Ten Mitchell’s Plain youngsters had the opportunity to drift and spin at Killarney race track with DJ Ready D, as part of the G-Cap Programme, last week.
The programme is an initiative of the Mitchell’s Plain Community Police Forum (CPF) in collaboration SR4A (Safer Roads for all).
Secretary of the Mitchell’s Plain CPF, Lynn Phillips, said the aim of the programme was to educate youngsters about road safety and develop them into ambassadors.
“Each child gets an opportunity to drive with DJ Ready D and his wife Malika. With that, they are educated about the mechanics of the car and speed.
“We also want our youth to put the pressure on friends and family who are engaging in illegal street racing. We want them to be ambassadors and inform people about the dangers of illegal racing,” she said.
Ms Daniels said they want to show youngsters that they can have fun with their cars without endangering the lives of other road users.
Tazlin-Lee Verkuil, 17, from Westgate said she had mixed feelings when she entered the car. But, afterward she said: “Oh my gosh, that was amazing. I have learnt a lot in just a few hours. One of the most important things I’ve learnt was road safety. We often hear about the people getting into accidents because of speeding and taking part in illegal racing.
“As young people we need to encourage our community to not support illegal racing. As we can see innocent people are dying on the roads.
“The more awareness, the better.”Abdullah Jacobs, 13, from Ocean View said he found the programme interesting. “We need to get word out that reckless driving is not okay. They should not be inconsiderate and put other people’s lives in danger.
“Other than that, driving on the race track felt great. I was nervous and excited at the same time. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity,” he said.