WARNINGS have been issued after videos which appear to show dangerous driving and racing on Worcester roads are circulating on TikTok for entertainment.
A TikTok account called Worcsstatics has posted several videos of people driving erratically on roads across the city.
The videos show cars racing each other side by side in the city, with cars driving on the wrong side of the road.
They also show cars speeding on county lanes and main roads and appearing to jokingly hit someone standing in the road before the person falls onto the bonnet.
The social media craze, which dates back to last summer, has led to West Mercia's Road Safety Team issuing a warning to anyone filming "dangerous and anti-social driving offences."
READ MORE: Police close road after illegal street racing along busy dual carriageway
Some of the videos capture the group putting cans in their exhaust and firing them and using their exhaust to ignite fires.
Whereas some show cars are driving in fields with passengers hanging out the windows.
Insp Darren Godsall at West Mercia Police said: "Videos like these, which are posted online, highlight a number of dangerous and anti-social driving offences and will be followed up by our operational policing teams.
"People posting them may think they are entertaining, but they need to be aware that they are putting themselves – and other road users – at serious risk by carrying out reckless behaviour such as driving at excessive speed and driving carelessly.”
On their TikToks, the group use hashtags such as legal racing.
However, on some of the videos, TikTok has also issued warnings stating "participating in activity could result in you or others getting hurt."
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Street racing is an illegal offence which comes under section 2 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
It is committed when the defendant’s driving falls far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver - and where it is obvious that driving in that way would be dangerous.
This includes “racing, going too fast, or driving aggressively”.
Dangerous driving in Worcester led to police investigations in the past, and in August 2022, police were looking into several reports of loud and unsafe driving in Warndon.
Last week, a road in Droitwich was also closed by the police after they had a number of people contact them about individuals using Kidderminster Road to race cars.
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