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A group of Auckland daredevils who have clocked up millions of views on YouTube, with a video of them racing on oversized, modified tricycles, will not face court action, according to police.
The two-minute video, uploaded in late February, showed the riders performing daring moves, including 360 degree spins and riding up on two wheels, while wearing little safety equipment. Most weren't wearing helmets and one was dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt.
Glimpses of the Auckland city skyline and the Chelsea Sugar Factory in the background revealed the stunt riding was performed around Birkenhead.
At the time a police spokesman said it was possible the group would be charged.
However, Senior Sergeant Mark Fergus said it had been decided to deal with the group without pressing formal charges.
He talked to those involved about how they can enjoy drifting without putting themselves or others in danger.
"Drift triking has an adventure element to it, in that to be fun, the rider needs to take a few risks. This is where the difficulty lies.
"On one hand we're pleased to see young adults expending their energy outdoors, often on trikes they have made themselves, demonstrating a bit of kiwi ingenuity."
However, he said if the group or any others start posing a risk on the road they could expect a fine or a summons to court.
Potential fines include $55 for riding without a helmet or $600 for causing a nuisance.
Careless or dangerous use of a trike could result in a court appearance.
The video has over five million views and has been linked to on the Fox News website.
In a linked video the American filmmaker, Devin Graham, explained how the trike video was shot with two people filming the action over three hours.
"One of the things I've learnt over time is that in order to get the cool, epic shots is you kind of have to throw yourself in danger," he said.
"The closer you can get the camera into the action, even though it is significantly more dangerous for your camera, it looks so much cooler because it puts the person, the viewer as if they're part of that."
In January last year, the actions of stunt trike riders in Christchurch sparked a flood of complaints from residents.
Riders were reaching speeds of over 100km/h and were often riding without helmets, in the dark and on the wrong side of the road.
Christchurch police said at the time that the trikes were classified as vehicles under the Land Transport Act and riders were obliged to follow the road rules.
Offences committed on the skateboards or drift trikes could lead to riders losing their driving licences.
- © Fairfax NZ News
