Nowadays, with e-mail, some of these urban legends spread like viruses. Some even enter pop culture, like the one about the family going on a car trip with an elderly relative who, along the way, suddenly becomes ill. Don't be silly. She'll be fine. It's not as if it's gonna rain or something.
People like to hear and retell the latest story.
And what's nice about the urban legends is that you don't have to be an expert storyteller. It's not like a joke where you have to tell the punchline just right. You have to master a dialect, and get the timing right. But also underlying there are certain messages. There are real dangers out there.