Teen driver was doing social media challenge at time of crash, police say

Louisiana police warned the public about a risky social media challenge that they said led to a serious collision. According to Assistant Chief Cliff Ivey of the Central Police Department, “people who are posting these things on TikTok and other social media platforms, who have no responsibility for and do not care about your children, are giving them examples that entice children to follow them and we have accidents just like this.” A 17-year-old driver in a northbound car reportedly ran off the road on Monday afternoon as it got close to the crossroads of Frenchtown Road and Central Thruway, according to the police. After hitting a southbound car and crossing the median, the car came to a stop and caught fire.

According to police, the northbound driver lost control of the car while playing a “drift” game, or challenge, that is popular on social media sites like YouTube and TikTok, according to witness and driver accounts. Officials say that purposefully oversteering to lose traction is a loose definition of drifting. As the young man discovered yesterday, “even though you see them in cyberspace, there are real-world consequences for things we do that. You don’t respawn in real life, and your car doesn’t automatically repair, and people actually get injured and killed on our roadways,” Ivey continued.

Before entering the city, witnesses said they saw the northbound car constantly weaving back and forth as far back as O’Neal Lane. They claimed that occasionally, the car would “brake check” other vehicles on the road. Parents are now being advised by police to warn their kids against engaging in the extremely risky sport. No one was seriously hurt, according to the police.

 

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