A shocking video from China has gone viral, showing the instant death of a male cameraman while a female rider was filming a video for Instagram—a grim price paid for an extremely dangerous stunt.
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String of deaths in China linked to motorcycle riding for social media
In recent years, dangerous motorcycle riding aimed at garnering attention on social media has become a problem in China. Reports indicate that within a span of roughly one year around 2024, at least four female influencers—ranging from their late teens to early twenties—died while engaging in reckless riding, such as speeding. One 19-year-old woman in Hainan Province continued to ride dangerously even after being fined for such behavior just two months before she was killed in a collision with a garbage truck. In Suzhou, another 19-year-old motorcycle influencer died from severe head injuries—despite wearing a helmet—after the motorcycle she was riding as a passenger (driven by a friend) collided with a car.
In response to this spate of accidents, Chinese state media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, have criticized short-video platforms for prioritizing view counts, arguing that “risking one’s life should not be a means to gain views.” Efforts to regulate and crack down on such behavior remain ongoing; notably, a case arose in August 2026 involving a video that showed a rider traveling at speeds exceeding 220 km/h, leading to the criminal detention of a man who had been riding alongside the subject on suspicion of dangerous driving.
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