teenage tragedy

[jonyyuma]

There was a 16 year old female killed here a couple weeks ago. They were all very young, and in a Ford extended cab. That road is very curvy,rated at 40 mph , driver failed to clear a large oak tree 4 foot in diameter. His vecicle computer recorded 75 mph on the chip. Expect a long lawsuit to follow.Very sad situation, no alcohol involved. Jy.

 

[QueBota]

1994 K2500 Suburban, ~ 250K miles, for my 15 yo son when he is ready to drive alone. He wants to drive something "cooler" but I made it clear that if he wants to drive that is his only option. The 350 TBI is getting tired, the big black Sub is slow but steady.

Most of his friends drive small 2 door tuner/econoboxes. I prefer that he is surrounded by some metal for the extra protection it may offer. I am very strict when it comes to with who and in what he may ride.

Dave

Both of my boys had to drive my 95 F350 quad cab, long bed - bright red - for the first two years. With 250K miles, it lost some pep so racing wasn't an option. Lots of steel around them and they were forced to go easy in that big beast. I did worry about them hitting someone else - but both had no issues. Plus every neighbor, friend (including a couple LEOs), teacher/coach, and acquaintance we had knew the truck - and the boys knew it!

 

[Bird]

He wants to drive something "cooler" but I made it clear that if he wants to drive that is his only option.

When my older daughter started to drive, my 3/4 ton Dodge pickup was only 5 or 6 years old, but that's what she had to drive. Three years later, when the younger daughter started to drive, she inherited the old Dodge truck and I bought a used Chevy sedan for the older girl.

 

[deere755]

Nick is 17 and had his drivers license a little over a year now. From what I have seen he is a pretty good driver, seems to drive like an old man. I have snuck around when he wasn't looking to try and see how he drives when I am not around and he seems to pretty much take it easy ( not anything like I did when I was 16, I should be dead). His 1st car was a Toyota Corola that my ex Father in law gave him. It lasted about 6 months before the motor blew. I bought him a Ford Ranger thinking of gas mileage, but now after this accident and listening to what all of you have said I wish I would have bought him what he wanted which was a 3/4 ton pickup. It would have been a tank with a little more steel around him. He really wanted me to buy a new 3/4 ton Chevy and give him my old one but it just didn't seem feasible to give a 16 year old a big pickup like that at the time.

 

[NuBota]

There was a 16 year old female killed here a couple weeks ago. They were all very young, and in a Ford extended cab. That road is very curvy,rated at 40 mph , driver failed to clear a large oak tree 4 foot in diameter. His vecicle computer recorded 75 mph on the chip. Expect a long lawsuit to follow.Very sad situation, no alcohol involved. Jy.

There is no way to protect the kids in a situation like this - 75 mph is just asking for trouble. But I would venture to say the would all be dead or worse off in a little car

1994 K2500 Suburban, ~ 250K miles, for my 15 yo son when he is ready to drive alone. He wants to drive something "cooler" but I made it clear that if he wants to drive that is his only option. The 350 TBI is getting tired, the big black Sub is slow but steady.

Most of his friends drive small 2 door tuner/econoboxes. I prefer that he is surrounded by some metal for the extra protection it may offer. I am very strict when it comes to with who and in what he may ride.

Dave

When my older daughter started to drive, my 3/4 ton Dodge pickup was only 5 or 6 years old, but that's what she had to drive. Three years later, when the younger daughter started to drive, she inherited the old Dodge truck and I bought a used Chevy sedan for the older girl.

Same process here - the F350 was the "probation" vehicle - at 18 they bought a "cool" car - oldest has a 98 Mustang (6 cyl) and #2 has a '93 Dodge stealth. Have had no significant incidents. My daughter (#3) turns 15 this month - and is mad that I gave the F350 to my sister...

 

[dmccarty]

We had a cluster of car accident killing teenagers late last year. Pretty danged horrible. At least one was because they were racing and the drove into a big oak/pine tree at high speed.

When I was in HS many many moons ago I did a survey for a class project. The survey asked if you had been in a car accident. If so where you driving? Where other people in the car? I think I asked if they got tickets as well.

