ooof
I think there are a lot of other factors…
I had my Firebird when I was 19…took it to 150+ a few times…A lot of people on here are/were 18-21 with quick cars…
The Ford Festiva (found here), and every other first car beater, is easily capable of 70, 80, 90 or 100+ mph, and will be just as lethal in this situation. Hell, just as lethal in most situations @ those speeds.
ANY car is a dangerous weapon in the hands of ignorance.
so stupid…
Was this John Travolta’s airstrip?
word, we were all stupid when we were younger. I’ve never done more then 75ish with other people in the car though.
something about its near his house but not his no
So you’re saying the odds of a severe crash don’t go up as you give inexperienced drivers more and more powerful cars? If so the insurance industry has mountains of evidence to the contrary. That’s why insurance is so high for an 18 year old trying to insure a sports car. My first car was a Toyota Tercel, and while it would hit 100 if you gave it enough room it was a major event. And yes, I took it to that speed. Had my first car been the GTO I had now I seriously doubt I’d still be here today based on how much I pushed that little Tercel, and how I seriously doubt I would have driven a much faster car any differently. Instead of struggling to hit 100 I would have been struggling to hit 170 or what ever stock GTO’s are capped at. I didn’t have the experience to handle a car @100 at 16 (despite my opinion at the time) and I sure as hell didn’t have the experience to handle one @150+.
I’m at an interesting age right now. Old enough to have smartened up a little bit, but young enough to remember how dumb I was when I was 16.
my point exactly…
you give some kid a festiva capable of doing 100mph or a high performance car capable of doing WELL over that… what do you think the kid is going to show off more with…
as much as i hate to lay blame, im going to peg the parents for this one… yes, the kids were in the wrong for what they did, but as a parent that could afford a car like that obviously has done something right in their life ie… a lil more responsible, and has some brains, so as a responsible person you should know better than to give your kid something like that to tear around in
No.
I’VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS performance rankings have a huge influence on likelyhood of a catastrophic accident. No wai!
im going to peg the parents for this one… yes, the kids were in the wrong for what they did, but as a parent that could afford a car like that obviously has done something right in their life ie… a lil more responsible, and has some brains, so as a responsible person you should know better than to give your kid something like that to tear around in
This is what I’m talking about.
“Waaah, the brats shouldn’t have gotten an M5” so, “its the parents fault that they are able to reward their kid”, also “mommy & daddy should’ve made Junior more smarter, cause you know, they’re rich and therefore should be infallible” statements…
by this reasoning, insurance for people that are affluent enough to give their kids a car (an m5 or a festiva - its all relative to the wealth of the parents as to wether or not its a “nice gift”) should increase dramatically.
…It is the kids fault, not the parents.
but if a parent gives a kid a lighter, and they burn the house down… who do they blame? the parents for being irresponsible and giving them a tool for destruction without supervision… its the same (in MY eyes) as giving some kid, with no real idea how to handle something like that, a car thats capable of doing what it can, and saying… no its ok, i trust you, go have fun… as a parent, youre supposed to have a brain to realize that even though your kid may be “smart” around you, in the company of stupidity, peer pressure takes over and all common sense goes out the window
so that is the parents fault?
with no real idea how to handle something like that,
Is it also the parents fault that the local government have the kid a license?
How do you know that the kid hasn’t taken defensive driving courses?
How do you know that the kid hadn’t gone to Skip Barber’s racing school?
How do you know the kid wasn’t an accomplished auto-x driver?
How do you know there wasn’t a mechanical failure?
Was the decision to do it stupid? Yes.
the parents for being irresponsible and giving them a tool for destruction without supervision
Is the decision to overextend yourself in credit to the point of bankruptcy & not have a pot to piss in? Yes.
Is it stupid to rape, murder, get yourself addicted to illegal drugs? Yes.
So, why aren’t the parents prosecuted for all of these life events? Because their child is above the age of reason, legally, and socially.
If they gave the kid a lighter, and he burned down the house… who would go to jail, the parents or the child?
im not saying that the sole responsibility is on the parents but they have a great deal of liability in it given what they empowered their kids with…
when i see on the news all the time that theres some teenager splattered all over the road, do i see
A) high performance car/car that the parents helped build to go insanely fast for the driver to handle
B) buick or chevy lumina that went too fast for someone to handle
9/10 its the kid with the hot rod thats trying to show off… and if the parents used their heads, they wouldnt put their kids in that situation by letting them behind the wheel of something like that
Nick, I think we’re arguing different types of blame.
