SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida student is hoping a video he made will help put the brakes on illegal street racing.
Devoun Cetoute, a student at Felix Varela Senior High School, is on a mission to inform and save others. “Kids need to know they’re endangering their lives and others’ lives,” he said.
As part of his broadcast class at school, he decided to make a video on on illegal street racing.
Cetoute said the need for speed is something that other teens at his school often partake in, so he is aiming to shed light on the dangerous, adrenaline-pumping, tire-screeching activity that can quickly turn deadly.
Miami-Dade Police Assistant Director Freddy Ramirez approves of Cetoute’s endeavor. “His efforts could save a life, can save someone’s future from making a bad decision,” he said.
It’s why Cetoute sat down to interview Miami-Dade Police for his story. Illegal street racing is an activity that happens almost every day on the streets of South Florida, and officials said they know the tragic consequences first hand.
“One of the best strategies to curtail this type of conduct is to reach out to the children and show them the dangers and pitfalls that come with drag racing,” said Ramirez. “Don’t be involved in drag racing. Don’t participate. Don’t sit there and encourage it, because there are consequences.”
Law enforcers are warning students to stop it before ruining their lives or someone else’s, but Cetoute is also planning to offer safer alternatives. As part of the project, he’s taking a trip to the Homestead Speedway, where they hold legal races for the public.
The student is also highlighting a petition to reopen the Countyline Dragway, on Krome Avenue and Okeechobee Road, that was closed in 2014. “So kids can see the ramifications of illegal activity and then an option for legal activity,” he said. “Because I want to show them pathways to do it legally, not just to tell them not do it and not give them an option.”
The goal is to get other students up to speed so that, when it comes to illegal drag racing, the answer will always be no.
Police said the most effective way to immediately stop drag racing is to call police if you see it happening.
Cetoute’s video is expected to reach more than 2,000 students at his school.
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