Car Surfing is Not an Extreme Sport

Have you seen a YouTube video showing someone “car surfing”? This stunt involves riding on or hanging on a moving vehicle, and most often results in death, serious injury and property damage. Just because the word “surfing” is used to identify this activity, it is not an extreme or adventure sport and should never be promoted as one. A 2008 incident in which the 18-year-old “surfer” died and the driver of the vehicle was convicted of vehicular homicide is a good example of why there is no recreational benefit to this activity whatsoever.

The popularity of car surfing (also known as “ghost riding”) increased when the MTV show, “Jackass” featured this dangerous stunt. Since then, there have been many injuries and deaths from those who have attempted it. Surprisingly, there have been people that abandon driving a vehicle to car surf, which most often leads to the vehicle crashing into an object or other cars. This is far worse than drunk driving, which at least involves someone operating the vehicle (not that I condone that either).

Not surprisingly, it has been reported that 70 percent of the victims involved are male. My suggestion is that if you believe that you are skilled and brave enough to stand on the outside of a moving vehicle, you should consider putting those talents to use in real sports and recreation activities. You will experience as much of a thrill skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, mountain climbing, riding a bike, or sky diving. Even if you are injured or killed while participating in a legitimate sports or recreation activity, at least you will not wipe out the occupants of another car or significantly increase yours or your parent’s insurance premiums.

If you are a parent and you lend your car to a teen driver who is at risk of imitating a Jackass stunt, take the keys away, or at least counsel them to stay in the car with his or her seatbelt fastened at all times. No need to increase the number of “jackasses”.