Sorry but I do not believe that requiring “addtional driver training” would prevent accdients like this.
I live in a state that does require drivers training and unfortunately stupid people do stupid things behind the wheel, even after they have been given the required training.
I agree with you on that. How about these parents that go out and uy high-end cars like Mustang Saleens and 750ils for their kids as a gift for being a member of the lucky sperm club? It’s ridiculous what I have seen in the Fulton, Cobb and Forsyth County areas of Georgia as “gifts”. All privilege and no brains at all.
Like most things these days, letting teens drive is a convenience to their spoiled, irresponsible parents who would raise hell with their politicians if this ever got traction. They don’t want to bothered having to drive their kids around until they’re 18 or 21. A better solution might be to restrict teen driving to ONLY when a licensed adult over 21 is in the vehicle and/or no driving after 10:00pm. That’s what it will take to put a dent in the problem but most people don’t have the discipline to make the sacrifice to do it.
It doesn’t matter what car a teen has. My buddies and I used to try to get our cars airborne over some railroad tracks when we were kids. I drove a ’76 Gremlin and my buddy had a ’66 Rambler.
My son is 2 years away from driving (someone shoot me now).
We started talking to him about the dangers of being a dumbass behind the wheel. Whether or not it’s sinking in, I can’t say with certainty, but it’s better than saying nothing.
We’ve discussed personal liability and accountability for one’s actions, and we’ve stressed the importance of being responsible with a machine that has the potential to kill someone. He nods his head and says he understands, but like most teens, he’s into showing off. So I’m willing to bet he will try showing off in a car at some point.
Instead of stalking him 24/7, my husband and I decided we would make him buy his own car, learn to maintain it himself, and pay for his own insurance.
We’ve helped him find odd jobs (lawn mowing, snow shoveling, etc) and we take him to the bank so he can put his money in his savings account. The little twerp has managed to earn a pretty decent (and scary) stash over the past year and a half.
Our logic is that by doing this hard work and buying the car himself, maybe he will be less likely to do something totally out of line since he knows he’ll be paying for the cost of repairs and any damages he causes to others. Since he now knows how much it takes to earn money, I pray he just keeps that in mind when he’s behind the wheel. For the record, he knows we’re not paying for any tickets either.
We’ve also set our own rule of no teen passengers and he is not to be a passenger with another teen driver either. We’re going to have to trust him on that one, but I’m thinking a few surprise “enforcement visits” will keep him honest.
But the cold, hard fact is, unless we completely restrict him from driving, he’s still absolutely capable of being an idiot at any given moment and doing something as moronic as the kids in the article.
So why are you going to let him drive? He doesn’t have to, and since you sound like you don’t trust him and that won’t change in the next 2 years, make him wait. Why would you put a kid who you know is going to show off into a vehicle? Better to have a live grumpy kid then a dead one who got a license too soon.
Dang, are you ever dating yourself, Mr. Obvious. I knocked the drive shaft out of my friend’s Rambler ’cause the rear end slid back on the leaf springs. Remember those? Kids are going to do stupid things no matter what, but conditional permits/licenses may help.
first of all, the article never said if this airborne event was in the street itself…so where was this kid on the in-line skating?…where were the parents and why was he in the street? was this flyoff/airborne maneuver in a residential area? too many questions unanswered. yes, the kid driving the vehicle is at-fault, but i think that the kid on the in-line skate may have partial fault. afterall, does not the car have to travel fast? does that not mean you should have heard the vehicle? question: exactly where were you?
questions that may never be asked, but yet, we think need stronger regulations or laws for teens. i believe since i do have 2 teens, at least used to be teen 23 and 17 yr old, they need minimum 40 hrs behind the wheel. in my state the kids have to go to traffic court prior to getting the license so they can see for themselves what it means to be there and the responsibility of driving. i like the earlier statement – driving is a priviledge and not a right. remember, that the parents of this child is also responsible for that kids actions, including the owner of the car (if not the parents). i like the idea of a curfew, because nighttime is more of an effort to keep your head on a swivel. some of here where i work truly think that we should not allow our kids to drive to school. what is so wrong with the BUS! this also, eliminates them from skipping out at lunch and not coming back or having an accident while out on school time. again, if we don’t make our kids responsible as a parent, how good are we ourselves? why just give them things when they whine?
We’re going to let him drive because he’s been trying to earn the privelege. I do actually trust him, but it ain’t easy.
