Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In North Rhine-Westphalia, illegal car races claimed significantly more lives in 2022 than in previous years. By the end of September alone, eight people had been killed this year, according to the Interior Ministry. There was one fatality in 2021, five in 2022 and never more than three in previous years. According to the ministry, figures for the whole of 2022 are not yet available.
"When people lose their lives on the road, it's a tragedy," said NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU). "If they die in an illegal car race, it's a crime for me and it makes me incredibly angry."
The mostly young drivers should therefore be made aware of the dangers of such races as part of a prevention concept, in which those involved and those not involved died in recent years. "But on the other hand, we will also act with all severity and determination against those who use their cars and the road for an adrenaline rush and thus endanger the lives of others and themselves," said Reul.
According to the ministry, the majority of the accused are young men. Their average age in 2021 was 25.75 years. The speeding scene is particularly active in the evening and at night on weekends. Most people drive in the city center, only a small proportion of cases occur outside of town or on freeways. According to the Interior Ministry, the police found 1,589 violations in the first three quarters of 2022 alone. In all of 2021 there were 2037 cases. In 2020, 1,515 cases were identified, and a few hundred in the previous years.
