CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Organized aggressive driving is a trend that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says isn’t anything new, but it’s a dangerous pattern that has increasingly become more of a problem both locally and nationally, too.
CMPD says they've gotten reports of reckless driving, aggressive driving, burnouts, donuts, and street takeovers at five of their 13 patrol divisions.
The most recent noteworthy event happened over the weekend when I-77 was brought to a standstill after witnesses said a group of drivers was spotted doing donuts across the interstate, blocking traffic.
Note: In the below video, drivers can be heard yelling from their vehicles.
"It’s particularly brazen, it’s highly reckless and shows a shameless disregard for public safety and the rules of the road,” CMPD Major Dave Johnson said.
There have also been other videos spotted on social media sites, like one on Reddit showing a gang of cars reckless speeding along I-77 and revving their engines.
Neighbors have complained about the noise and the safety concern.
“They set off their mufflers and it sounds like a machine gun," north Charlotte resident Sheryl Lester said. “There’s elderly, there’s people with children in the car. They just got to be more mindful.”
Yet police say some of these car meet-ups are perfectly legal if done the right way. Detail Garage Charlotte hosted family fun events with cars, vendors and food for months until they say rule-breakers came along and disrupted things.
“You don’t need to be revving your engine and doing burnouts and screaming,” said Connor Pyle, CEO of Detail Garage Charlotte. "That’s not what a car show is about."
He says they plan to get the car meet-ups started back in the spring, but plan to make some adjustments with even more police involvement to cut down on those troublesome issues.
Overall, police say the goal is to help keep everyone safe.
“Speed kills, reckless driving kills,” Johnson said.
CMPD is partnering with State Highway Patrol, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and Huntersville Police to help address the organized aggressive driving issue. Police are also asking for the public’s help to alert them to these problems as soon as they see them by calling 911 and reporting any important information you have.