Police in Wales have expressed concern about a viral social media challenge which has the potential to turn even the shortest drive into a deadly disaster. The '100mph Snapchat challenge' attempts to spur on drivers to accelerate their vehicle up to 100mph - and take a video on Snapchat of their car's speedometer as "proof".
The challenge first appeared on social media a few years ago but appears to have gained further popularity in recent weeks. In north Wales, police are having to conduct extra speed checks on a major road because many motorists have been ignoring the 70mph speed limit, with some approaching 100mph, while in south Wales, there have been a string of collisions involving motorists trying to get their vehicle to 100mph in the last few years.
Sergeant Leigh Evans of North Wales Police's roads policing unit confirmed officers are aware of residents' concerns over speeding on the Llan-y-Pwll link road in Wrexham and that some drivers appear to be being encouraged to reach 100mph between specific landmarks on the road, NorthWalesLive reports.
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"We are aware of the concerns raised regarding speeding and nuisance vehicles in the area. We are continuing to monitor the area closely with regular patrols. Speeding is an issue that concerns many residents and one that we take extremely seriously. Those who choose to ignore the speed limits can expect to be prosecuted for their actions," he said.
"The public will say ‘police need to prioritise real issues, or ‘shouldn’t they focus on real crimes?’ - I want to stress that people are killed and seriously injured as a result of unnecessary speed, so this is quite rightly, a priority for us. The 100mph challenge that we have been made aware of is a real concern. Nobody needs to be reminded that speeding can have devastating consequences."
"This is a warning to those who are taking part in this challenge: don’t be complacent, there is no excuse for breaking the laws of the road," he added. "Driving at high speeds endangers the lives of those driving and those of other road users and can put extra demands on our NHS.
“We have a robust strategy around enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences which includes speeding. Intentionally racing on the highway is likely to attract a prosecution for dangerous driving and subsequent disqualification or imprisonment.
“We’ll continue to work closely with our local policing colleagues and our partners and I would encourage the public to continue to report any issues or concerns to so that we can plan our traffic operations accordingly and make the best use of our available officers.
“Anybody who captures offences on their dash cams are also reminded that they can be submitted to us via our #OpSnap campaign Operation SNAP (gosafesnap.wales) "
As well as risking the safety of the driver, any passengers and any other road-users, speeding also comes with financial and legal implications. If prosecuted for speeding, the minimum penalty is a £100 fine and three penalty points - but drivers could face further penalty points, and obviously a disqualification from driving if they gain 12 or more points in three years or six points or more in the first two years after passing their test.
Motorist driving 100mph drank lager moments before crash that killed his friend
Earlier this year, a driver killed his close friend after getting behind the wheel of his car after consuming several pints of alcohol and racing at up to 100mph - a feat that was filmed on Snapchat. Meirion Roberts was driving his white Vauxhall Corsa through a Carmarthenshire village on the evening of December 4, 2020, when he lost control of his vehicle and it slammed into a telegraph pole and then a wall - before flipping onto its roof.
The passenger in the car, 20-year Lewis Morgan from Carmarthen, suffered severe head trauma in the crash and died at the scene. Roberts was also injured in the collision and was taken to hospital. He was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
A video shared on Snapchat just minutes before the smash showed Roberts swigging from a bottle of lager while driving and listening to loud music. At one point the camera zoomed in on the speedometer in the car, showing that the vehicle was travelling at 100mph.
In court, Judge Christopher Vosper QC told Roberts he had deliberately chosen to drive his car knowing he was probably over the drink-drive limit - despite a lift home having been arranged - because he wanted to continue socialising and consuming alcohol with friends. He said the cause of the fatal crash, in his view, was the speed at which Roberts took a bend in Blaenau - together with the effect of alcohol on his ability to read and understand the layout of the road.
Driver who tried to hit 100mph lost control and killed a teenager
Unfortunately, this 100mph Snapchat challenge is not new. Back in 2017, a speeding driver attempting to reach 100mph so his friends could post a clip on Snapchat "lost control of his car" and it smashed into a wall, killing his friend in the passenger seat.
As we reported at the time, Ricafort Gamboa, then 25, was jailed for four years after he raced along country roads and took corners on the wrong side of the carriageway near Aberystwyth - while friends inside his car filmed him on their phones.
As he approached 100 mph, his Citroen C3 left the road and smashed into a cottage, demolishing a 16in-thick stone wall. Tragically, his friend, 18-year-old Ernest Pideli, was killed and two other passengers were injured.
Gamboa told a police officer at the scene he had been doing “more than 90” and explained later that his friends had wanted him to reach 100 mph so they could take photographs for Snapchat.
He said in a police interview: “I take full responsibility for what happened. My stupid decision to drive so fast was the cause of the collision. I deserve to be punished. I am deeply sorry for what happened.”
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