Author: Lin Wenbo, Xi Boyu
Editor: Zhou Meng, Shi Yimai
BANGI, 15 Nov - As the Festival of the Deepavali holiday approached, the Savanna Executive Suites (Savanna) community welcomed not only the festive celebrations but also faced an increasingly severe problem: a significant increase in drag racing activities in the vicinity. These activities severely disrupted the community residents' night-time peace and overall safety.
In Malaysia, the Japanese-Domestic-Market (JDM) racing culture and the modified car culture have long been popular. Young people who are passionate about racing seek speed and excitement through racing. With the continual adrenaline rush, they enjoy the thrill of speed and the roar of engines in turn after turn. However, this culture has had a negative impact on the Savanna community.
To celebrate the Festival of the Deepavali, the number of drag racing activities near Savanna significantly increased. On nearby streets and highways, modified race cars sped one after another, their engines roaring through the night sky. Most of these vehicles were modified cars, and the loud sound of their exhausts severely disrupted the night-time rest of Savanna community residents and international students, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and concerns.
（Savanna Executive Suites. Photo by Xi Boyu.)
Wang Bohan, a Chinese student who has lived in Savanna for a year, said: "At night, when we need to rest, the noisy engines of the drag racing parties make it impossible for us to sleep properly."
Moreover, these racing groups often gather at community restaurants or rest along the roads. Many new international students are constantly concerned about the community and are afraid to go out at night.
In addition, high-speed motorbikes also pose a certain degree of safety hazards. Many residents of Savanna have witnessed tragic scenes of motorbike accidents on several occasions. These scenes painfully stress the nerves of the residents, making them worry about the safety of such behaviours.
Local resident Fazila Binti Awang said: "I have lived here for a long time, and the drag racing activities are frequent not only during the Festival of the Demoniacs but also on regular holidays and workday evenings, severely affecting my daily rest. Moreover, I have seen many tragic accidents near the community where motorbikes crash into cars due to high-speed driving, which is very worrying."
Liu Tao, a Chinese student who recently moved to Savanna, said: "On my way home at night, I often see many drag racers gathering beside the highways, which scares me because there are many of them, and I fear being robbed. Drag racing is also a threat to personal safety. The community's property management department should strictly control such behavior within the community."
A security member of Savanna said: "We are actively formulating measures to control these behaviors at night within the community, but we have no management authority outside the community. We need to contact the police department for related matters."
Therefore, most residents urgently need the relevant authorities to regulate and raise awareness of safe driving, take measures against these dangerous behaviours, and impose severe penalties. The residents of the Savanna community need a quiet and peaceful neighborhood, not one filled with noise and danger.
