Note to idiots: If you’re going to be an idiot in your car, buckle up.
I mean, there are plenty of other notes I could add. For instance, don’t be an idiot. That’s a good place to start — and, if you’re reading our august publication, I’d hope you’re smarter than the average dolt.
However, a few morons will eventually chance upon this outlet and, perhaps, even this very article. Maybe they’re thinking of doing something absolutely asinine that nobody in their right mind would do. And maybe they’re thinking of doing it in a Toyota FJ Cruiser.
Fine. I’d recommend against it and I hope the cops catch you, but fine. However, heed my words, at the very least, again: buckle up.
That’s what the unnamed driver of a bad-viral video out of Kuwait didn’t have the common sense to do. Now, he’s lucky to have escaped with only 1) minor injuries and 2) plenty of social media infamy.
According to CarScoops, the accident involved a 34-year-old man who was driving his off-roader on the beach at Abu Al Hasaniya, part of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate in the Persian Gulf nation.
It’s unclear when the incident happened, although CarScoops’ report was dated April 1.
The video shows the SUV driving close to the shore, with the driver closing the door as the vehicle was already moving. (That’s seldom a good sign to begin with, but it was the least of the man’s worries.)
The unnamed driver then begins to speed up, albeit with the left-side tires in the water and the right-side tires on the wet sand. As anyone with common sense will tell you, that will create an asymmetry in the amount of traction on each side — and sure enough, the vehicle quickly begins to weave dangerously.
The driver attempted to correct, but to no avail: The FJ Cruiser flipped over, flinging him out of the window and into the shallow water:
WARNING: The following video contains graphic footage that some viewers will find offensive.
Shocking video shows the moment a 4WD loses control and rolls multiple times on Abu Al Hasaniya Beach in Kuwait, with the vehicle’s 34-year-old driver miraculously walking away from the wreckage with minor injuries. #9News pic.twitter.com/59yT7abc37
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) March 31, 2024
Nice work. And yet, he walks away seemingly unharmed.
CarScoops estimated that the man was thrown roughly 16 feet into the air, although it’s really not known for sure. What is clear is that the unnamed man — who I’m going to assume won’t be giving out his identity voluntarily — escaped with minor injuries, apparently not getting torn apart by either gravity or the car he’d been thrown clear of.
Should the driver be ticketed for reckless driving or should stunts like this on an empty beach legal?
The vehicle, on the other hand, sustained some pretty serious roof damage — and considering the fact it was flooded with saltwater due to it being swept out to sea before the fire department could retrieve it, I’m guessing this one is probably going to be written off by insurance.
I also don’t want to see this guy’s premiums if he actually reports it to his insurance company, although I’ll concede I don’t know how the process works in Kuwait. The vehicle was seized by police, however, so surely someone in officialdom is going to know about this.
Whatever the case, this idiot is clearly lucky to be alive. Maybe next time, he’ll buckle up. Or better still, maybe he’ll drive his car sensibly on actual roads with both caution and common courtesy.
That’s hoping a bit too much, though, so I’m sticking with the buckle up part. For the rest of you, however, let this be a lesson: Don’t be this doltish.
