Why modified car meets should not be shut down…

Modified car owners in Cambridgeshire are left scrabbling to find a replacement venue for the latest of their modified car meets after police have closed the car park in which they had hoped to hold the event. This isn’t the first time that something like this has happened though, as all over the country its becoming harder and harder to escape the stereotypical ‘boy racer’ image that makes local residents protest such meetings.

East Cambs Modified has members aged 17 to 50 and takes ‘boy racing’ very seriously. "I would like to clear our name - this will not be our members and if any of our members are caught driving dangerously they will be asked to not attend any of our events in the future or be part of the club itself.”

The group is devastated that the police have taken such an about turn, stating that at previous events police have attended. However, this time, the police have stated that no matter where the event is held they have set aside a task force to end it.

Enthusiasts can remain positive though, as the group remains determined to hold the event and is currently seeking out an alternative location.

Are modified car meets dangerous?

If organised correctly, we don’t think so. Modified car owners enjoy gathering to admire each other’s cars; the racing aspect doesn’t appeal to the majority of enthusiasts as they worry about something happening to their one-of-a-kind vehicle. Most events actively discourage any behaviour that will irritate locals such as loud music, over-revving, wheel spinning, racing and performing ‘stunts’ in their cars. After all these events take a fair bit of organising and having them banned or relocated at the last minute can entail a lot of additional work.

Here at Safely Insured we believe that modified car owners are actually safer drivers. Modifiers truly care about their cars – especially after all the work that has gone into modifying them, therefore they ensure risk is kept to a minimum. These events are designed to let people meet like-minded enthusiasts, enjoy conversing about similar subject matters, and to admire one another’s cars. They are not designed with the intention to annoy their fellow residents and people local to the area.

Although sometimes these events can get out of hand. One such event held at a service station in February of this year caused mayhem. There were major traffic jams on both directions of the M25 with people queuing to gain access to the services. The car park reached its 3000 capacity quickly, and police were forced to close the services and turn away hundreds of cars still queuing for attendance.

In instances like this, it boils down to a lack of preparation and planning. The bigger the event, the bigger the venue needs to be and all the correct health and safety regulations need to be put into place. This one case however, does not speak for all the other meets with happen annually. Generally, modified car meets are controlled and are carried out safely, without interference or upset.