'Bird Box' challenge to blame for car wreck in Utah, police say

Why is this still a thing?
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Despite warnings from Netflix and just general common sense, it looks like people are still participating in that stupid Bird Box Challenge. Now, it has reportedly caused a car crash.

On Friday morning, the Layton Police Department of Layton, Utah shared the images showing the aftermath of a car crash in which one of the drivers was allegedly trying to drive with their eyes covered. They reportedly called out the Bird Box Challenge specifically.

Police told KSL that the driver, a 17-year-old girl, was driving the pickup truck seen in the photos above on Monday when the incident occurred. Additionally, Layton Police Lt. Travis Lyman said of the 17-year-old driver:

“Apparently, as a part of this ‘Bird Box Challenge,’ (the driver) used her beanie to pull over her eyes as she was driving on Layton Parkway, and she ended up losing control of her car and skidded into the westbound lanes of Layton Parkway and hit another car and ended up hitting a light pole as well.”

Of course, if you've seen Bird Box, you know there's a scene in which several characters make a white-knuckle drive in a car with the windows covered, and it's hardly a smooth ride.

It's also -- and I can't believe we're at the point where this actually has to be said -- an incredibly dangerous stunt to pull off the in real world.

Luckily, no one was hurt as a result of the crash. But whatever punishment the driver faces, authorities should also consider revoking their Netflix account if this is how they're gonna behave.

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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