Car surfing has become a new thrill seeking behavior predominately done by teens. This may seem asinine to most people but teens are dying performing this so called stunt. I wanted to see if this was really a new phenomenon and if you think back to the movie Teen Wolf staring a young Michael J Fox, 1985, there was a car surfing scene.

You may ask what would compel someone to stand on top of the car or on it’s bumper while it’s moving the answer in a word is adrenaline. Most teenagers believe themselves to be invincible, I know I did when I was a teenager. Unfortunately children are dying performing this stunt. Just last week a teenage girl in Iowa fell off the bumper and hit her head, she later died at the hospital. A few months ago an 18 year old boy in Washington also hit his head and died when he fell off the top of an SUV. (kbeautypharm.com)

In the paper Neurological injuries from car surfing the authors found, “All 7 children with injuries due to car surfing suffered traumatic head injuries. Three patients fell from the back of the moving vehicle, 2 fell from the hood, 1 fell from the side of the vehicle, and 1 patient sustained head injuries after intentionally jumping off the moving vehicle. All 7 children suffered intracranial bleeding, and 4 had associated skull fractures. One patient underwent craniotomy to evacuate an acute subdural hematoma. The other 6 patients required nonoperative treatment. Four patients had permanent neurological problems. National statistics have shown a steady rise in car-surfing fatality rates since 2000, especially in California, Florida, and Texas.”

They came to the conclusions that, “Car surfing is an unusual but serious mechanism of neurological injury in children and adolescents. Despite its dangers, car surfing is becoming a more common pastime in the pediatric population. National statistics have shown a steady rise in car-surfing fatalities since 2000. This national rise in fatalities chronologically overlaps with the introduction of media depictions of the activity since 1995. Increased awareness of the dangers of car surfing may help prevent future head injuries.”

Please don’t car surf, that’s what oceans are for, as always DRIVE SAFE!