A DISTURBING video has emerged of two teenage boys clinging to the back of a bus for a prank as it speeds along a busy street at 30mph.
The stunt almost ends in disaster when one of the boys falls from the vehicle, landing heavily in the road and in the path of the vehicle behind.
Safety campaigners branded the joke “dangerous and foolish” and urged youngsters not to copy the video, which has been viewed hundreds of times since it was posted on Facebook.
The scene was filmed in Glasgow Road, Perth, and involves two boys jumping on to the back of the vehicle as it pulls away from a bus stop.
The youngsters – who appear to be aged around 13 or 14 – somehow manage to cling on to the window sill and bumper as the bus picks up speed.
One of the boys then falls from the bus and appears to land on his back in the road. The vehicle from which the scene was filmed is forced to brake sharply and narrowly avoids the boy, who picks himself up and runs off.
The video – “Boy falls off bus trying to immigrate from city centre to Letham” – was uploaded to a Facebook site called “Perth Memes” on August 19 and has been viewed 800 times and shared 100 times.
Facebook users lined up to condemn the boys. David Clark said: “What a pair of idiots. Not only is it obviously dangerous for their own safety, but for others too.”
He added: “I really hope these boys get dealt with before others see this and start another pathetic craze.”
But Mhairi Henderson posted that she didn’t “really see the problem”.
She said: “If the boys fell, bumped their napper and died then it’s just one less to feed.”
Kathleen Braidwood, Scottish road safety officer for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, branded the behaviour “dangerous and foolish” explaining that the action could result in “serious” injury.
She said: “We would encourage teenagers not to give in to peer pressure by copying this behaviour.”
Douglas Pover, a local councillor who sits on the community safety committee, criticised the footage, describing it as “utter stupidity”.
He explained that instead of applauding the youngsters that people viewing the stunt should be aware of the danger they are putting themselves in.
He said: “Not only are these youths putting their own lives at risk, they are also putting other road users in danger.
“The people involved might have seen this as a bit of fun, but it could very easily have had tragic consequences.
“I only hope that people seeing this footage see the real dangers involved and that it is not acceptable behaviour.
“If anyone sees youths taking part in this practise I would urge they contact the police in order to prevent a potentially serious accident.”
A spokesman for Stagecoach Perth said the images were “very worrying” and issued a warning against others copying the dangerous stunt.
He said: “This is a very dangerous activity where those involved are putting themselves, as well as other road users at risk.
“We are so thankful that no serious injuries were caused as a result and would strongly discourage this behaviour.”
A spokeswoman for Tayside Police last night said they have not been made aware of any complaints relating to this Perth incident.
