In the last four months, in coordination with the Civil Traffic Guard, 20 special control devices have been deployed on GC-551
The GC-551 road, in the municipality of Agüimes, is home to one of the most legendary sections of the Gran Canaria automobile competitions, the one that connects Los Corralillos with the Era del Cardón. Fixed in the route book of the Canary Islands Rally, which next year will be part of the world rally circuit – the prestigious World Rally Championship (WRC) – the section has become a place of pilgrimage for great fans of this sport, who They come en masse, as spectators, every time there is a competition. But in recent months, perhaps due to this fame, the place is being chosen furtively for the organization of illegal races, with the consequent confusion of the neighbors at the risk it poses to other road users.
Given this situation, since the detection of these illegal races, the Agüimes Local Police has been forced to intervene forcefully. In the last four months, between February 20 and June 21, 20 special traffic control devices have been carried out, in most cases with the support and supervision of the Civil Traffic Guard and the Main Post of the Civil Guard in Agüimes. The balance so far has been the interception of around twenty vehicles, surprised while participating in these races, whose drivers have been reported to the Provincial Traffic Directorate for reckless driving, with proposed sanctions that exceed 500 euros in fines and the loss of 6 points on the driver's license.
Apart from the complaints of reckless driving, the devices have served on most occasions to prevent the holding of illegal races themselves, in the face of the intimidating presence of the Police and the Civil Guard. In these cases, police action has also served to identify the drivers concentrated in the place and report many of them for different violations of the General Vehicle Regulations, such as modifications not included in the technical sheet or even lack of a driving license.
Police actions have managed to reduce the influx of these illegal races, which were held on very specific days of the week and always through social networks and direct messaging groups. Despite this notable decrease, both in volume and frequency, the Local Police and the Civil Guard will continue to intensify preventive controls in the area until their complete disappearance. In the early hours of June 21, for example, a new attempt was prevented, identifying nearly 40 vehicles and their respective drivers. The balance of this action was 8 new complaints for various infractions, with proposals for financial sanctions ranging between 200 and 500 euros.
