Gardaí warn against social media prank of lying in front of traffic

Gardaí have warned against a “new social media trend” involving people lying in front of oncoming traffic to prank motorists.

The phenomenon, known as ghosting, is “extremely irresponsible and poses a serious danger to those taking part in the ‘ghosting’ and to motorists,” Garda headquarters said in a statement on Monday.

The prank typically involves somebody lying in the road with a sheet over them to cause oncoming cars to stop or take notice. The reaction of the driver is then filmed and uploaded to social media platforms in the hope it will go viral.

The Garda warning follows an incident in the south of the country in recent days where a girl was injured by a vehicle while “ghosting”.

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She was taken to hospital, where she spent several days receiving treatment for minor injuries to her back, torso and ankle.

"An Garda Síochána are urging people not to engage in this social media trend. Gardaí are particularly appealing to parents to educate their children on the dangers of participating in such activity and to highlight the importance of being seen while using Irish roads," the Garda statement said.