Do you have kids? Teenagers? You love them dearly and you do trust them, but if you’re reasonable, you EXPECT them to make mistakes.
I expect my son to screw up on occasion. I know I did at his age and I am still miles away from perfect.
Show me a teenager who HASN’T been guilty of showing off in a car. I’d like to see that.
You can coach, teach, and parent them until you’re blue in the face. But they WILL make mistakes. It’s human. It’s part of how they learn. You hope they only make minor mistakes. But a reasonable parent has to accept the fact that no child, no matter how well behaved, is perfect.
This legislation is pointless. It isn’t going to prevent teenagers from having random fits of stupidity, as they are commonly known to do.
Sorry if I left the mistaken impression that I don’t trust my son.
My point was that it is very hard as a parent to give your kid more independence as they grow up, because you know they’re going to make mistakes. What you don’t know is – when will those mistakes happen. You can only hope it isn’t while they’re driving.
You’ve got a good plan. My parents did the same thing and my siblings and I showed off a lot less than our peers because we knew there was nobody to bail us out.
I often heard “you always wreck your first car”. As if it was just acceptable!
My parents didn’t think it was acceptable at all. Neither of them wrecked their first cars and I knew my butt would be in a sling if I wrecked mine. Thankfully I didn’t. Someone else did for me, though… another teen driver broadsided me my junior year.
The business we’re in exposes us to an unusually high percentage of idiots, I think. Especially those who work primarily in claims, you folks no doubt see the worst of the worst. So it’s no wonder we often operate under the assumption that things like personal responsibility, intelligence, common sense and concern for the safety and welfare of others is the exception and not the rule.
Perhaps society in general is moving that direction? I don’t know. But I, for one, am fed up with so much nanny legislation. There are some things I agree with, like imposing fines on people who dick around with their cell phones and send text messages behind the wheel. Lump ’em in the same category as drunk drivers. While I don’t think the actual law will prevent the majority from using their phones or driving distracted, I think the revenue raised from the fines could be put to good use.
It just seems like if we keep making law on top of law on top of law, we’re playing with fire. We’re going to law ourselves to death. Certainly there’s a better way?
Sorry but I do not believe that requiring “addtional driver training” would prevent accdients like this.
I live in a state that does require drivers training and unfortunately stupid people do stupid things behind the wheel, even after they have been given the required training.
I agree with you on that. How about these parents that go out and uy high-end cars like Mustang Saleens and 750ils for their kids as a gift for being a member of the lucky sperm club? It’s ridiculous what I have seen in the Fulton, Cobb and Forsyth County areas of Georgia as “gifts”. All privilege and no brains at all.
Just another couple of politicians taking advantage of a tragic situation just to get their name out in the public. Shameful.
Like most things these days, letting teens drive is a convenience to their spoiled, irresponsible parents who would raise hell with their politicians if this ever got traction. They don’t want to bothered having to drive their kids around until they’re 18 or 21. A better solution might be to restrict teen driving to ONLY when a licensed adult over 21 is in the vehicle and/or no driving after 10:00pm. That’s what it will take to put a dent in the problem but most people don’t have the discipline to make the sacrifice to do it.
It doesn’t matter what car a teen has. My buddies and I used to try to get our cars airborne over some railroad tracks when we were kids. I drove a ’76 Gremlin and my buddy had a ’66 Rambler.
My son is 2 years away from driving (someone shoot me now).
We started talking to him about the dangers of being a dumbass behind the wheel. Whether or not it’s sinking in, I can’t say with certainty, but it’s better than saying nothing.
We’ve discussed personal liability and accountability for one’s actions, and we’ve stressed the importance of being responsible with a machine that has the potential to kill someone. He nods his head and says he understands, but like most teens, he’s into showing off. So I’m willing to bet he will try showing off in a car at some point.
Instead of stalking him 24/7, my husband and I decided we would make him buy his own car, learn to maintain it himself, and pay for his own insurance.
We’ve helped him find odd jobs (lawn mowing, snow shoveling, etc) and we take him to the bank so he can put his money in his savings account. The little twerp has managed to earn a pretty decent (and scary) stash over the past year and a half.
Our logic is that by doing this hard work and buying the car himself, maybe he will be less likely to do something totally out of line since he knows he’ll be paying for the cost of repairs and any damages he causes to others. Since he now knows how much it takes to earn money, I pray he just keeps that in mind when he’s behind the wheel. For the record, he knows we’re not paying for any tickets either.
