The increased popularity of car surfing corresponds to the release of the Grand Theft Auto games and YouTube videos showing the activity, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
The authors of the study found that there were 74 cases of car-surfing between 1999 and 2008 in Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. They also found more than 350 videos showing children car surfing on YouTube between 2006 and 2008.
The group says that while car surfing started out as a byproduct of the hyphy movement, it “has since swept the US, propelled by depictions in movies, video games, and in song lyrics detailing every step of the activity.”
The big three to blame, according to the group, is Jackass, YouTube and Grand Theft Auto.
According to the study, and this handy-dandy graph, spikes in the number of car-surfing related injuries have spiked around the time of Grand Theft Auto games hitting. Though by around, I mean within a year or so.
When Jackass no longer airs and no new GTA’s release, those injuries drop.
“During the years in which no new edition of Grand Theft Auto was released and Jackass was not aired, there was a coincident drop in car-surfing fatalities.”
Seems like a weak link at best. Me? I blame Teen Wolf.
Neurological injuries from car surfing [The Journal of Neurosurgery, thanks Jeremy]
Tom Purnell
July 23, 2009 at 8:34 AM
“The authors of the study found that there were 74 cases of car-surfing between 1999 and 20008″. 20008? That’s some impressive extrapolation. But 74 car surfing incidents over 18009 years is only one every 243 years, which I’d say is quite low rate of incidence.
Report PermalinkDavid Wildgoose
July 23, 2009 at 8:38 AM
Fixed!
Report PermalinkDeath Duck
July 23, 2009 at 8:48 AM
Can anyone remind me where in GTA, GTA 2, GTA 3, GTA VC or GTA SA you car surf? I don’t recall that part. And in GTA4 I only recall that one part where niko’s lying prone on top of a truck…
Report PermalinkDeath Duck
July 23, 2009 at 8:49 AM
Personally I blame the rap music. See, the kids listen to the rap music and it gives them the brain damage.
Report PermalinkDavid Wildgoose
July 23, 2009 at 9:22 AM
It’s perfectly possible to jump onto a car’s roof and be driven around by the AI in GTAs III and onwards. Saints Row 2, however, is the only game that rewards you for it…
Report PermalinkDeath Duck
July 23, 2009 at 9:38 AM
It’s also possible to do the same thing in Jak 2, but I don’t see any blame there. It’s spurious reasoning at best, but then lets not act like the haters are above that…
Report PermalinkMorkai
July 23, 2009 at 8:49 AM
maybe it’s just me, but i don’t remember being able to car surf in any of the GTA games i played.
Report PermalinkCraig
July 23, 2009 at 9:35 AM
No name average scientist + GTA = media coverage. I for one are bored of these hacks trying to get their name published somewhere by using GTA as a whipping boy. We need car surfing. It’s a way to cull society of idiots. I say MOAR car surfing!
Report PermalinkGaaaaaH
July 23, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Any topic by anyone + GTA negativity = media coverage.
Maybe we should work together to make it more deadly and make the deadly variant more popular to accelerate the process.
Report PermalinkAnon
July 23, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Has anyone actually tried car surfing in GTA IV? the moment the car sarts moving, you fall off and lose health, and possibly die if the car behind runs you over. If anything, GTA DETERRS car surfing. I blame Saints Row 2.
Report Permalinkj
July 23, 2009 at 3:39 PM
I can tell you what the injuries are all from and its not from GTA.
It’s from Ghostriding the Whip! Look it up, youtube or whatever, but I guarantee these fools this is what’s it. They’re targeting the wrong pop culture phenomenon.
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