SVT_MAN Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Colum...icleId=124526#2 It's scary that kids that young are driving 500 hp cars out there. I've seen kids that are 18 or 19 who do crazy enough stuff in Dodge Neons. I am always somewhat hesitant to tell people I drive a 5-spd 99 Mustang GT (I am 21), but I actually drive like a grandma most of the time. My girlfriend gets irritated with me because I don't speed. I actually have an insurance policy through State Farm that takes a ton of money off provided I do not get caught with any moving violations. In any case, just a good reminder that going high speed should be left to the track if you do it anywhere. Public roads have far too many variables and there are far too many innocent victims. Edited January 31, 2008 by SVT_MAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackHorse Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 LOL, Well, that will teach Josh not to take advice from people on a car forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 A member from Australia again cautioned Ammirato to be careful. "My only bit of advice matey -- If you crash in a big way expect to be on the news," he wrote. "Enjoy and resist the temptation to drag others at the lights." http://www.ocala.com/article/20080127/BREA...3/BREAKING_NEWS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackHorse Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Yeah, that was kind of strangely prophetic wasn't it jpd80? It's a tragedy in all seriousness. In his posts the kid seemed like a pretty nice well rounded guy. Now five young guys with their whole lives ahead of them just gone like that. I personally would not let my son drive a 500 hp performance sedan at 18 years old. It's just too much temptation. I'm sure all their families are devastated by this. A good friend of mine rented a Pontiac G6 GTP for his own son to have a nicer vehicle than his everyday vehicle to take his girlfriend to prom. He had no idea how fast it was. He spent the whole night worrying that his son would do something crazy and get hurt. I'm sure he got on it some, but he came home safe and sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) Yeah, that was kind of strangely prophetic wasn't it jpd80? It's a tragedy in all seriousness. In his posts the kid seemed like a pretty nice well rounded guy. Now five young guys with their whole lives ahead of them just gone like that. I personally would not let my son drive a 500 hp performance sedan at 18 years old. It's just too much temptation. I'm sure all their families are devastated by this. A good friend of mine rented a Pontiac G6 GTP for his own son to have a nicer vehicle than his everyday vehicle to take his girlfriend to prom. He had no idea how fast it was. He spent the whole night worrying that his son would do something crazy and get hurt. I'm sure he got on it some, but he came home safe and sound. My parents let me drive our Jaguar XJ6 to prom which was a big thrill for me at the time. In a way (and this sounds weird coming from the kid), I sort of questioned their decision to let me drive it. I was actually more worried about scratching or denting it in a parking lot than getting into an accident to be honest though. (And I wasn't too happy when the kids from our neighboring school came through and wrote stuff with window paint on the windows ... I can't believe there wasn't security in that parking lot). Surprisingly, my parents didn't even mention anything about speeding or being crazy with it. I guess the thing is, I had driven the car previously, and they knew I respected it. Then again, as I said, I tend to drive like your grandma (minus the poor reaction time) and my parents know that. Edited January 31, 2008 by SVT_MAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diablos30 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 darwin award winner right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) darwin award winner right there. EVERBODY has done SOMETHING stupid in their life. Teenagers think they are invincible. That is why you don't put them behind the wheel of a 500 hp car when they only have 2 years of driving experience. Every kid out there thinks they are the best, safest, driver ever. Don't you remember what it was like when you were 16, 17, 18? You thought you were the best thing on the block because you drove ... kids don't always know boundaries. That's why we consider minors to be "infants" in the eyes of the law. Maybe the kid was just a reckless driver and would have done the same thing in a lower powered car, but you have to give him the benefit of the doubt ... seems more like reckless parenting to me. Edited January 31, 2008 by SVT_MAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackHorse Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 EVERBODY has done SOMETHING stupid in their life. Teenagers think they are invincible. That is why you don't put them behind the wheel of a 500 hp car when they only have 2 years of driving experience. Every kid out there thinks they are the best, safest, driver ever. Don't you remember what it was like when you were 16, 17, 18? You thought you were the best thing on the block because you drove ... kids don't always know boundaries. That's why we consider minors to be "infants" in the eyes of the law. Maybe the kid was just a reckless driver and would have done the same thing in a lower powered car, but you have to give him the benefit of the doubt ... seems more like reckless parenting to me. I have to agree. I remember what I was like when I was that age. I knew everything and I could whip superman. The kid just made a mistake and unfortunately it was a terribly tragic one. I still wouldn't have let my son get behind the wheel of a 500 hp performance sedan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Glad they pointed out the location of Travolta's house on that pic. I would've been lost otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) Richard: I thought the same thing. I don't care where the guy lives. By the way, did anybody catch onto the fact that this whole situation reeks a bit of Top Gear impersonation gone bad? Doesn't Top Gear test high performance cars on their runway? Didn't Top Gear test an M5 at a runway? I realize this is probably a