Crash test video shows danger of riding in bed of pickup trucks

KITTY HAWK, N.C. (FOX 13) - A crash test using crash test dummies riding inside the bed of a pickup truck makes a strong case of why it is dangerous, police said.

The North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program created the simulation and used second vehicle to ram into the rear of the truck traveling at 56 mph. The dummies flew out of the truck’s bed, one of which was thrown so high that it left the video frame.

The agency originally posted it on its Facebook page in May, but law enforcement agencies have been sharing the visual warning since then. The Kitty Hawk Police Department in North Carolina shared it onto their agency’s Facebook page writing, "It should make you think twice before climbing in that truck bed next time." According to the News Observer, riding in the bed of a truck is legal in North Carolina for people 16 or older, but the agency still advises against it.

“We highly recommend that the safest place for people to travel is in the cab of any vehicle and in the appropriate restraint based on age and weight,” the wrote on Facebook.

In Florida, it is illegal for people under the age of 18 to ride in the bed of a pickup truck, unless the child has safety restraints to prevent him or her from “being thrown, falling, or jumping from the truck,” according to the state statute.