Skiing on the Asphalt in Havana, Cuba
The dangerous game Cuban children play in the rain
Pedestrian collisions remain the third leading cause of death in traffic accidents in Cuba.
HAVANA TIMES – When it rains in Havana, the city transforms into a scene as dramatic as it is dangerous. Along flooded avenues and streets, groups of children and teenagers cling to moving vehicles to slide across the asphalt, as if practicing a kind of “urban skiing.” Sometimes they hold onto buses, even trucks. Some drivers brake and scold the children. Others, however, accelerate or zigzag with punitive intent, or perhaps in search of an irresponsible adrenaline rush. It all seems like part of a game, until tragedy strikes.
This newspaper witnessed a recent scene on Vía Blanca. Under heavy rain, a group of children—some no older than ten—were clinging to a car in an attempt to skid. The driver stopped, got out, and yelled at them. Minutes later, a police patrol car drove by. Several cars honked, drawing the officers’ attention, but they drove on without intervening.
Although the practice has been reported on social media and captured on video by independent media, there are no official statistics documenting fatal accidents directly associated with this behavior. However, the overall picture is alarming. In 2024 alone, Cuba reported more than 7,500 traffic accidents, with 634 deaths. Children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable groups.
In April 2025, the National Symposium on Child Road Safety was held in Havana under the slogan “Stop the risks, reach your destination,” with the participation of the Ministry of the Interior, the Cuban Society of Pediatrics, and UNICEF. Worrying figures were discussed there, and educational workshops for adolescents were organized. But outside the venue, on the streets, everything remains the same. Institutional initiatives seem to focus more on ideological campaigns or combating drug use, leaving aside phenomena like this, as visible as they are ignored.
Similar practices have been reported in other countries under the name “skitching,” which describes the act of holding onto a vehicle while rollerblading or skateboarding. Although it doesn’t occur in rainy conditions, the risks are similar: speed, lack of protection, and traffic. In the United States and Australia, where this practice has caused multiple accidents, including deaths, it has been banned in several states. In Ohio, following the death of a 16-year-old teenager who fell off his skateboard while being towed, a specific law was proposed to penalize this practice.
In Cuba, poverty prevents many children from having access to skateboards. It is the rain, paradoxically, that fills that void. But Havana’s urban context only multiplies the danger: streets littered with garbage, pavement riddled with potholes, uncovered drains, and old vehicles without proper brakes. All of this creates a lethal scenario. In February 2025, a 13-year-old boy died after falling into an open sewer during a flood. He was swept away by the current in full view of neighbors. His death sparked a wave of complaints on social media about uncovered drains in neighborhoods like Luyanó and El Vedado, where others have been injured in similar falls.
Despite the evidence and growing public concern, no official entity has launched a campaign specifically targeting this behavior. Reports come primarily from social media users, from Facebook to neighborhood groups, who also warn of the lack of adult supervision, institutional neglect, and deteriorating infrastructure as factors that increase the risks. The country’s own statistics recognize that pedestrian collisions remain the third leading cause of death in traffic accidents, but there are no concrete measures to address this type of street behavior.
There is no need to wait for a major tragedy to strike before taking action. What some consider a visual eccentricity of Havana’s downpours is, in reality, a ticking time bomb that jeopardizes the lives of children. While the city sinks into potholes, rain, and neglect, children continue to cling—literally—to the risk.
Translated by Translating Cuba.