Editorial | Stopping subway surfing is a team effort | amNewYork

A child died over the Memorial Day holiday weekend after subway surfing, an attempt to ride on the outside of a moving train. Subway surfing has been promoted on social media and appears in a popular video game, influencing young people. The MTA and elected officials have urged social media companies to remove subway surfing videos, but removals have been too slow to prevent further harm. On May 23, a 14-year-old died and an 18-year-old was critically injured after falling from a moving train along the Williamsburg Bridge. The MTA calls for families, teachers, and others to stop teens from engaging in these stunts and to teach the dangers. Additional protective measures are proposed, including automated door locks while trains are moving and cameras to help operators detect risky behavior, especially on above-ground lines near the Williamsburg Bridge and the 7 line in Queens.

"Another child died over the Memorial Day holiday weekend while apparently subway surfing — the insane act of attempting to ride on the outside of a moving train. Subway surfing has been glorified on social media and even in a popular video game that influences young minds. The MTA and elected officials have publicly appealed to social media giants to take subway surfing videos down, but Big Tech has been either slow to act or cannot find and remove the clips fast enough to prevent more tragedy."

"MTA New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow repeated that appeal in responding to the latest subway surfing tragedy on May 23, when a 14-year-old was killed and an 18-year-old critically injured after falling off a moving train along the Williamsburg Bridge on the Lower East Side. I'm imploring families, friends, teachers, and others coming into contact with teens engaging in these suicidal stunts to get them to stop, Crichlow said."

"Parents, teachers, families and others should do everything they can to impart to children the obvious dangers of subway surfing. But advice alone can only go so far; sometimes, extra steps must be taken to prevent people from making terrible, life-threatening decisions for themselves. The MTA must step up its efforts to safeguard the subway infrastructure to prevent anyone from riding outside moving trains for any reason."

"One possible way would be to install automated locks on the doors between the cars to prevent them from opening for any reason while the train is in motion. This would not only bar subway surfers from exiting their cars but also deter a dangerous habit among regular riders of switching cars as the train moves. Another possible security feature would be installing cameras atop train cars that provide both the motorman and signal operators with a view of any potential movement on the outsi"

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