3 Die...Will it ever stop?

[moonpup]

Just saw on the local news another case where racing caused a tragic loss of life.

Apparently a 350Z, racing a black Infiniti, lost control and spun into oncoming traffic, striking a Honda driven by an elderly lady. Reports are that the lady along with 2 teenagers in the Z were killed. The Z was almost cut in two and it's engine is some distance away in the middle of the road.

[Bruce Palmer]

I'd like to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with the numnuts who gave the keys to the idiot kids.

[MikeW]

I'd like to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with the numnuts who gave the keys to the idiot kids.

In this case it sounds like their kid and their kid's friend is dead so I'm sure the parents are beating themselves up. That's just speculation on my part since I have no idea what the real story is here. Here's the latest news story I could find:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6076553.html

[Oiluj]

I'd like to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with the numnuts who gave the keys to the idiot kids.

Bruce has it right. Very few teenagers have the common sense to drive a high performance car like the 350Z. I completely blame the parents.

We read or see this in the news all the time. I even saw it when I was a teen, (without a fast car...). What's really tragic is the collateral damage they cause to other families.

Teens and fast cars on public streets don't mix. There are a VERY few teens who are mature enough to be trusted not to do something stupid under peer pressure, especially behind the wheel of a "fast" car. (Same can be said for many adults as well).

That said, I have no problem with teaching teens how to drive on the track, as long as parents make certain kids understand the difference between the track and public streets.

I'll get off my soapbox now...

[Walter Moore]

I'd like to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with the numnuts who gave the keys to the idiot kids.

It's a little late to talk to those particular people.

The real question is: How do you convince the people who right this minute are handing the keys to some unbelievably high powered car to their adolescent son that they may well be signing his death certificate?

Most parents live in denial thinking that THEIR children are different and can be trusted. The problem with living in denial is that you may be eaten by the crocodiles...

Just my opinion. And let's be honest, I have a lot of them!

[zbane]

Though in all honesty, can everyone here say that they never did anything stupid behind the wheel?

I know I have.

My sister and I used to take the family car out and put it through its paces. It was a 1977 Buick LeSabre 4 door with a 5 liter V8. I can tell you what it's like to fly through the air at over 90 mph, using an elevated bridge as a ramp, hitting the gravel road hard enough to catch air again on the rebound... (we watched far too much Dukes of Hazzard).

And that's just the beginning. (I'm not bragging, BTW. I know now just how stupid some of my antics were. I do feel rather lucky to have survived some of them, completely and totally unscathed and for the most part ticket free. Not everyone realizes in time, and that is part of the problem)

It doesn't take a sports car to bring out the stupid in people.

It takes age and experience to reign it in.

There will always be incidents like this, and it doesn't please me to be such a pessimist about that.

I applaud all the efforts made by the police, car clubs, student organizations, parts manufacturers, race/drag tracks, etc. who try to get people of all ages to organized, "safe" venues for high speed fun.

At least we can hope that some of these peoples friends will stop racing, now that they know it can happen to them after all. But there will be those that say "I'm racing this one in memory of (insert name here)."

Edited October 25, 2008 by zbane

[JohnnyO]

My first car in 1981 was a 71 240 after I had it rebuilt I believe I got it up to 128, on an open road at 12:30 AM, alone in the car with no one else around. To this day I think that was the stupidest thing I ever did, let alone doing that with other people in the car AND in traffic.

That was 27 years ago and kids are still doing it. It will never end. The key is to not provide kids with that kind of speed, be it a crotch rocket, sled, wet bike, boat, or car. They just dont have the mental aptitude to think about the carnage they could cause or the consequences of their actions.

John

[beandip]

Last Friday night there were a couple of cars drag racing on the street here in Portland. There were three teens in the Camaro that lost control. All were 17, the car fliped and rolled several times and the driver flew out of the car and landed on the roof of a house and the car hit the house. The two passengers one a girl, were both killed. This sort of thing is happening all over the country. Recently there was a ''ricer'' doing 145 mph on the Freeway at 2:00 am . No crash but the idiot did go to jail , suspended his license and the fine was over $1000.00 , the car was impounded I know that wasn't cheep. The driver didn't seem effected one way or the other. If he would have lost the car, I think it would have gotten his attention .

[zbane]

The driver didn't seem effected one way or the other. If he would have lost the car, I think it would have gotten his attention .

I seem to recall an article (or thread) some time back where street racers were losing their cars, and were forced to witness as the car (straight from the impound yard) was placed in the crusher, and crushed. (I wish the convicted racer was forced to push the button him/herself; just the knowledge that they were crushing their own car because they wanted to show off would be forever engraved in their memory).

Thousands of dollars in car, rims, tires, go fast parts, all gone in an instant.

Some may say that's harsh, but if it gets the attention of those who wish to race on public roads...

Edited October 25, 2008 by zbane

[soundmasterg]

Last Friday night there were a couple of cars drag racing on the street here in Portland. There were three teens in the Camaro that lost control. All were 17, the car fliped and rolled several times and the driver flew out of the car and landed on the roof of a house and the car hit the house. The two passengers one a girl, were both killed. This sort of thing is happening all over the country. Recently there was a ''ricer'' doing 145 mph on the Freeway at 2:00 am . No crash but the idiot did go to jail , suspended his license and the fine was over $1000.00 , the car was impounded I know that wasn't cheep. The driver didn't seem effected one way or the other. If he would have lost the car, I think it would have gotten his attention .

I saw that too Gary....I was amazed that the guy ended up on the roof! Now he has to live with killing some passengers for the rest of his life....pretty tragic and stupid.

Greg

[Mat M]

I am under the opinion that EVERYONE that gets behind the wheel of an automobile, even a motorcycle, for that matter, should be given a MANDATORY physics class.

I especially applaud the groups of firefighters that bring a smashed car and the Jaws-o-Life and give demonstrations on how they extract what used to be people.

[1 Bravo 6]

Here in the Land of Oz, for the third offence, the car is sold. The problem is, there is no legislation to stop the fool from purchasing his car back again.

During a TV interview some months ago, the lead footed petrol head who had just bought his car that had been confiscated pointed out that it was cheaper than rebuilding another car to the standard of the confiscated one. When asked what he would have done had he not been able to purchase his car he said that he would have built another. When asked if he would continue illegal racing he said that he would.

I'm for crushing the car with the idiot in the drivers seat. That would at least take him out of the gene pool.

Rick.

:devious::devious: