Ghost Riding, Highway Surfing, and Car Surfing - Dangerous Teenage Pastimes

"Car surfing," a phrase coined in the '80s, refers to the act of riding or "surfing" on the exterior of a moving vehicle, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. Over the years, this dangerous thrill-seeking activity has not only become increasing popular among teenagers, it has also taken on many variations, such as ghost riding and highway surfing.

Ghost riding is when an individual exits a moving vehicle to dance, run, or walk either beside, behind, or on top of it. This dangerous activity was first popularized by Oakland rapper E-40's song "Tell Me When to Go," with its chorus "Ghost ride the whip"--the "whip" being a car. In the years following the song's release, teenagers have frequently attempted to emulate E-40 and other rappers, often with tragic consequences. An 18-year-old Stockton man suffered fatal injuries when his head slammed into a parked car as he hung out the window of his own moving vehicle in 2006. More recently, a 17-year-old Brentwood girl was attempting to dance on the footstep of her Chevy Blazer when she fell and was run over by the car, sustaining serious injuries.

Numerous accidents resulting in serious or fatal injuries have accompanied this dangerous trend: in Stockton, an 18-year-old slammed his head against a parked car while hanging out of the window of his own moving vehicle; he died from the head injuries he sustained. In Brentwood, a 17-year-old girl was run over by her own car after attempting to dance on the driver-side footstep. She survived but suffered serious injuries.

The most literal interpretation of car surfing is when an individual stands on the roof of a moving car. Last May, Malibu teen, Johnny Strange, made headlines when he climbed out of a BMW driving 50 miles an hour down Pacific Coast Highway to "surf" on its hood. Despite the public censure his actions elicited, teenagers throughout Southern California continued to partake in this dangerous activity.

Ghost riding accidents are devastating for everyone involved: the victims, the parents, and the drivers. In many cases, the person who drove the car that was being "surfed" or "danced" on is penalized by the law. One teen in Orange County was charged with felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter: a 14-year-old boy who had been riding in the teen's open trunk feel out, sustaining fatal head injuries. The teen left the scene of the accident but was later arrested and charged.

For the parents of a ghost riding accident victim, the toll the accident takes on their lives is often more than emotional. The injuries sustained in a ghost riding accident are usually severe and require extensive medical treatment, which can be very expensive. It is not uncommon for the parents of a ghost riding accident victim to hire a California injury lawyer to help them seek compensation from the driver for medical bills and other losses.

Ghost riding, highway surfing, and car surfing are dangerous teenage pastimes that should be reported to authorities immediately if witnessed. Reporting such occurrences early enough could save lives.

Celebrity Ghost Stories - Telly Savalas

Best known for his iconic TV portrayal of the lollipop-loving detective Theo Kojak, the late, great Greek-born actor Telly Savalas had a real ghostly experience whilst driving home on Long Island at 3 a.m. one summer morning in 1954, when he ran out of petrol and decided to walk to a nearby freeway where he knew there would be a petrol station still open for service.

He walked through a wooded park, as a shortcut, when suddenly this man called out: "I'll give you a lift!"

Savalas admitted to being quite shaken by the voice, as he hadn't heard the big black Cadillac pull up beside him. But the man, who was dressed all in white, looked okay, and he took Telly to the service station. Once there, Savalas became instantly embarrassed on finding that he did not have enough change for the petrol. However, the stranger didn't seem bothered by this, and just handed over some notes and said it was OK, as he could pay him back later.

Whilst they were driving back to the car, the stranger remarked to Savalas that he knew Harry Agannis. When Savalas asked who he was, the man said he was a baseball player with the Boston Red Sox. But Savalas had never heard of him. That was the extent of the conversation, and the man dropped Savalas back at his car.

The following day, Savalas received a big surprise when he read in a newspaper that the baseball player Agannis had died suddenly at the age of 24. Apparently he had died around about the same time that his name had been mentioned by the stranger in the car.

At first, Savalas attributed this to just pure coincidence. However, when he tried to phone the guy to give him his money back, a woman answered and Savalas explained why he was ringing. The woman sounded a little strange, and asked what car the guy had been driving and what he had been wearing. When Savalas told her, the woman began to cry, saying that Savalas had just described her husband - who'd died three years earlier.

Stunned by what the woman had told him, Savalas began to speculate on all kinds of possible explanations, but couldn't really think of anything logical that would definitely account for what he had experienced on that lonely road in the early hours of the morning. Thus, Savalas eventually came to accept that, apparently, he'd taken a ride in a car with a dead man.