The number of illegal car races in Berlin continues to rise.

Last year, 871 proceedings were initiated for prohibited motor vehicle races; in 2018 there were only 345.

This year, too, there were almost 300 proceedings by the end of April, as Berlin's Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt (Greens) and senior public lawyer Andreas Winkelmann announced on Tuesday.

One reason for the increase is the corona pandemic.

The perpetrators had "shamelessly exploited" the low traffic density, said Behrendt.

For example, in the week before Easter, 32 highly motorized vehicles were confiscated for illegal car races - there were so many that the parking space provided for them by the police became scarce.

Markus Wehner

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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    "I'm not ready to accept that the city will degenerate into a race track," said Behrendt. He announced a Federal Council initiative by Berlin for June, with which it should be achieved that highly motorized vehicles of more than 200 or 250 hp may no longer be rented to people who have only recently obtained their driver's license. Just think of a period of "three to five years" for which such a ban should apply. The aim is to prevent young men from getting together to borrow a speeder vehicle for a weekend.

    In addition to the pandemic, the increase in illegal car races has other reasons: For example, there has been an increase in cases of “police escape” in which people try to evade police control through lawns after consuming alcohol or drugs.

    Recently, the escape of “coke taxis” in the capital, whose drivers deliver drugs to customers throughout the city, have also played an increasingly important role.

    In addition, the police are increasingly checking typical racetracks.

    Extra hour in driver's license lesson?

    Since the law on prohibited motor vehicle races came into force in September 2017, a total of 2000 proceedings have been initiated against the perpetrators in Berlin. Most of them are men between 18 and 30 years of age, just under three percent were women. The technology in the vehicle helps to prove a car race: the speed can be determined by reading out the on-board computer; in addition, it can be determined whether the accelerator pedal was fully depressed. Charges were brought in 880 cases and final judgments were made in 450. A life sentence was imposed in one case in which a young passerby was killed. Imprisonment was given in 20 cases.

    In the other cases there were fines, usually two monthly net earnings.

    In addition, the vehicle is confiscated and the driver's license withdrawn; it must be acquired again.

    In the opinion of the experts, this is a more effective punishment than the fines.

    However, many perpetrators try to evade the vehicle by borrowing a high-powered car.

    As a preventive measure, criminal investigator Winkelmann suggested an extra lesson on illegal car races in driver's license lessons and the introduction of a tiered driving license such as that available for motorcycle classes.

    Preventing the rental of highly motorized vehicles by very young people is an "indispensable way" to make car racing more difficult.

    The number of injured and seriously injured has increased, said Winkelmann.

    Last August, for example, a woman and her daughter were seriously injured by a speeder on Ku'damm. The 29-year-old driver is said to have used a rental vehicle with 510 hp and driven through Berlin at more than 130 kilometers per hour. In February, three young occupants of a vehicle were killed as a result of a speeding ride at Treptower Park after an accident when the driver strayed from the lane at 150 kilometers per hour. The friends had rented the 450 hp vehicle from a car rental company.