‘Thank God he didn’t go to the car wash!!!’
Quick: think of the most Florida-type behavior you’ve ever heard of. Whatever Florida-man-inflected craziness, chances are you didn’t come up with tanning in the bed of a pickup truck.
That’s exactly where two women found themselves, on a day when the community pool was closed. Over the caption, “We should really invest in some beach chairs,” Lexi Duke (@lexiduke) and her co-conspirator took an unexpected drive.
In a video that’s been watched 4.3 million times, Duke asks her companion, “What are we doing right now?”
Her friend, squinting into the sun and camera, answers, “We are currently tanning in the back of a truck bed because the pool is closed.”
Then the camera cuts back to Duke, who says, “Update: we’re not telling our neighbor,” who presumably owns the truck.
Next, the vehicle cranks up (audibly), and the two women bust out laughing. But instead of making the driver aware that he’s got two uninvited passengers, they stay put, out of sight, and try to guess where they’re going.
“It’s a Sunday,” figures Duke, “so it can’t be anywhere too crazy.”
As they roll through the city, watching palm trees and buildings whizz by, they start to notice some landmarks: “Chili’s is right there,” says her friend. Then Duke notices a Firehouse Subs.
They deduce that they’re in a parking lot, at the Ellianos Coffee near their neighborhood.
“We’re gonna lean up whenever he gets to the drive-through and get a coffee too,” explains Duke through giggles
So, just as the driver is placing his order, Duke pops up from the bed of his truck, knocks on the back cabin window, sticks her head in, and shouts, “Hey, we’re here. Can we get a coffee too?”
The driver, totally unsurprised, remains completely calm (but smiling) and asks, “What’re you doing back there?”
“Tanning,” Duke answers, in a tiny, embarrassed voice.
Then she places her order: an iced caramel latte with cold foam. Her companion orders a Blue Wave.
The comments section ranges far and wide, even gaining attention from brands that recognize a marketable viral moment.
“Him being so NOT shocked is a whole personality,” says the verified Old Navy account.
While the verified Walmart account quips, “Glad we went on this journey together.”
Then, other users put together the reason for the small disclaimer at the beginning of the video. “‘We’re not telling our neighbor’ why would that matter? OH,” says Beau (@weirdlyhot) for all of us.
Another account, Guy (@caglembqxz1), purports to be the neighbor in the video, and a cursory look at his page seems to corroborate this. “Yep, I’m the neighbor, and very used to this [laughing crying emoji].”
Finally, SimplySammi3 (@simplysammi03) throws it back to the 1900s: “Yall just lived the life as a 90s kid,” she says.
While there is no federal law prohibiting people from riding in a truck bed, many state regulations exist to try to mitigate potential harm from this practice. But only three states—Arkansas, California, and New Jersey—and the District of Columbia outlaw the practice.
In Florida, for example, people under 18 are not allowed to be transported in a truck bed. But there are exceptions: if the youngsters are not on highways or if they’re restrained by seat belts, it’s allowed.
For those over 18, you absolutely can take your life in your hands. However, you cannot ride anywhere else, so leave your “Mad Max: Fury Road” dreams at home. Because if you get caught clinging to the bumper, hood, trunk, or fender, it’s highly likely the driver will get a citation.
It is very dangerous to be on a moving vehicle in this manner. Motor1 does not recommend this mode of transportation.
We reached out to Duke and the user purporting to be her driver via TikTok direct message and with a comment on the video. We will update this if they reply.
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– The Motor1.com Team