Gatherings of car enthusiasts are usually fun, but sometimes they lead to dangerous behaviors. Indiana State Police says they made more than 40 arrests and recovered over 80 stolen vehicles from what they call “spinning events” held in Indianapolis.
Police officers use the term “spinning events” to describe the kind of car meets where participants practice donuts and drifting in their performance vehicles. These stunts are usually performed late at night in open spaces like parking lots, empty streets, or even at illegally closed sections of the interstate. Spinning is usually done in front of an audience, which could lead to injuries or even death if proper safety measures are not taken.
Besides increasing the danger of accidents, the skid marks from all that drifting can cause significant damage on the tarmac of parking lots, resulting in a hefty bill worth thousands of dollars for business owners. Furthermore, some of the participants often get involved with illegal racing on public roads as a follow-up to the events, putting other drivers and road users at risk.
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The Indiana State Police suggests they use different strategies and technology in order to find people involved with illegal “spinning events”. Thus, even if wrongdoers thought they “got away with it”, they are probably in trouble as officers track their whereabouts.
Indy Hood Rats Car Club owner Jacob Ross spoke to WTHR, defending the culture of car meets which has fallen victim to a bad reputation. Speaking about the illegal events, he said: “A lot of car enthusiasts do not approve and do not like those events. Takeovers, spinnings, or whatever you want to call them – they’re just bad news. People get hit at them. They start doing donuts – people gather in a circle. Sometimes they bring out gasoline – set things on fire. It’s ridiculous and unsafe“.
Ross added that proper car meets like the ones organized by his club, have permits, are covered by insurance, and even police officers are present to prevent dangerous behavior.