On October 31, 2006, Orange County teen Nikki Catsouras had an argument with her father. When Mr. Catsouras left for work, his daughter “borrowed” his Porsche 911. Approaching a tollbooth, Catsouras rear-ended a Honda at 70 mph. The California Highway Patrol took photographs of the gruesome results, the photos were leaked and went viral. Catsouras sued the police for invasion of privacy. Lost in the shuffle: why was Miss Catsouras–a young, inexperienced driver— legally entitled to drive the Porsche?
The issue is pretty easy to understand: should young, inexperienced motorists be allowed to drive high-powered cars? Australia says no. This despite a 2006 study by the University of Western Australia (funded by red light camera income) that concluded that only three percent of young driver crashes involved vehicles with a high power-to-weight ratio. The state of Victoria, for example, has instituted a power-to-weight related graduated license program for young drivers. Since July 2007, a probationary driver can’t drive a car which has:
- an engine of eight or more cylinders;
- a turbocharged or supercharged engine;
- an engine that has been modified to improve the vehicle’s performance; nor
- one of the nominated high performance six cylinder vehicles which include BMW M and M3, Honda NSX, Nissan 350Z, Porsche (all models) and Mercedes Benz SLK350
As a sign, perhaps, of the laws arbitrary nature, there are exceptions to the rules:
- diesel powered turbocharged or supercharged vehicles (without engine performance modifications);
- nominated vehicles with low powered turbocharged or supercharged engines including Suzuki Cappucino 2D Cabriolet Turbo 3 cylinder 698cc, Daihatsu Copen L880 2D Convertible 4 cylinder 659cc;
- all models of the Smart car produced by Mercedes Benz; and
- vehicles driven as a part of the driver’s employment and at the request of the employer
So, how did we get here? Back in the infancy of automobiles the “driving high-powered cars fast” concept was simple—you didn’t. “You” meaning the average driver. Throughout most of the twentieth century, fast cars were a specialty item created by and for professional racers, gentlemen racers, and a small (if geographically diverse) cult of hot rodders. Sure, there were plenty of accidents in low-speed cars, and not much in the way of passive safety, but there was a clear delineation between average schmoes in their “normal” mainstream cars and pistonheads in “high performance exotica.”
Then 1964 happened. Before his love of white lines brought him down, high-flying GM executive John DeLorean decided to plunk a 389 cubic inch motor into a $2751 Pontiac Tempest ($296 option). Suddenly, the pimply-faced nerd pumping gas at the corner Texaco station could own a car with 325 horsepower. The muscle car era was born. Engine power increased, to the point where the Tempest (a.k.a. GTO) offered 360hp @ 5200 rpm, 424 lb·ft of torque @ 3600 rpm and a zero to sixty sprint of just over six seconds. Ford and Chrysler quickly adopted the Tempest template.
The muscle car era peaked in 1968, with the 383 hp (pre-emissions) Plymouth Roadrunner—the limbo bar set at an all time low for affordability. While it’s impossible to break out all the variables which led to a dramatic drop in highway fatalities as the muscle car ended, the association of teens, high-powered cars and death was enshrined in popular culture. Dead Man’s Curve anyone?
Fast forward to 2009. If you think technology has made things better, you may be right. Today’s SRT-8, SS and SHO models have safety built in. They offer better brakes and more predictable handling. But the accessibility is a double-edged sword. That Corvette Z06, for example, offers just enough handling to allow an average driver to drive 120 mph off an exit ramp—but not enough to stop him from trying it at 121.
Motorcyclists are the canary in the power-to-weight safety campaigners’ coal mine. It’s now generally recognized that novice bikers shouldn’t be allowed to sit atop machines that can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in three seconds and top-out at 135 mph even if they can afford the price of admission. The UK has the most extensive motorcycle graduated license program: three stages of empowerment based on the bike’s horsepower and speed potential.
What makes a car any different? When you can buy a 400 horsepower motor the size of a sewing machine and put it in a street Honda Civic it’s time to evaluate the guy behind the wheel. When Ford dealers hand the keys to a 500 hp Mustang to a twenty-something enthusiast with a basic down payment, it’s time to ask if he should have a license proving the basic ability to handle the horses.
