JEDDAH, 7 April — When I finish teaching my class of Saudi students, I occasionally encourage them to relax and engage in a free and open discussion on a topic of their choice.

This week, they chose to talk about issues affecting young Saudis, and particularly joyriding.

It transpired that what had particularly caught their attention was a four-hour amateur video apparently shot by a teenager in Riyadh.

One student explained that the tape mostly featured car accidents resulting from death games Saudis youths consider fun.

I asked if I could borrow it, and when I watched it at home it turned out that it did indeed contain real-life crashes and cars dramatically overturning after trying out some extraordinary maneuver or other.

Although illegal, organized joyriding takes place here in Jeddah in four main areas almost every night: near Attallah amusement park; in Prince Fawaz district; in Obhor; and near King Abdul Aziz University.

Boys between the ages of 15 and 20 are the main players in this dangerous game, which reaches a climax with unofficial competitions during summer vacations and immediately after end-of-year examinations.

Joyriding on motorbikes has also become a craze, with young boys — usually two of them — whizzing in and out of the speeding traffic on small motorbikes on Jeddah’s main roads. In a crackdown last month, the police seized more than 350 illegal motorbikes, which were neither registered nor displaying number plates.

More than 10 percent of young boys in Jeddah are estimated to own such motorbikes.

Drivers clogging streets following sports events were causing such an uproar that last year Interior Minister Prince Naif approved new punishments for violators: several days imprisonment, fines and the vehicle’s confiscation.

Joyriders, even in remote areas, also now face five days’ imprisonment, a fine, and seizure of their vehicle for one month. The repetition of the crime will result in a doubling of the previous jail sentence. If the crime is repeated a third time, violators will be imprisoned for 15 days, their car will be confiscated, and their fine will be increased.

Has the new law done its job? Not if what young Saudis told me is anything to go by.

Mohammad Naser Gharawi, 17, from Jeddah, said that in spite of the dangers involved, joyriding in fast cars is still an obsession among Saudi youths.

“We gather on special occasions, such as Eid, to watch drivers take risks in the traffic on the Corniche,” he told me.

Gharawi complained that young boys have been seduced by this craze because they have nothing else to do.

“Where else can we spend our time outside of our homes?” he asked. “When we try to do anything else on the Corniche, we’re always told all the places are for families only. The two amusement parks on the North Corniche are only for families, but what teenage boy wants to spend all his spare time with his mum and dad?”

Fayez Al-Oufy, one of my students, readily admitted that he is involved in joyriding. When I asked him how he might be persuaded to give it up, the answer was stark.

“They should set up supervised places for young Saudis to practice and watch professional driving, and then joyriding would become a thing of the past,” he predicted. “So many young boys — me included — were very keen to watch the professional car racing held in the Ministry of Information stadium during the last Jeddah festival,” he recalled.

Another student butted in: “There should be more youth clubs, like those in Western countries I’ve visited with my family,” he said. “And cinema. All young people want cinema! I don’t get involved in joyriding, because I travel abroad with my family every summer and spring, and there’s plenty for young people to do there. But what about those who don’t have that option? What is there for young people to do?” he asked.

Bandar Yousuf, 17, from Jeddah, offered a different perspective.

“Speed is fun,” he stated. “It’s as simple as that. We always meet to race our cars. The warnings from the police make no difference. It’s the most exciting thing do ever!”

Joyriding started in the 1980s in Riyadh, where famous stunt drivers like Abu Osbaa used to take part in the shows.

Inevitably, given the popularity of joyriding, a number of local figures have emerged as cult heroes to local youths. Supreme among them is Abdallah Cacao, a one-armed joyrider who lost his left arm in one of his “shows” here in Jeddah. Cacao continues to perform for huge crowds, despite his disability — the latest laws trying to crack down on this menace notwithstanding.