The Kardashian family has been a staple of reality television for years, as Worcester residents are unavoidably aware. Older sister Kim unwittingly launched the family into the spotlight when a private video of her and her then-boyfriend became public. Now, another Kardashian sister’s bad behavior is making headlines, as another controversial video sends a deeply troubling message to the show’s young fans — albeit for completely different reasons than Kim’s did.
The incident took place when 18-year-old Kendall Jenner and a girl friend of hers were driving down the road listening to music on the stereo. When a popular song came on, they started to sing along. Not watching the road, Jenner belted out the lyrics to her friend and the two both danced along in their seats to the music.
How do we know all of this? Because in addition to driving, singing and dancing, Jenner was simultaneously recording the episode on her cellphone and posted the whole thing on a social media website. In the video, heavy traffic can be seen going by outside the windows of the car the whole time.
A number of organizations have stepped up to call attention to the video, pointing out that driving drunk isn’t the only type of negligence that can cause auto accidents. It’s not even the major cause of car accidents involving teenagers. Three out of four of those accidents are caused by exactly what is on display in Jenner’s video: loud music and the distraction of friends in the car. Jenner’s Olympian father Bruce is also being called upon to use his name and his image in some kind of outreach or educational efforts to help counteract the message this video sends to young drivers.
Teenagers (especially some famous ones) are notorious for a sense of invulnerability, whether behind the wheel or just about anywhere else. But when distracted drivers cause serious injury to others in a car collision, they are not immune to a personal injury lawsuit from victims seeking compensation.
