Fast And Furious: Amateur Motorheads in Iraq

Of course, as with anywhere, car racing can be dangerous – particularly when there are none of the safety measures in place – such as barriers for audiences – that one would expect at a professional motor race. In Iraq, typically “motor head” activities that involve driving tricks or doing burnouts also cause traffic and environmental nuisances.

“Deliberately doing burnouts in traffic or organising unlicensed races could lead to accidents,” says Arkan Abdul-Khaliq, a traffic officer working in Baghdad; he says he has made several young drivers pay fines on a certain bridge in Baghdad where the drivers often race one another. “They exceeded the speed limit,” Abdul-Khaliq explains.

The parades of cars are not really a problem though, he continues. “We have to check the cars at different checkpoints – the identity of the drivers and the vehicle registrations - but this is just routine,” the traffic officer