Riyadh Police and Traffic Departments carried out a joint crackdown on joyriding, also known as drifting, west of the Scraps area and Al Mahdiya District.

The crackdown resulted in the arrest of 12 joyriders including seven well-known drifting enthusiasts, and 307 spectators. Seventy-eight spectators were minors.

Cars impounded numbered 237. Authorities seized another 21 cars that their drivers left when they fled the area on foot.

The campaign lasted for nine hours and involved 122 official and undercover squads of police and the Traffic Department in addition to security patrols.

More than 90 tow trucks were called in to impound cars. Drivers taken into custody were transported by buses to jail.

Drifting is a popular activity among young men who demonstrate their driving skills by executing controlled skidding and sliding, and often two-wheeled stunts.



The joint task force that executed the operation also included the Police’s Preventive Security and Special Tasks departments. It was directly followed up by Riyadh Chief of Police General Saud Al-Helal.