Reckless driver banned from the road after illegal car meet
Kamil Rybicki from Smethwick, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on the A38 Sutton Coldfield Bypass last June
A reckless driver has been banned from the road and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work after hitting more than 100mph at an illegal car meet.
Kamil Rybicki, aged 24, from High Street, Smethwick, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on the A38 Sutton Coldfield Bypass on 30 June last year.
Rybicki was handed a High Level Community Order for 12 months with a requirement to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work for the community.
He was banned from driving for 12 months and will have to take an extended driving test. He was also ordered to pay £200 court costs and a victim surcharge of £114 at Birmingham Magistrates Court last Tuesday (18 Feb).
On the evening of 30 June last year traffic officers from Op Hercules, which combats street racing, were carrying out patrols on hotspot roads for street racing in Birmingham.
Traffic officers were patrolling the A38 Sutton Coldfield Bypass when they saw a large number of vehicles that were parked up, indicating street racing was taking place.
Officers in an unmarked police car spotted Rybicki’s Red Seat Leon driving at high speed and caught his dangerous driving on bodycam footage. Rybicki exceeded speeds of 100mph and contravened a red light before driving back up the dual carriageway at speed.
At the other end of the carriageway he then contravened another red light. Traffic officers in another vehicle eventually stopped Rybicki and he was arrested for dangerous driving.
PC Mark Campbell, from Op Hercules, said: “Rybicki was driving in a very dangerous manner, at speeds exceeding 100mph, where he put the lives of motorists at risk. Rybicki will now have to complete unpaid work for the community and has been banned from driving for 12 months.
“We need motorists to understand that we won’t tolerate illegal street racing or cruising on the region’s roads and will take action against motorists who flout the law and put other road users at risk.
"Our ultimate aim is to keep people safe. People have been killed and seriously injured while street racing and it’s simply unacceptable to put other motorists at risk in such a reckless way.
“We work closely with our partners on a range of tactics to identify, disrupt and enforce against those taking part or observing. Our priority is keeping the roads safe for all.”
Operation Hercules is an ongoing campaign to target people involved in street racing, or car cruising, where vehicles are driven in an anti-social or dangerous manner.
There is a ban on street racing in Birmingham and the Black Country due to High Court rulings and anyone breaching the ban will be in contempt of court and could face penalties including imprisonment, a fine, or an order to have their assets seized.
The injunctions prohibit people driving, being a passenger or rider at a gathering where there is motor racing, stunts or other dangerous or obstructive driving.
They cover Birmingham and the whole of the boroughs of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall
Incidents of street racing should be reported to us on Live Chat on our website or call us on 101. In an emergency always call 999.