Arrested “Drifter” Sheds Light On Drifting And How To Do It Legally
Drifting, while being a dangerous maneuver, becomes an art when done right.
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Car enthusiasts would often dream of “drifting” their car.
However, there is a place and a proper way to do it.
Recently a video of a man trying to drift his Toyota Supra MK5 went viral on social media platforms.
He ended up getting arrested because the stunt he pulled backfired when he lost control of the car and crashed into a 4×4 vehicle parked at the side of the road.
The incident took place at Jalan Desa Botani 1, Taman Botani, Batu Pahat at 12.15am on 20 February.
Batu Pahat District acting chief of Police, Superintendent Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani said an investigation led to the arrest of the 20-year-old male driver at 1.15pm yesterday (21 February).
“The Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division (BSPT) of Batu Pahat district detected a viral video on Facebook showing footage of a car being driven dangerously while drifting.
“Acting on information and further intelligence, the police managed to identify the driver and the vehicle involved,” he said.
According to him, the urine test conducted on the suspect after his arrest also found that he was negative for drugs.
“At the same time, the car involved was also impounded for further action,” Shahrulanuar said.
Currently, the case is being investigated under Section 42 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless and dangerous driving.
Sharing further, Shahrulanuar said the suspect will be brought to the Batu Pahat Magistrate’s Court today (February 22) for a remand order.
Drifting
Drifting while being a dangerous act, is also known as an art in the car community. According to an article by Petersen Automotive Museum, drifting is the art of having a controlled oversteer slide with a car.
You effectively break the rear of the car loose, only breaking traction with the rear tires. Then continuing to keep the car sideways throughout the whole turn.
To the average person, it looks like out-of-control chaos, losing control of your vehicle with no ability to recover.
But drivers maintain control of the car the whole time, pushing the car and tires to the absolute, and sometimes past limit. It takes focus, determination, and nerves of steel, plus a machine that can handle the abuse it is being given.
Drifting was introduced by Kunimitsu Takahashi in Japan during the 1970s when he used the skill to get around the corners in the Japan Touring Car Championship.
His techniques were later followed by street racers to maneuver their cars quickly in the bends of hilly roads.
Since then, he has been known as the Father of Drifting.
Nevertheless, drifting on public roads is still illegal because a small error can result in accidents.
That is why, for a professional drifting tournament, many safety precautions are followed for the safety of the drivers.
Drifting In Malaysia
There are a few places here you can go to learn the proper techniques of drifting and also to enter competitions, such as
Cargasm where they teach the proper techniques of drifting.
They are well-known in the car community and also, they are competitive drifters.
Thus learning an art properly allows you to enjoy it while being safe and not causing harm to others.
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