Trying to be as safe as possible in a moving vehicle, both as a driver and a passenger, seems like it should be common sense. But it isn't, knowing how many injuries happen due to reckless behaviors in cars.
Putting your feet on the dashboard is one of these behaviors. And this woman is proof of its dangerousness – after doing it, she ended up with broken bones. And that wasn't even the worst-case scenario possible. So, she tried to educate people about how risky such a sitting position is by making a TikTok video, which went viral collecting 4.2M views.
More info: TikTok
While acting responsibly in cars seems like it should be common sense, it isn't for everyone
Image credits: dsaenz94
Last year, a TikTok user posted a video she dubbed a public service announcement on the dangers of putting your feet on a car dashboard
We all know that staying safe in a moving car is an important thing. This goes both for the driver of the vehicle and the passengers.
If you Google tips for driving safely, you are likely to find plenty of articles with suggestions. Yet, before taking any driving advice from online listicles like this one of 72 tips, a responsible driver needs to think about whether they violate traffic rules. After all, you know that you can’t blindly trust everything that’s on the internet. So, when it comes to things like driving, critical thinking is a must.
Image credits: dsaenz94
In it, she shared that she used to like doing it herself until one time she got into a car accident
As we mentioned before, not only drivers have to be safe in a moving car – passengers too. It’s their responsibility to not distract the driver, give them important information, and so on. Sitting safely is also a passenger’s responsibility.
That brings us to today’s main topic. It was brought up by TikTok user @dsaenz94, who in her bio described herself as a teacher and a traveler. Well, one of her travels ended very unpleasantly to say it gently. And so, she posted a video about it as a warning for others.
Basically, one time she was riding in a car with her feet on the dash. Suddenly, the car got T-boned – hit from the side. And it was on the woman’s side. This caused the vehicle to roll upside down. When the TikToker woke from unconsciousness, she realized her foot was stuck between the dash and the window, which was very painful.
Image credits: Vika Glitter / Pexels (not the actual photo)
During this accident, her foot got stuck between the dashboard and the window, but luckily firefighters were able to pull it out
Luckily, the firefighters were able to pull her legs out without incurable damage, but there was still some. For instance, many stuck glass shards, and broken bones, which resulted in her being put in a cast.
So, after suffering such an accident, the woman decided to make a “public service announcement” (PSA) about the dangers of putting your feet on the car dash. And she isn’t the only one speaking about it. In the video, she also mentioned seeing a TikTok where a mortician shared about the dangers of such an action too.
There’s more. Here, an article from 2020 talks about the same topic. There’s an image of a passenger’s right leg dislocated from the hip after a car crash, during which they had their legs on the dashboard. And it can be even worse. One can suffer a torn aorta or spinal column torn apart to name a few – paralyzing or fatal injuries.
Image credits: halayalex / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She ended up in a cast, so far from the worst-case scenario, but still took it to the video platform to warn folks against putting themselves at such a risk
So, the woman is lucky that her injuries weren’t the worst-case scenario. Yet, it wasn’t a pleasant one either. We can probably be sure that since the accident she has not put her feet on the dash and never will.
This video brought a lot of anxious people to the comments. They all shared how they always viewed this action as scary, impractical, and rude. Well, apparently their anxieties put them in less risky passenger situations. And for those who are used to doing this, maybe this video will work as a reason why they shouldn’t. After all, no one wants to lose their life just because they couldn’t put their feet down, right?
Do you put your feet on the car dashboard? Do you think you’ll stop doing that after this video? Share with us in the comments!
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Watch the video here
Many people in the comments wrote how putting feet on the dashboard always seemed scary for them and preached about the importance of the video's message
