Black Country street racing injunction

Overview

An interim injunction banning street racing (also known as car cruising) is in force in the Black Country.

The Black Country area includes all of the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. 

You can download full details of the interim injunction in the supporting documents section.

What the interim injunction means

It forbids anyone who is a driver, rider or passenger in or on a motor vehicle to participate between the hours of 3pm and 7am in a gathering of two or more persons within the Black Country area at which some of those present engage in motor racing or motor stunts or other dangerous or obstructive driving.

At these gatherings, some people engage in motor racing or motor stunts or other dangerous or obstructive driving. For the purposes of the injunction, stunts are defined as driving manoeuvres including, but not limited to:

• burnouts - causing a vehicle to destroy its tyres by applying power to the drive wheels while braking so as to remain in place while the wheels revolve at speed
• donuts/donutting - causing a vehicle to rotate around a fixed point (normally the front axle) while not moving-off causing noise, smoke and tyre marks to be created
• drifting - turning by placing the vehicle in a skid so that most sideways motion is due to the skid not any significant steering input
• undertaking - passing a vehicle on its nearside so as to overtake in circumstances not permitted by the Highway Code.

Details of the injunction

The injunction has a power of arrest attached to it. This gives the police the power to arrest anyone who breaches it. Breach of an injunction is a contempt to court and, if proved, the court has the power to impose:

• a sentence of imprisonment
• a fine
• an order seizing a person’s assets

Next date for street racing injunction hearing

A new date has been set for the next hearing to consider the interim injunction banning ‘street racing’, also known as ‘car cruising’, in the Black Country. It will now take place at 10.30am on Wednesday 4 October, 2023, at Birmingham District Registry, Civil Justice Centre, The Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6DS, before Her Honour Judge Kelly.

Report street racing

Email CommunityProtection@walsall.gov.uk to report incidents of street racing, or call West Midlands Police on 101. In an emergency always dial 999.