This is the Henry Ford ‘average guy’ concept of affordable cars gone rogue. Skip the Darwinian argument. Stop it now because the kid that eats a mailbox on the 150 mph donorcycle that he bought with his paper route money might be the next Nobel-winning nerd. If a mandatory performance-driving course makes a difference for bikes, then this bit of nanny state-ism makes sense.
[For more of Jerry and Jim Sutherland's work please visit mystarcollectorcar.com]
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Pretty sure that happened more recently than ‘88.
Sad story though.
The issue is pretty easy to understand: should young, inexperience motorists be allowed to drive high-powered cars?
NOPE.
First, a driver must learn how to drive a car. Would you hand a million dollar guitar over to some kid who doesn’t know how to play guitar? I hope not… the kid is just going to trash it or break the strings or something.
A person must learn how to turn a car… and learn the concept of “driving dynamics” before they are allowed to drive something powerful. They must learn reaction time… how to avoid accidents… how to shift a car… how to stop a car.
So far, I have NEVER had an accident in my entire life. The most dire situation ever was when I tapped a bumper when I was still in High School. Another small incident was when I rubbed the side of a truck on a building (small little scratch). My reaction time and skill have always allowed me to avoid causing damage to another person or their vehicle on the road.
A good editorial.
“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
P. J. O’Rourke
My father always said that the ideal 1st car for a teenage male was a Crown Vic or the like with a 80hp 4 cylinder. Ford is moving in this direction with the ability to limit the top speed of the vehicle for each user profile. My 1st car , a 1990 Subaru Wagon was close to this underpowered ideal with a whopping 110hp of opposed piston fury.
We already have a graduated licensing scheme in the US via the auto insurance. The cost to insure a young driver on an STI or the like is quite steep.
There is another side to this rather than the raw power a car makes compared to its mass – I think the overall mass of the vehicle should also be considered as a danger to others on the road from an inexperienced pilot. Such as those driving large 5-6,000lb battering ram of an SUV as their main mode of transportation. We were lied to by the D3 that size and weight was safe when reality was that once these behemoths were moving they couldn’t get out of their own way and when you tried the flipped over very easily especially with an inexperienced driver. I can’t recall how many times I’ve seen a big SUV fly by me rather than some sleek sports car. IMHO SUVs and large pickups give a greater false sense of security at higher speeds b/c of how poorly they handle and stop.
Good article. However, it seems simply too difficult to regulate that issue. It should be up to parents to police their kids. I know mine will have some old VW Golf or Volvo wagon.
I laugh when I see kids driving powerful cars, always with an attitude that only people with very large brains or penises should have, and too often driving much faster than their skills allow.
I work in a motorcycle shop.
While I’m normally against additional government regulation of all forms, I long ago developed one exception to that rule: motorcycle licensing. I firmly believe that the US needs to adopt the British system of graduated licensing, only with no exceptions or ways around the stepped system.
As in, if you’re really serious about wanting to ride a Harley or a 600/1000cc sport bike, you can bloody well pay your dues at 250cc with a big red “L” for all the world to see.
Passing this concept over to cars however is going to be difficult, as motorcycles of a given engine size are usually pretty easy to classify in performance. Cars are a bit more complex.
We definitely have to get past the classic American “license from a Cracker Jack box” licensing scenario, however. Somewhere along the line, the concept of “driving is a privilege” has been turned into “driving is a basic human right”.
An interesting concept, but in this case it was irrelvant, as the wording you chose, “borrow” with the quotes indicates to me that she did not have permission to drive the car. This case notwithstanding, for one reason or another parents seem to be willing to put their kids into cars they have no reason to be driving. The Subaru WRX STi is a great car, just not in the hands of a freshly licensed 17-year old. Considering we’ve had several incidents here in Connecticut in the past couple years where kids driving Subaru STi’s killed themselves and their carload of friends, this is probably not the worst idea in the world.
Jerry Sutherland: “Stop it now because the kid that eats a mailbox on the 150 mph donorcycle that he bought from his paper route money might be the next Nobel winning nerd.”
No. Doing 150mph on a donorcycle is pretty much proof that the rider was never going to earn a Nobel prize.