The results were shocking. I think almost all of the accidents happened with other kids in the car with a guy driving and a girl riding shot gun. Pretty danged obvious they were not paying attention to the road and/or the guy was showing off to the girl.

I did that survey when I was 15 and took it to heart.

One of my friends had a car that was called The Beast. the father was so cheap that cheap does not describe him. Course he almost had his house paid for and the mortgage was very low. :thumbsup: Forgot exactly what The Beast was but I think it was a Dodge. It had four doors, drove slow, and was a horrible brown color.

All of the kids drove The Beast until the day the engine fell out.

Later,
Dan

:laughing:

 

[Bird]

Dan, when I think of the things we did in high school, I figure it's a wonder any of us survived. And I'm afraid I was among the worst. Two of us had reputations as the stunt drivers in the school and the only accident I had was with that other guy in the car when I hit a wet spot on the street that caused me to hit a utility pole head on. I was able drive on home, but then had to replace everything in front of the water pump; couldn't find a used replacement hood, so had to have the hood straightened and painted.

But when they were building what is now Central Expressway (S.H.75), it was popular with some of the hotrodders before it was opened and in our senior year, one of the guy crashed out there and killed his girlfriend.

 

[mjarrels]

We have had a rash of teenagers killed recently in auto accidents, most were not wearing seatbelts including a up and comming volunteer fire fighter responding to a accident (no seat belt), you would think he would have know better. Still trying to name a bridge after him to no avail. I just look at it and think how this will be less draw on SSI in the future. Stupid folks don't need retirement planning.

mark

 

[dmccarty]

Dan, when I think of the things we did in high school, I figure it's a wonder any of us survived....

I did a few bad things driving but nothing really bad except with drinking. We needed MADD in my day.

When I moved to S Florida when I was in High School I saw a guy moving around on crutches. He was tall, tan, in good shape. Had a GORGEOUS girl friend who looked like she was 25 or 30. Found out he was the quarter back.

He was on crutches because he tried to be Steve McQueen. Since we were on the coast there were lots of draw bridges over the Intercoastal Waterway. Mr. Quarter Back was driving his car one day over one of the bridges when the gates started to come down. He figured he could make it so he gunned it.

I guess he sorted made it across the opening draw bridge since he was alive. :laughing: The draw bridges do not open evenly. One side will open faster than the other. He was on the wrong side of the bridge. His bridge opened slower so when he tried to jump the gab he hit the faster opening bridge. I guess the bridge operator was able to stop the bridge from opening other wise I think he would have been feeding the fishes.

Supposedly he was a pretty good player and would have gotten a free ride in College. Instead he got a really messed up back. But at least he was alive.

Course alot of kids are killed. There have been just too many accidents over the last few years. We had one last year where a girl was killed. She was going to school. Not driving fast at all. One of her teachers was behind her. Some of our roads are very dangerous. They are very, very narrow with a good drop off the pavement to grade. It is easy to drop a tire off the road with oncoming traffic or even a bad wind. It sounded like she dropped a tire off the road, over corrected, lost control, and wrecked. She was wearing a seat belt and if I remember right she was driving a Volvo or one of the "safer" cars to drive.

Just one of those things. And her teacher saw her student wreck and die. Stinketh.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

I did a few bad things driving but nothing really bad except with drinking.

I didn't do any drinking, and don't guess I ever did anything "bad" except for stunt driving, racing, and such. Officers are not supposed to see the results of the background investigation that was done before they were hired, but many years later, I did happen to see mine. Everyone they contacted gave me a good recommendation except the police chief in the little town in which I graduated from high school, and he told the investigator that as far as he knew I'd never been in any trouble or done anything really wrong. So the investigator asked if he would hire me as an officer if he had an opening and he said he would not because of my "reputation as a hotrodder" in that town.:laughing: He was not even an officer himself when I lived in that town, I had never been stopped or been issued a ticket in that town. But I'll admit he was right.:laughing: Of course, this was 6 years after high school and long after I quit hotrodding.