Vandals have recently targeted the lightweight cars

A national trend is hitting Columbus, leaving city-shared cars on their side.

And the disturbing trend has some Smart car drivers around town concerned.

Alison Cummins hops into her Smart car without worrying about gas money.

But when she tallied reasons to buy the eco-friendly car, she never considered the cons that the car could be picked up or even tipped over.

"I don't park my car near campus anymore. I don't drive over to campus. Always take a cab now, because you never know what could happen,” says Cummins.

She's now getting a good idea about what could happen after hearing about this morning's incident.

Residents on 8th Street found a city-wide shared Smart car from the company Car 2 Go, flipped. While police haven't caught the person who did it, they're noting the trend, dubbed "urban cow tipping."

A Smart car weighs about 1,800 pounds; similar to a cow that could weigh around 1,400 or 1,500 pounds.

The damaged mirrors and paint make Alison cringe. She's planning ways to keep her car safe, but admits her mini-ride has already driven her into a messy situation.

Her window still marks the date it was towed last January after strangers tampered with it.

"They picked up the front and pulled it basically perpendicular to the way it was supposed to be. Which, you know, it's not a big car, but on a one-way street, it blocked the road,” Cummins recalls.

She's begging pranksters to leave her four wheels on the ground. "I know it's funny, but please stop."