JEDDAH, 12 June 2005 — The social scourge of joyriding continues unabated despite the heavy presence of police. In Jeddah, the phenomenon tends to peak during the school examinations period.
The police presence appears to have proved ineffective at shutting down the practice as students meet in secret and select their sites on a daily basis, making it difficult for police to track their movements.
The new move by students to clandestine meetings came after a brief period of police success in monitoring and arresting some of the joyriders. However, the student drivers reacted quickly and were motivated to find new areas to practice their pastime, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.
They regard the pursuit by police as adding an extra frisson of excitement to their activities, challenging the police by filming their antics and posting the results on selected websites.
Many of these joyriders think of joyriding as means to prove their driving skills.
Sami Al-Mutairi, a 17-year-old high school student, told Al-Madinah about the “sport” and how they indulge in it from the end of the school day to the time they go back home.
“Before we go to school in the morning, we call each other to agree the location we will gather at after school. Usually, the gathering place is a coffee shop or the beach. After school and discussing the exams, we call the rest of our friends to gather in a specific location known by a few of us and we welcome newcomers that are looking for excitement. We go to the main streets in Jeddah like King Fahd Street and we challenge police by joyriding. We are quick to hide when we see a police car.”
He added that sometimes the group visits suburban neighborhoods and perform their stunts in empty spaces. “There we feel safer because we are away from the eyes of police. We film joyriding to post it later on the website and to send a message to police showing them that we did it. We know the places that are monitored by police and have previously kicked us out of them.”
The places for their activities are carefully chosen, Al-Mutairi said. They are generally safe and are easy to escape from when police arrive. “It is against the law for police to chase cars and that it is why it is easier for us to escape.”
Another student, Muhammad A., said that most expert joyriders are talented and it is very difficult to arrest them. He said that they avoid practicing joyriding near school for the safety of students and because it is easy to recognize the drivers and they also avoid crowded places.
Teachers said that most of the students that are doing the joyriding are “losers.”
Talal Al-Senani, a teacher, said that they inform police whenever they encounter joyriders near schools.
“Unfortunately, most of these students do not learn that joyriding is wrong. Despite the awareness campaigns to educate them, they continue to practice joyriding in a safer place. It is a way that these joyriders do to ease the tension they face after test.”
