Editorial: Idiots, maybe but boys no

I don't blame the residents of South Rd, Masterton, for being fed up with boy racers.

There are few things more frustrating than the noise of inconsiderate speedsters, roaring down your street.

Added to that is the worry that one of those racing drivers will eventually lose control and cause damage, injury or loss of life.

The term "boy racer" seems to have become universal shorthand for drivers who don't give a damn about others, but it's not entirely accurate. While it's fair it's usually young men who think they're invincible behind the wheel, but more often than not, they're not boys.

They're old enough to know better. They're old enough to understand that they have a responsibility to be considerate to others.

They're old enough to understand there are potentially serious consequences for what they're doing. I have some sympathy for police as well: the very nature of the offence makes these drivers difficult to catch in the act.

By the time an angry neighbour has heard the squeal of tyres, reached for the phone to dial police, given the details and had them passed on to a patrol car, which may be some distance away, the offending idiot is well gone.

Heavy patrolling on one problem street may only displace the problem and create a new set of angry households.

It seems ironic that this community is spending a great deal of money constructing a purpose-built drag-strip where boys can race to their hearts' content, yet we still have to put up with it on our streets.

If I lived on South Rd, I'd be lobbying hard for measures to slow traffic on the street. It's not the whole solution but at least it might slow the problem down.