coincidence, but an eery one at that ... Is this runway the kid was running on abandoned? I didn't catch that. By the way, I am not blaming Top Gear ... those people do things under controlled conditions and not at night. Plus, they don't do anything that isn't pre-planned and thought out. Not to say it isn't dangerous. That sai, I'm not sure why you would drive on a runway at night (well, other than trying to avoid getting caught.) Edited January 31, 2008 by SVT_MAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) This story, like the story a few years ago about a car full of kids that ended up at the bottom of a quarry in my hometown, is not so much tragic in the local sense, as it is tragic in the "this is hardly an isolated incident" sense. Tragic that young men seem programmed to consider themselves indestructible. It is one of our many faults that we are, seemingly, for a stretch of our lives practically immune to common sense. A car full of late 20-somethings careening off a runway into a tree would be odd. A group of even older individuals would be even stranger. But for a group of teenage boys, is anyone really surprised? Surprised perhaps that they had the car. But not really surprised at what they did with it, and that, to me, is the real tragedy. Edited January 31, 2008 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Since I'm an hour from that area, they played that story here quite a bit on the local news. There's a certain side that says "Well, you asked for it", another "Your an idiot", another "what were you thinking?"...Actually 2 news outlet stated they might be up for a Darwin Award, mainly because his posts were online. Simple fact remain, people mature at different ages, and upbringing has much to do with it. My first car was a new 325i back when, everything there after was Mustang GT, Tbird, Mark 8, and 3 LS's and never had an sort of scratch or even dent on them. I never got the"Lecture" that all my friend went through about driving. But at the same time, my parents knew I was responsible, we had open dialogue, I just HAD to grow up fast because of my surroundings, it was never an issue. It's not the power you put the child in (since even at 100HP your car is a weapon), it's IF they are ready for ANY type of responsibility. Just like sex, if you can't pay for the abortion, don't screw. And who knows, maybe the kid sneaked out of the house and stole his fathers car keys to do this (that itself speaks volumes). Just in the cocky messages he posted, shows the lack of maturity and responsibility which played out evidentally thereafter. Or as one friend stated earlier, "OH well, better now at 18...he was the weakest link, buh-bye"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
351cid Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Having an 18 year old son, this reinforces what I have been telling my son for two years. He drives a 4 cylinder Ranger daily, but he has a 68 Mustang Coupe as a project. He has big plans for the car that equals big money...but he also has big plans for that blonde headed she-devil. Hopefully, he will be in his mid 20's before either of those big plans work themselves out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomaro Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) Maybe the kid was just a reckless driver and would have done the same thing in a lower powered car, but you have to give him the benefit of the doubt ... seems more like reckless parenting to me. Reckless parenting?? That excuse that gets way too overplayed nowadays. No one is responsible or accountable for anything...lets just delegate some blame to someone else. He is old enough to vote, old enough to get sent to Iraq, and certainly old enough to know better than to do some dumb shit like this. I do agree that an M5 is not a good vehicle for someone that age...a Volvo 240DL with the slow ass 5 cyl sounds better to me. If the kid was hell bent on going fast he was going to do it no matter what he was driving. If he had an Escort and not an M5 he would still be cranking that baby up to over 100mph or try drifting around some slick road in another car. Sorry to rant...blaming the parents struck a nerve...maybe I need more coffee. :reading: Edited January 31, 2008 by atomaro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomaro Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) Having an 18 year old son, this reinforces what I have been telling my son for two years. He drives a 4 cylinder Ranger daily, but he has a 68 Mustang Coupe as a project. He has big plans for the car that equals big money...but he also has big plans for that blonde headed she-devil. Hopefully, he will be in his mid 20's before either of those big plans work themselves out. Sounds like my youth...substitute brunette for blond and mustang and there you go. I picked the girl. Now in my mid 30s finally get to do more than wash my car. And I better do that soon...cause this other teeny tiny brunette will be spending my car fund soon. Edited January 31, 2008 by atomaro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 The area I live in has had couple notable car accidents involving young drivers and their deaths. It got o the point that the town I live in started issuing stickers to identify people under the age of 18 (NJ has graduated driving restrictions), so cops could keep an eye out for them, but so far its been a total bust..the last newspaper article I've read said only two familys have gotten the stickers. As for the parenting aspect, I don't know about most of you, but I don't remember kids being as big of punkasses or spoiled assholes like they are now vs when I was their age. Then add in the fact that NO ONE is held accountable for their actions when they do something wrong, and you wind up with messes like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinb120 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 darwin award winner right there. Yup, plain and simple. Hopefully the parents don't produce any more of them. And yes, most idiots are raised by parents that are either idiots or too selfish to invest any time teaching a child and simply pay for them to be 'happy' as anything more is too much of a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Yup, plain and simple. Hopefully the parents don't produce