WASHINGTON — A video sent to WUSA9 appears to illustrate the growing trend of drivers doing reckless and dangerous stunts in parking lots and on roads.
On Monday night, a WUSA9 viewer sent in a video he said he shot from his apartment around 9 p.m. that shows several cars doing donuts in the parking lot behind Whole Foods at 967 Florida Avenue, NW, near Howard University. The man who sent the video to WUSA9 said he has seen cars in the lot for four nights in a row from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.
DC Police said they did not receive any calls for service to the parking lot Monday night.
A bill that is expected to be signed soon by the Maryland governor is seeking to stamp out similar behavior, by penalizing drivers who participate in what is being called "exhibition driving." Prince George's County has recently seen an increase in pop-up car rallies and large street takeovers.
WUSA9 anchor Annie Yu posted the D.C. video to her social media platforms asking her audience, "what do you think needs to be done about this?" The responses varied from suggesting there should be legal conseqences for those involved to saying if no one was hurt, why worry?
"It's a serious problem with difficult solutions," one person commented on Facebook. "It's not just racing cars or doing donuts. I'm of the opinion that small crimes lead to bigger crimes. I don't have a solution."
Other posters suggested the punishment for those caught committing dangerous driving stunts should include losing their licneses and paying steep fines. Yet others pointed out that if space was made in cities for teens, or stunt enthusiasts, to practice their hobbies, it wouldn't happen in public places.
"This video shows two skilled stunt drivers making use of empty space to have some fun," X user Aaron Barmer commented. "I don’t see where anyone was harmed. The better question is why doesn’t DC dedicate adequate stunt track space for drift fans to practice and perform their hobby?"
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