I see them almost every night near the Bandra end of Bandra-Worli Sealink. I call them the speedsters. The guys on bikes who ride as if there was no tomorrow. A huge group, some with bandanas across their forehead, others with lose transparent shirts atop colourful singlets, but sadly none with helmets.

At about 11.00 pm, this group (which easily numbers 100) wait at a particular bend on the Bandra Worli Sea link road. Excited, talking in loud tones and staring at every vehicle passing by as if waiting for appreciation. At around 11.30 pm, they hop on their bikes, almost always with a pillion and start zooming along the Western Express Highway. They appear to start on gear 4 picking up speed at the very beginning. They crisscross through traffic, ignore traffic lights and rush along like lightening, often at 100 KMPH. For those who notice closely, the boys are actually racing each other and that is why the haste at any cost.

It is one scary time to be on the same road as these speedsters. Once while driving the car, at least three bikes narrowly missed bumping into my vehicle. More than anything else, it was a traumatic experience driving with the loud noise the bikes made. I could see other drivers also looking at the speedsters with disdain. They missed hitting many vehicles by a few inches.

The police often arrest these boys who are anywhere between 16-25 years old. Usually it is a joint operation between various police stations to catch these bikers. The Bandra-Andheri stretch that I pass by, police officials from Kherwadi, Nirmal Nagar, Vakola and BKC police stations jointly conduct nakabandis to nab them. Post arrest, the bikes are seized and bikers kept in lock-up for the night. The next day invariably the court releases them on bail. And the third day they are back on the road along with their bikes.

Seeing them everyday and how hopeless a case they make for the police, one way to curb the senseless racing is to get the parents of these youngsters to the police station and brief them because more than often parents do not know about their ward’s zipping ways. In case, parents do not pay heed, make them ride pillion with their children on the highway. Or maybe just give the boys a stretch on some road, may be the main road in BKC to race along at night. The stretch of the road can be closed to other public. No, am not against young people trying to bring some fun into their lives. I just do not agree that their fun can actually end tragically for not only them but also others on the road. There have been cases of bikers meeting with tragic accidents. It is no fun, am sure, to die like this.