any more of them. And yes, most idiots are raised by parents that are either idiots or too selfish to invest any time teaching a child and simply pay for them to be 'happy' as anything more is too much of a hassle. Oh yes. This wasn't an every-day BMW, but an M5. That junior wasn't enrolled at a 'competition' driving school to learn shows this kind of brain-dead attitude. Too bad daddy didn't stuff his ego and replace it with a 4-cyl Camry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MERKURXR4Ti Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Oh yes. This wasn't an every-day BMW, but an M5. That junior wasn't enrolled at a 'competition' driving school to learn shows this kind of brain-dead attitude. Too bad daddy didn't stuff his ego and replace it with a 4-cyl Camry. Or hide the keys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Don't be surprised if Dad gets charged with something here if he knowingly allowed his son to drive that car. We had a case here in GA where a teenage girl had a BMW 3 series with bald tires and bad brakes. Several people had reported to her parents that she was drag racing others in that vehicle. She lost control and hit another car head-on. I don't remember if she was killed or just injured but there was at least one if not several fatalities. The parents were charged and convicted for knowingly letting her drive an unsafe vehicle when they knew she was driving irresponsibly. I don't remember the exact charges. The fact that he was 18 might mitigate the legal responsibility. But this is like handing a loaded gun to a 18 yr old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Reckless parenting?? That excuse that gets way too overplayed nowadays. No one is responsible or accountable for anything...lets just delegate some blame to someone else. He is old enough to vote, old enough to get sent to Iraq, and certainly old enough to know better than to do some dumb shit like this. I do agree that an M5 is not a good vehicle for someone that age...a Volvo 240DL with the slow ass 5 cyl sounds better to me. If the kid was hell bent on going fast he was going to do it no matter what he was driving. If he had an Escort and not an M5 he would still be cranking that baby up to over 100mph or try drifting around some slick road in another car. Sorry to rant...blaming the parents struck a nerve...maybe I need more coffee. :reading: I know that there have been a lot of people who have been quick to blame parents for a lot of things. I hear that particularly when kids go out and start shooting up people. And, you bring up the point that he is old enough to vote, old enough to be in the military .. those two I agree with. Old enough to know better than to do this though? Not necessarily. As others have mentioned, maturity doesn't necessarily correspond with age. Even though our law is very cut and dried that when you turn 18 you are old enough to be classified as an adult, it doesn't necessarily mean that the person actually has reached an adult-level of maturity. The reason I question this fact is because the kid had 4 moving violations from what the article said. Did that not trigger any response for the father? Most parents would sit their kid down and have a talk if the kid had been pulled over that many times. Now, as some have mentioned here, it's entirely plausible that he stole the keys from his dad or something to that extent. If that happened, maybe there was nothing his father could have done. We don't have all that information, and it's entirely possible that we never will. Calling it reckless parenting was perhaps a bit flippant, but it's something that is plausible. Not unlike how it is plausible that this kid had not matured to a point where he should be driving any car, let alone an M5. I don't blame you for having a nerve struck in response to my comment. Since I'm not a parent, I wouldn't necessarily enjoy that comment coming from someone my age either - so sorry for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sranger Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 It is truly sad, but I seriously doubt that anyone on this board did not do somthing stupid in an car in those first few years of driving.... The fact that the kid was on an air strip and not a public road probably kept some other family or individual from being killed. I typically see things nearly this bad on my drive to work every day.... ( I285/85 in Atlanta ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomaro Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Since I'm not a parent, I wouldn't necessarily enjoy that comment coming from someone my age either - so sorry for that. No need to apologize, its your opinion. You are entitled to it, you presented your view in an intelligent manner and you didn't act like a smacktard. Its just a good "debate". :beerchug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Even though our law is very cut and dried that when you turn 18 you are old enough to be classified as an adult, it doesn't necessarily mean that the person actually has reached an adult-level of maturity. The reason I question this fact is because the kid had 4 moving violations from what the article said. Did that not trigger any response for the father? Most parents would sit their kid down and have a talk if the kid had been pulled over that many times. I'd kick the shit out of my kid if he did that, then again he/she wouldn't be able to drive either after all the points on his/her insurance and the rates/fines they would have to pay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 The reason I question this fact is because the kid had 4 moving violations from what the article said. Did that not trigger any response for the father? Most parents would sit their kid down and have a talk if the kid had been pulled over that many times. Heck, after a few speeding tickets, my parents put my two older brothers on the Excluded Drivers list on their policies. They weren't legally allowed to use my parents' cars anymore. I can certainly, however, chalk a bit of this mess up to immaturity. I certainly did a few things in my Cobra when I was 19 that I surely wouldn't even consider attempting today. Thankfully I lived through it to tell the tales though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.