We’ve also set our own rule of no teen passengers and he is not to be a passenger with another teen driver either. We’re going to have to trust him on that one, but I’m thinking a few surprise “enforcement visits” will keep him honest.
But the cold, hard fact is, unless we completely restrict him from driving, he’s still absolutely capable of being an idiot at any given moment and doing something as moronic as the kids in the article.
That’s the nature of the teen brain.
I don’t think legislation is going to change it.
So why are you going to let him drive? He doesn’t have to, and since you sound like you don’t trust him and that won’t change in the next 2 years, make him wait. Why would you put a kid who you know is going to show off into a vehicle? Better to have a live grumpy kid then a dead one who got a license too soon.
Dang, are you ever dating yourself, Mr. Obvious. I knocked the drive shaft out of my friend’s Rambler ’cause the rear end slid back on the leaf springs. Remember those? Kids are going to do stupid things no matter what, but conditional permits/licenses may help.
first of all, the article never said if this airborne event was in the street itself…so where was this kid on the in-line skating?…where were the parents and why was he in the street? was this flyoff/airborne maneuver in a residential area? too many questions unanswered. yes, the kid driving the vehicle is at-fault, but i think that the kid on the in-line skate may have partial fault. afterall, does not the car have to travel fast? does that not mean you should have heard the vehicle? question: exactly where were you?
questions that may never be asked, but yet, we think need stronger regulations or laws for teens. i believe since i do have 2 teens, at least used to be teen 23 and 17 yr old, they need minimum 40 hrs behind the wheel. in my state the kids have to go to traffic court prior to getting the license so they can see for themselves what it means to be there and the responsibility of driving. i like the earlier statement – driving is a priviledge and not a right. remember, that the parents of this child is also responsible for that kids actions, including the owner of the car (if not the parents). i like the idea of a curfew, because nighttime is more of an effort to keep your head on a swivel. some of here where i work truly think that we should not allow our kids to drive to school. what is so wrong with the BUS! this also, eliminates them from skipping out at lunch and not coming back or having an accident while out on school time. again, if we don’t make our kids responsible as a parent, how good are we ourselves? why just give them things when they whine?
EARN IT!
Hi there “Helllooooo….”
We’re going to let him drive because he’s been trying to earn the privelege. I do actually trust him, but it ain’t easy.
Do you have kids? Teenagers? You love them dearly and you do trust them, but if you’re reasonable, you EXPECT them to make mistakes.
I expect my son to screw up on occasion. I know I did at his age and I am still miles away from perfect.
Show me a teenager who HASN’T been guilty of showing off in a car. I’d like to see that.
You can coach, teach, and parent them until you’re blue in the face. But they WILL make mistakes. It’s human. It’s part of how they learn. You hope they only make minor mistakes. But a reasonable parent has to accept the fact that no child, no matter how well behaved, is perfect.
This legislation is pointless. It isn’t going to prevent teenagers from having random fits of stupidity, as they are commonly known to do.
Sorry if I left the mistaken impression that I don’t trust my son.
My point was that it is very hard as a parent to give your kid more independence as they grow up, because you know they’re going to make mistakes. What you don’t know is – when will those mistakes happen. You can only hope it isn’t while they’re driving.
Does that clarify for you?
KLS,
You’ve got a good plan. My parents did the same thing and my siblings and I showed off a lot less than our peers because we knew there was nobody to bail us out.
Thanks for the reassurance.
I often heard “you always wreck your first car”. As if it was just acceptable!
My parents didn’t think it was acceptable at all. Neither of them wrecked their first cars and I knew my butt would be in a sling if I wrecked mine. Thankfully I didn’t. Someone else did for me, though… another teen driver broadsided me my junior year.
The business we’re in exposes us to an unusually high percentage of idiots, I think. Especially those who work primarily in claims, you folks no doubt see the worst of the worst. So it’s no wonder we often operate under the assumption that things like personal responsibility, intelligence, common sense and concern for the safety and welfare of others is the exception and not the rule.
Perhaps society in general is moving that direction? I don’t know. But I, for one, am fed up with so much nanny legislation. There are some things I agree with, like imposing fines on people who dick around with their cell phones and send text messages behind the wheel. Lump ’em in the same category as drunk drivers. While I don’t think the actual law will prevent the majority from using their phones or driving distracted, I think the revenue raised from the fines could be put to good use.
It just seems like if we keep making law on top of law on top of law, we’re playing with fire. We’re going to law ourselves to death. Certainly there’s a better way?