'Cash Cab' Crash Kills Vancouver Pedestrian

There's been a Cash Cab crash.

One of the replica cabs used in the Discovery Channel's oddball game show struck and killed a 61-year-old pedestrian in downtown Vancouver late Friday night.

And while this may not be so surprising to those who have seen the show, the truth is that Friday night's accident in Canada occurred after filming, while a producer was taking the cab back to a storage unit for safe keeping.

For those who have never lost an hour or two of their lives to Cash Cab, the basic premise involves a replica yellow taxi that picks up unassuming passengers. During the ride to their destination, the taxi driver asks the passengers trivia questions, rewarding right answers with cash prizes.

Sound like a distracted driving accident waiting to happen?

That's because it is.

While Canadian law differs from the U.S., and the Cash Cab crash did not occur when the game was in session, it's not difficult to imagine a scenario in which contestants or others are seriously hurt as a result of the show and its inherent negligence.

Keeping in mind that the U.S. versions of the show film in New York and Chicago, it must be particularly difficult to simultaneously drive safely, play to the camera, and ask trivia questions.

Though the host of the U.S. show boasts that he's never been in a Cash Cab crash of his own, these factors are sure to cost Discovery a lot of extra cash if he ever is.

Related Resources:

• TV's Cash Cab hits, kills 61-year-old Surrey man (Vancouver Sun)
• Distracted Driving (FindLaw)
• Distracted Driving: Don't Eat and Drive (FindLaw's Injured)