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Smart car tipping becoming popular with San Francisco vandals

Smart car tipping has emerged as a new sport for pranksters in San Francisco. One witness who saw a Smart car tipping in action told police it took six to eight people to lift the little car onto its rear. 

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Jeff Chiu/AP/File
Shelley Gallivan, right, talks on the phone next to a tipped over Smart car which belongs to her friend on the corner of Prospect and Oso streets in San Francisco, Monday, April 7, 2014. Police in San Francisco are investigating a Smart car tipping spree that took place in the early morning.
  • By Stephen Edelstein Guest blogger

There aren't many cows in San Francisco, so cow-tipping is rare. But a few creative citizens seem to have found a substitute.

Flipping over Smart cars has apparently emerged as a new sport in the city, according to NBC Bay Area. The station found three Smart ForTwo minicars tipped onto their noses or tails between Sunday night and this morning.

A witness told reporters that he saw "six to eight" individuals gather around a Smart and tip it over. Apparently, that's how many people are required to lift one of these small cars, which weigh in around 1,800 pounds.

The witness said the cars looked like dachshunds sitting up on their hind legs.

It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for the little cars--and certainly for their owners, in for an unpleasant surprise when they staggered outside on Monday morning to embark on their morning commutes.

This isn't the first time Smart cars have been the subject of cruel jokes, though.

The Toronto Star recorded this prank-trend phenomenon as far back as 2009, and the Dutch took things one step further with Smart smitjen, or Smart dunking.

Which is worse: waking up to find your car resting on its tail, or finding it floating in an Amsterdam canal?

The Smart ForTwo's light curb weight makes it a target for pranksters, as it's easy enough for a small group of people to move one.

Its relative popularity compared to the competing and equally tiny Scion iQ also provides more targets.

So if you own a Smart ForTwo, you may want to consider investing in some form of extra security--a motion sensor, perhaps?

[hat tip: Bethie Anne Lear VanderYacht]

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