Police say the teenage driver was participating in a challenge on social media at the time of the crash

CENTRAL, Los Angeles (WAFB/Gray News ) – Police in Louisiana have issued a warning following a dangerous social media challenge that officers say caused a serious accident.

“People who post things like this on TikTok and other social media platforms, who do not take responsibility for their children and do not care about them, set examples for them that encourage children to follow them, and this is exactly what happens to us,” Centralna said Police Deputy Chief Cliff Ivey.

Police say a 17-year-old driving a northbound car went off the road Monday afternoon as he approached the intersection of the Central Thruway and Frenchtown Road. The car crossed the median and struck a southbound vehicle before stopping and catching fire.

Police said statements from witnesses and drivers involved indicate the northbound driver was playing “drift,” or a challenge featured on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, when he lost control of his vehicle.

According to officials, drifting is loosely defined as intentional oversteering resulting in a loss of traction.

“As a young man learned yesterday, our actions have consequences in the real world, even if you see them in cyberspace, you are not reborn in real life, and your car does not repair itself automatically, and people actually get injured and killed on our roads” – Ivey added.

Witnesses reported seeing the northbound vehicle traveling back and forth to O’Neal Lane before entering the city. They said that sometimes the vehicle would “brake check” other cars on the road.

Police are now appealing to parents to warn their children against taking part in these highly dangerous activities.

Police reported that no one was seriously injured.

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