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Munich (dpa / lby) - There were significantly more illegal car races in Bavaria in 2020 than in the previous year.
A spokesman for the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior announced that 466 cases related to the races had been determined by mid-December.
In 2019 there were 311 cases.
The police have a theory to explain the increase: "In the pandemic year 2020, familiar and popular leisure activities for young people were impossible or at least made more difficult," said a spokeswoman for the Upper Bavaria North police.
Parking lot meetings were legal opportunities to get together for the mostly 18 to 25 year olds involved.
In addition, they have increasingly discovered “experience-oriented activities” on the subject of cars.
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Highly motorized vehicles are popular with young people and can now be easily rented or leased.
The fast cars are accordingly often tried out extensively.
According to the spokeswoman, the drivers often come from the tuning scene, which is increasingly present in social media.
There were not significantly more injuries in 2020 despite the increase in investigations against speeders.
According to the Interior Ministry, 14 people were injured in the Free State by mid-December, and 10 in 2019, there were no deaths in both years.
Participation in illegal car races has been a criminal offense in Germany since 2017.
This also includes so-called individual races, in which inconsiderate drivers want to achieve the highest possible speeds.
The Bavarian police have since intensified the relevant controls.