What happens when a person is ejected from a moving car? Anyone? They get injured and maybe even die?
So why would a teen stand on a car or sit on the back hood of a moving car? My guess is they have a death wish.
Car surfing, the act of riding a car by standing or sitting on the top of the car instead of inside has got to be one of the most dangerous stupid stunts that a teen can do.
Car surfing became popular among reckless teens in the late 1980’s when the movie Teen Wolfe portrayed the lead character riding the hood of a moving car. Other teens decided to do it too. The only problem was, the other teens weren’t part wolf, and therefore didn’t have special car-surfing abilities.
Car surfing returned to popularity in the late 1990’s when the result was portrayed in Grand Theft Auto video games. It peaked again in 2005 when the “Jackass” guys decided to do it on MTV.
Currently in the news, a 17 year old girl is in critical condition http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/07/28/car-surfing.html from a head injury acquired after falling off a car. She was sitting on the trunk while two other girls were standing on the roof.
Car surfing isn’t reserved only for the under 18 crowd. 38 year old Kevin Ducharme died during a car surfing stunt in late June.
Teen surfing isn’t only a stupid stunt for the person riding the car, but the person driving it is committing a crime. Should an accident occur, the driver will certainly be charged with criminal negligence or worse. Not to mention, they will have contributed to the death of a friend.
Last year, the Center for Disease Control put out a warning to parents about the dangers of car surfing. The warning points out, “a new study shows that teens are also among the age group most likely to participate in car surfing, a thrill-seeking activity with potentially deadly consequences”. Like suffocation games,huffing, and sexting, teen surfing is a sure way to play Russian Roulette with your life.
Parents need to speak to their kids about car surfing and other stupid stunts that can injure or kill them. I have spoken to my kids about all of the stunts mentioned above, and they readily tell me how stupid they are. The problem is, stunts do seem quite so stupid when peer pressure is involved.
Also read:
Teaching your teen to drive: Getting Started
Does Your Teen Drive to School?