With the start of summer vacation, the risk of dangerous activities among teenagers is on the rise, particularly “train surfing”—clinging to the exterior of trains or riding on the roofs of train cars to take photos, videos, or create “extreme” content for social media.
Since the beginning of this year alone, three children have died as a result of train surfing, and nine more teenagers have suffered severe injuries. Many of the victims have burns covering more than 50% of their bodies, which means prolonged treatment, numerous surgeries, and lifelong consequences.
What makes this particularly dangerous is that the railway’s overhead power lines can deliver an electric shock even without direct contact. The voltage reaches 27,500 volts—125 times higher than that of a standard household outlet.
An electric shock on the railway can lead to:
- severe burns;
- amputations;
- damage to internal organs;
- lifelong disability;
- death.
Due to the popularity of “train-hopping” videos on social media, teenagers often do not realize the real consequences of such actions and view it as “extreme entertainment” or a way to attract attention.
In this regard, parents, teachers, and all adults are urged to:
- talk to children about the deadly danger of train surfing;
- explain that the overhead power lines can be fatal even from a distance;
- pay attention to the content that teenagers watch and share;
- remind them that no video or photo is worth their health or life.
To draw attention to the issue, Ukrzaliznytsia, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, and the security project Dovidka.info have prepared a special animated video about the dangers of train surfing.