PARC slates YouTube drive stunts 04.09.07

Inishowen campaigners fighting to save lives on the road have hit out at YouTube footage of driving stunts performed in Derry and Donegal for the camera. The clips show a driver calling him or herself 'Carn Drifter' allegedly performing stunts known as 'drifting' or 'donuts' where the car is driven around and around in continuous circles while the engine revs and smoke billows from the tyres.
	One of the clips, posted in June, is called 'A Day out in Derry' while the other is called 'Drifting' and appears to have been filmed near Burt. Combined, both have been viewed by more than 1,317 people. Susan Gray, chairperson of the Inishowen-based Public Against Road Carnage (PARC) said she was 'shocked and disgusted' at the footage.
"This type of thing is trying to glamourise dangerous driving. Well, there is nothing glamorous about road deaths," she said. "This is advertising dangerous driving so that some people can get a thrill from it. It is particularly worrying given Inishowen's history of road tragedies," she said.

Ms. Gray is fighting for the mandatory alcohol and drug testing of every driver involved in a road accident. Her group now has eight branches around the country including Cork, Leitrim, Wicklow, Waterford, Sligo, Dublin and Cavan. The PARC founder said she hoped young people would be more sensitive about the type of footage they posted on such websites.
"These young people think they're impressing their peers with these stunts. But that mentality has to stop if more people are not to lose their lives on our roads," she added.
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