Car Surfing

Car surfing: It’s a dangerous thrill seeking game. And more and more kids are playing. Car surfers ride on the outside of a car and the driver slams on the breaks. Where and how they fall determines their success and whether they live or die. "See I stood on the hood of a car, it was cool," says fifteen year old Julian. "He was only going around 10 or something, but it was still fun."

But the fun can turn deadly. 500 people, mostly teenagers, have been killed car surfing in the last five years.

Accidents related to car surfing have risen by 20% since 1990.

Dr. Arthur Kellermann is an expert in injury control. He has also worked as an emergency room doctor, treating kids injured from car surfing. Kellermann says that kids never think they are going to get hurt. "They’re not immortal when they’re brought in with a bone in their leg, sticking out through the skin," says Kellermann. "They’re not immortal when they’re comatose because their skull has been crushed when they fall off the hood of a car and hit the pavement at 25-30 miles per hour."

Kellermann admits that preaching the dangers of car surfing probably won’t deter kids from this deadly thrill seeking game, but that parents can. "My response as a parent is to say if I ever hear that you get on the hood of a car again, you’re not gonna get out of the house long enough to climb up on the hood of a car."

Kellerman says that parents have to come across heavy handed and give kids an ultimatum that will get their attention. "You may not believe you’re ever gonna be brain damaged," says Kellermann. "But you’re gonna be socially damaged big time, if I find out you’ve done this again."

What Parents Can Do

Dr. Arthur Kellermann offers this advice to parents understand why kids car surf and take risks.

Understand why kids take risks. Many kids, especially boys want to prove that they are grown up and that they are brave. They use risky behavior to prove to their peers that they can take risks and get away with it.

The dangers have to hit close to home. Unless kids lose a friend or a schoolmate to a car surfing accident, the dangers are not real to them.

Impose serious consequences. Kids believe they are immortal and that they won’t get hurt when they take risks.

Parents should tell kids that they will be severely punished and disciplined if they are caught car surfing by parents or by the police as car surfing is illegal and there are serious legal consequences.