Outside of that, I agree with you. Licenses should be provisional and limited for three years or so. In addition to power to weight there should also be restrictions on GVW, the number of other people in the car, family vs non, cell phone use and perhaps some other things. All these things could be waived if another licensed driver (over a certain age) was present in the vehicle.
Good luck with this. Many kids get a set of keys to something because their parents want them to drive. In Suburbia, where nothing is convenient, the car makes the lifestyle feasible. Many parents strongly want their children to work and more than a few want their older ones to act as chauffeurs for the younger ones. The vehicle is often big, “to keep Junior safe,” without much thought to the safety of others.
And, yeah, a 4-cylinder boredom-mobile is an excellent starter car. Our kids had the use of a very old Volvo 240 wagon. Ford’s profile system sounds interesting, too.
The issue is pretty easy to understand: should young, inexperience motorists be allowed to drive high-powered cars?
Btw, my first car was a (source MSN Autos) whopping 130 horsepower Audi 5000 “S” model. It was heavy. It taught me how to avoid accidents and how to take turns. It also taught me not to leave the headlights on in the High School parking lot! Strength of the wolf is the pack, strength of the pack is the wolf (or something like that). ;)
The problem with instituting such a program is that there won’t be a bright line. Excluding any mods is overly broad. HP along would require some serious knowledge on the part of the police. Obviously a database could do it, but it’d add another complication of the officer on the street.
/oh, and Nikki Catsoulas died on 10/31/06, she was born in 88.
This despite a 2006 study by the University of Australia (funded by red light camera income) that concluded that only three percent of young driver crashes involved vehicles with a high power to weight ratio.
I’d be surprised if the data were any different in North America. The major causes of death in young drivers are recklessness, inexperience, and alcohol. So why operate on a patient’s heart when it’s his brain giving him trouble? I’ve got a better idea. Upgrade driver education. And make it more challenging to get a license.
Going viral on the Net in 1988 is quite impressive!
The best bet is one of the GPS monitors that will e-mail you if the car exceeds certain parameters. If acceleration, speed, lateral g exceed certain limits you get an e-mail.
You could then give the kid any car safe in the knowlege that both of you knew that any unsafe driving would trigger an automated e-mail or txt message.
That would also help kids who are being egged on by idiot friends. “Sorry dude, I’ll get a call from my dad 2 seconds after we try a smoke show.”
Not to nitpick, but the girl was born in 1988 and the accident happened in 2006, as the first poster pointed out (there wasn’t much of a chance of viral internet photos in 1988 with how primitive computers were back then).
I am a huge proponent of engine size graduated licensing. My first bike was a 350cc single-cylinder dual-sport. Everyone who gets a motorcycle license should be put in the position to feel what getting thrown off your bike at 40kph feels like. It makes you appreciate how much 140kph would hurt…
And HP/CurbWeight would be a great place to start, although I appreciate the comment about the SUVs. What I would add is that there should be some sort of roll-off around retirement. How can an 85 year old be allowed to drive a 425hp Chrsyler 300 with out some sort of (effective) check to see if he/she can handle that kind of power?
Oh, and a 16 yo drinking age and a 18yo driving age would do this country a world of good.
A workaholic executive just wants to buy a cool gift for their kid to make up for the lost time. A high powered sports car will make the kid happy and win major points as a parent. What’s the issue here?
NOTE: This is sarcasm BTW
Correlation is not causation here. The teen involved head-on rear-ended another vehicle at 70 mph in a tollbooth zone. Name me a car sold today in which this could _not_ have been accomplished?
That point aside, training of teen/new drivers in vehicle dynamics at or near the limit is mostly non-existent.
To nitpick further: your first paragraph reads as if Ms. Catsouras sued the police for invasion of privacy. The suit was filed by the parents, and the pictures over which it was filed were of Ms. Catsouras’s mangled corpse.
So we have reached this slippery slope. I would say that for everyone the assessment of driving skills should be greater. You are just as able to kill someone and yourself with 100hp Aveo (too much power?) as a 500hp (Mustang). Age tends to lead people to believe they drive better as well but I have seen several silvertops drive their “chickvette” off into ditches and or lightpoles (viagra and driving dont mix). Let the games begin.
This is one of those things that sounds like a great idea at the gut level, but isn’t.
