A 2018 law strengthened the fight against these rodeos vehicles and provides for penalties of up to five years in prison for their perpetrators.
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Gérald Darmanin announced, Monday, August 8, an intensification of controls throughout France against people performing urban rodeos. The Minister of the Interior denounced acts “criminals of people who take the road for their road”. A 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy were seriously injured when they were knocked down by a motocross bike in Pontoise (Val-d’Oise), Friday evening, while they were playing on the esplanade in their neighborhood. At the beginning of June, a 19-year-old young man died after being hit during an urban rodeo in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine).
“The government has an extremely firm hand against (…) these often criminal acts which come to kill, which very seriously injure women, children, underlined Gérald Darmanin during a visit to Marseille. I would like there to be 10,000 control operations from today throughout the national territory.”
The Minister defended his policy of firmness by recalling “that for two months there have been 8,000 operations [de contrôle des rodéos urbains] by the police and the gendarmerie” in France. According to him, they resulted in 1,200 arrests, “never seen”, and 700 seizures of motorcycles, quads or cars. A 2018 law has strengthened the fight against these motorized rodeos and provides for penalties of up to five years in prison for their perpetrators. Noting that “Parliament wants to strengthen the legislative arsenal and be able to better condemn” the authors, the Minister pointed out to be “favorable to the aggravation of penal means”.