The federal agency that investigates highway accidents isn’t feeling the fun of jumping out of a moving car to dance to Drake’s “In My Feelings.” The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently called for a halt to what has been called the “In My Feelings Challenge,” saying the fad is distracted driving and a leading cause of car accidents and injuries.
The “challenge” is to create and upload a video of yourself dancing “The Shiggy” to Drake’s song alongside a moving vehicle. People also call the fad “The Shiggy Challenge” for the comedian who originated it, or the “Kiki” or “Keke” Challenge for a character in the Drake song. Many celebrities have joined the fad. The Washington Post reports that more than 400,000 posts with the #InMyFeelingsChallenge hashtag are on Instagram.
However, the NTSB warns, the dance challenge is a dangerous distraction that could ultimately kill someone, according to USA Today.
“When we saw this trend, we wanted to remind people what should be common sense, to not hop out of a moving vehicle,” Christopher T. O’Neil, NTSB’s Chief of Media Relations, told the newspaper. “The dance floor is the right place for dance moves, not our nation’s roads and highways.”
Distracted Driving and Common Sense
Robert Sinclair, AAA Northeast manager of media relations, told the Inside Edition TV show that the stunt is a “serious distraction.” He pointed to “not only the danger of the passenger dancing outside of the vehicle while it’s moving, but also you’ve got a driver that’s totally distracted in making the video while the vehicle is moving.”
The Inside Edition video shows that dancing passengers are only the half of it. Drivers are jumping out of moving cars to dance, and many are quickly falling or being knocked down. An Iowa teen attempting the stunt fell and suffered a fractured skull.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in the U.S.,” Nicholas Worrell, the NTSB’s Chief of Safety Advocacy, told The Blast. “Hopping out of a moving vehicle or jumping into lanes of traffic to show your dance moves is foolish and dangerous — to you and those around you.”
Distracted driving in Texas led to 444 deaths and 2,889 serious injuries last year, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). For three years, about 1 in 5 crashes in the state have involved distracted driving. In 2017, more than 100,000 accidents involved distracted driving, or 19 percent of all Texas motor vehicle accidents.
Distractions “can include anything from texting and talking on a mobile phone to eating and drinking, putting on makeup, shaving, reading, programming a navigation system, watching a video and even adjusting the radio,” according to TxDOT. Unfortunately, we can now add dancing to that list as well.
Our Houston Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers Can Help You
Summer fads can be great fun and even praiseworthy. The “ice bucket challenge,” for instance, raised more than $115 million for the A.L.S. Association and funded fruitful research into Lou Gehrig’s Disease. But consciously doing something that is obviously dangerous to yourself and others is recklessness that could make you legally responsible for any harm to others that results.
If you have been injured by someone else’s recklessness or negligence of any kind, let Houston personal injury lawyer Hilda Sibrian and her legal team help you. We’ll fight for justice and the compensation necessary to make things right for you. Call or reach us online today to learn more in a free consultation.