If you look the accident data, it’s becomes fairly obvious that a kid can get into trouble with just about anything. Having an engine attached to wheels is all that is needed for a kid to wreak havoc. Such a law would be ineffective and a waste of resources, distracting law enforcement from doing other things that actually do work.
There is no magic bullet answer, as no amount of training, lecturing, moralizing or legislating is going to stop teens from being teens. Expensive, cumbersome “solutions” and complicated laws won’t work.
We could do a few simple things that would help, although they wouldn’t be cure-alls:
-Raise the driving age to 18, with only hardship cases allowed for exceptions. The immaturity of your average 16 or 17 year old is egregious enough that most of them should avoid driving altogether.
-Have a fairly long probationary period (i.e. 1 year or so) that mandates that one of these scarlet letter-type doo-dads be attached to the car driven by a driver on a provisional license: http://pcell.learndriving.info/pictures/Corolla%20Plate%20L.JPEG This is the norm in other countries, and makes it easier for the cops to keep an eye on the young-’ens.
I’ve got a better idea. Upgrade driver education.
Enthusiasts need to read the research on drivers education, which almost universally concludes that it doesn’t help. You can’t fix a reckless, hormonally-powered attitude with education, it doesn’t work and you aren’t going to find valid research that concludes otherwise.
She hit the Civic at 70 mph, not 150 mph. An Aveo can easily do 70 mph. So, for that matter, can the Grand Marquises and Town Cars that many people advocate for young drivers because they are boring and dull, and therefore supposedly not conducive to reckless driving.
So while I understand the motivation, this strikes me as another attempt that is aimed more at making people feel good because it looks like they are doing something, as supposed to really doing something.
And please note that fast cars were available to the masses long before 1964. The flathead V-8 Fords were quite quick for the day, and were eagerly sought out as used cars by young men in the 1940s and 1950s. And they didn’t even have hydraulic brakes until 1939. The 1955 Chevrolet V-8 was also fast, easily modified, and quite popular with younger drivers (particularly on the used-car market).
Pch101: -Have a fairly long probationary period (i.e. 1 year or so) that mandates that one of these scarlet letter-type doo-dads be attached to the car driven by a driver on a provisional license: http://pcell.learndriving.info/pictures/Corolla%20Plate%20L.JPEG This is the norm in other countries, and makes it easier for the cops to keep an eye on the young-’ens.
When Pennsylvania instituted a graduated licensing system that gave 16-year-olds a provisional license with more restrictions, fatal accidents among that group dropped by a substantial amount.
I believe that your suggestions would do more to prevent too many newly minted young drivers from killing themselves or anyone else, as opposed to simply banning them from driving high-horsepower vehicles.
Maybe safety is the fulcrum that is needed to finally get Eurofacturers to import some cars that don’t have huge motors into the U.S..
(Lack of demand for) Fuel efficiency certainly hasn’t worked to force their hand.
Imagine if you could go to a VW, Audi, Volvo, BMW or Mercedes dealer in the States and get a model that didn’t come with one of the top-spec motors available in the rest of the world.
Volvo loves selling safety, but its entry level model can’t be had in America with less than 227 horsepower.
VW’s entry level U.S. gasser is a bit better at 170 horsepower, but that is 80 more than the ‘85 Cutlass Ciera I drove until I was 25.
I wonder how much less safe would happen to teenagers if a little bunny could be had with under 100 ponies.
(And yes, I know the current U.S. TDI has a smaller stable, but I’m choosing to fight one battle at a time here.)
I grew up driving a ‘94 Accord sedan and ‘91 Dodge Ram 50 pickup. Pretty tame vehicles. I taught myself to drive a 5 speed in an ‘85 Jetta diesel. Kids that are allowed access to high performance vehicles should be trained how to drive them properly. Or maybe their parents should be trained to not give them the keys and everything else they might want.
Fixed the date. Was easy, she’s immortalized in Wikipedia. Which has other interesting info:
“As an 8-year-old, Ms. Catsouras was diagnosed with a brain tumor and doctors did not think she would survive. The tumor was benign, but Ms. Catsouras underwent intensive radiation treatment. As a result, doctors told her parents the effects of that treatment on her young brain might show up at some point in the future by causing changes in her judgment or impulse control.”
