreciate each others’ cars.
There has regularly been a police presence in the retail park, with officers patrolling to make sure those who meet are doing so legally.
Roxanne, 22, said: “We are getting tarred with the same brush and we are getting abuse for what they do.
“We have a few that rev their engines but they keep the noise down and everyone else just sits and chills.
“They’re coming from Wakefield, Rotherham, all over really. I am there regularly and I have warned a lot of them that go up and down that we don’t want anyone to get hurt, but you can’t get through to them.
“I completely agree with the post on Facebook, we all agree with it, but we can’t say people can’t come down if they are going to race because it’s a public area on the road.”