I blame the parents for letting their kid drive an extremely powerful sports sedan when the kid clearly wasn’t mature enough to drive it responsibly.
I don’t believe they are legally responsible though.
Truth be told, there are alot of assumptions involved in that statement.
And yes, the parent’s shouldn’t be held legally liable.
How about relating the subject matter:
TurboLS1 was what, 19 or 20 when he first boosted his car a few years ago? 500+ whp.
Pshpinx is young, he is in the 400-500 awhp arena.
There are some powerful cars.
To further the point, highway pulls sure as hell aren’t considered responsible… although I’ve done them too. You try to be safe, but it is still wholly unresponsible.
If the aforementioned forum members wrecked, should their parents be responsible?
Honest / unloaded question.
The same argument can be made, If a parent leaves a loaded 9 mm in his bedroom & a kid finds it & not knowing its loaded, kills his best friend.
Who’s to blame?
Parents leave for the evening, kid “borrows” Dads BMW, not knowing the power, drives stupid & kills his best friend.
Responsible legally, or responsible as in feeling horrible the rest of their lives because they probably had a hand in harming their child? The former no, the latter yes.
I’m new to the parenting thing, but my #1 job is trying to keep her safe. I do things to lessen her chances of getting hurt while trying to teach her to make good decisions. But part of being a PARENT is knowing no matter what your kid is going to make some mistakes. Knowing that I don’t see how any parent could put their kid in a high performance vehicle and not feel partly at fault if something happened to them.
And no, not every kid in a high powered car is going to kill themselves.
And not every toddler is going to electrocute themselves, but last weekend I installed outlet protectors on all the ground level outlets.
It’s all about trying to keep the odds in their favor, and sticking them in a fast car with little experience clearly tilts the odds the wrong way.
i think the final question is… if you have a kid, and say you have the money, would you really buy them a car capable of something like that, knowing how kids can be?
i wouldnt, cause i know the dumb shit i used to do, i dont care how much training my kid has driving, schools, classes etc… you have to know those parents are double thinking about the decision to get him that car now
I completely agree. However, the little experience judgement is what I am questioning here.
I’ve spent ~20 hours this winter teaching my 16 yr old sister/daughter how to drive my pickup in 2wd in the snow, slush, and drifts. I feel this will make her better prepared to handle winter driving situations should / when they arise next year when she’ll be driving on her own.
Last summer I had her doing parking lot pole slaloms in increasing speed increments.
This summer she’ll be driving in at least two auto-x events, not to be competitive, but rather to learn what threshold braking is and how to manage a car near its limits (an Alero, not the pickup).
She’ll also be forced to learn how to drive manual tranny in my turbo mustang this summer - so that she has the skill if a need ever arose for her to drive a manual.
Once all of this is said and done, she’ll be getting a beater for the summer. Once she shows responsibility to that, she’ll be getting the wifes Alero (as she is upgrading to an RDX). Do I expect the kid to do stupid things with the car? Yes.
Would I trust her to drive my 12.6 second car unattended, once we done all of the aforementioned “training” exercises? Yep.
If you’re willing to spend the time preparing your kid, you’d have to be willing to trust them to some extent. Otherwise, why are you wasting your time?
Not trying to give anyone Parenting advice Jay, just saying.
And, AFHockey, if i had the assets & disposable income to give a kid an M5, would I? Yes. With some prerequisite work, as I’ve been doing above.
Finally, for the last time: WHERE DOES THE NEWS ARTICLE SAY THAT THE KID WAS GIVEN THE CAR BY HIS PARENTS?
HOW DO YOU KNOW HE DIDN’T SIMPLY TAKE IT OUT OF THE GARAGE?
HOW DO YOU KNOW HE’S NOT A BALLER / DRUGDEALER / PORNSTAR?
Was the name of the kid in the OP Nick Hogan or something?
http://www.local6.com/news/15144329/detail.html
Police said the victims were friends and had just left a party before the crash.
Since we are assuming things, why don’t we go ahead and assume that they were drinking or drugging at the party.
That being said, its a fucking shame that their parents never talked to them about drinking & driving…
Or, maybe they did, and high speed runs were the kid’s “anti-drug”.
:gotme: