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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Are your teens ‘car surfing?’
It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week and the CDC wants you to know about another dumb and deadly thing teens are doing in their cars.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Car surfing may not be new (my husband said he knew idiots who did it high school 20 years ago), but it is deadly and the Centers for Disease Control is trying to raise awareness of this trend.
The CDC reports on it’s web site: “Oct. 19 to the 25 is National Teen Driver Safety Week. Teens ages 16 to 19 are at a higher risk of being involved in car crashes than any other age group. And, 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.
“According to an article published in the October 17, 2008, issue of MMWR, since 1990 at least 99 people died or sustained serious injuries as a result of car surfing, an activity that involves riding on the exterior of a moving vehicle. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention obtained information about car surfing injuries and deaths by reviewing newspaper reports from 1990 through 2008. Their findings answer common questions about this dangerous phenomenon, which appeals to young people, especially teenage males.”
“What is car surfing?
Car surfing is a dangerous, thrill-seeking activity that involves a person riding on the exterior of a moving vehicle, such as on the roof or the hood, while someone else is driving.” “How fast must a vehicle be traveling in order for someone to be injured or killed while car surfing?
Car surfing is dangerous at nearly any speed. Injuries and deaths can occur at speeds as slow as 5 mph to as fast as 80 mph. The most dangerous thing that can happen while car surfing is falling off of a vehicle, which can lead to fatal head injury—even at slow speeds. Sudden, unanticipated maneuvers, such as swerving or braking, can force a person off a vehicle.”
Have you ever heard of car surfing? Did you ever do it in high school or college? Do you think your teens are doing it? Will you talk to your teens about it? What is your biggest worry about teens and their driving? What are you doing to help your teens stay safe on the road?
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