Drivers charged for dangerous driving after ‘street race’ at Av. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen

Two local drivers in their thirties are being charged with dangerous driving under the provisions of Article 279(b) of the Macau Penal Code, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) has confirmed.

The police launched an investigation into the drivers’ behavior after onboard footage from one of the cars was uploaded and spread quickly on several social media platforms.

The PSP said the case occurred on July 29 and noted that, according to the road monitoring system, the drivers chased each other at high speed on the Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, reaching a maximum speed of about 160 km/h, far above the 60 km/h speed limit.

The PSP noted that, in addition to the high speed, the drivers changed lanes recklessly, overtaking other vehicles including in areas with a continuous lane line and over traffic island marking zones and committed other traffic rule offenses, “seriously endangering the lives of other road users.”

Line (b) of article 279 of the Penal Code states that those found guilty of driving a motorized vehicle and offensively violating the road rules, creating danger to life, danger to the physical integrity of others, or danger to other people’s high-value property, are to be punished with imprisonment for up to three years or an equivalent fine.

The PSP advised that the drivers have already been questioned and acknowledged the incident, and told the police that they did not know each other before this event and that the dangerous stunts were not planned.

The case has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation and accusation of the suspects.

In light of the case, the PSP has appealed to road users to refrain from any dangerous behavior that might affect their safety as well as that of other road users.