“Family members told Newsweek magazine they believed those changes may have been why she, the summer before the accident, tried cocaine and ended up in the hospital in a cocaine-induced psychosis. Her family also confirmed she used cocaine again the night before the accident.”
“There are allegations that Ms. Catsouras lost driving privileges to her own car (not the Porsche) the night before the accident, with her father taking her keys from her. On the day of the accident, Ms. Catsouras along with her parents ate lunch together. After lunch, Mr. Catsouras left for work while her mother remained at home. About ten minutes later, her mother heard a door slam along with footsteps out the back door. As she walked toward the garage, she was able to see Ms. Catsouras backing out of the driveway in her father’s Porsche 911 Carrera — a car she was not allowed to drive. The mother called the father, who began driving around trying to find his daughter. While in the car, he called 911 for help, apparently minutes before the accident, and was put on hold. When taken off hold, the dispatcher informed him of the accident.”
This is not a case for power-to-weight graduated driver’s licenses. This is a case for not letting psychotic drug addicts behind the wheel.
When Mr. Catsouras left for work, the his daughter “borrowed” his Porsche 911.
Would it have mattered if it was “illegal” for the young lady to drive her dad’s car? No. She might have taken the car anyway.
You can’t legislate common sense.
That being said, there are a lot of people in their mid-to-late 20s who are not responsible enough to use their vehicles safely. The ones we read about are sports figures and celebs. Is Paris Hilton responsible enough to drive her SLR?
So on one hand, age really has nothing to do with it. If one wanted to be logical about it, one would base this sort of law on driving experience, rather than chronological age.
I fail to see how restricting an individual’s right to drive a given type of vehicle will actually stop them from driving said type of vehicle.
Do they actually think that irrational teens are going to give the proverbial “rat’s ass” about the law when they are throwing an extended temper tantrum?
There are third party companies making PCM programs that will not only optimize performance but also give you varying performance modes (i.e. “valet mode”). I had one of these programs on my 1.8T Passat. There are those that argue that doing so poses a potential risk because the person driving in the reduced performance mode will not have all of the power available to them that they should. I see this as sophistry; aside from Jack Baruth and the odd “pro-am” Posche 911 driver, I don’t know of anybody who has successfully extricated themselves from a dangerous situation by ADDING power.
I don’t see why this isn’t available as a $100 option on almost any car with more than 200hp.
Fine idea.
While you are at it, why not have all ADULTS tested for graduated licensing as well?
There are just as many 35-year-olds unqualified to drive as teenagers, and quite a few who’s license would read “Licensed to Ride the Bus.”
@Geeber:
Just because she hit at 70 doesn’t mean she wasn’t hard on the brakes at 200 yards from 150.
If she had been going 70 to begin with then she would have been far more likely to stop in time.
Parents should treat the car keys as carefully as a loaded gun. Dad hopefully wouldn’t have left a loaded Glock sitting on the kitchen table, eh?
Graduated licensing makes sense, though I doubt it would have stopped this kid from stealing dad’s car.
It might help if we had driver training that actually taught driving instead of parallel parking skills. If you get a pilot’s license, you have to demonstrate proficiency not only in taking off, but in landing, stall recovery and a variety of conditions; then you’re allowed only to fly what you have been rated for which is typically a light, single engined aircraft. You must demonstrate proficiency in each type before you’re licensed to operate it.
The fact is that we don’t know how many accidents were avoidable, but it didn’t happen because the driver ran out of talent. In the case of this specific young woman, it may not have helped at all, but it is also possible that if she had better training it would have been avoided.
This not only applies to young drivers, but to anyone changing car or motorcycle types. The idea that any idiot who has learned to drive in a Civic can then get into a Suburban and be a competent driver is simply laughable; the dynamics of the Suburban are totally different.
It doesn’t matter what kind of car a kid is driving. I was a kid at one time and found all kinds of ways to almost kill myself with a 6 cylinder Ford Granada.
Another issue everyone seems to overlook is we don’t teach people how to drive in America, we teach them how to get a license.
@The Comedian:
Volvo sells the V50 and S40 with the 2.4 liter I-4 engine which is only 168hp.
This proposal is silly and overreaching. Even a Yugo could reach 70 mph.
The issue is careless drivers. They’re dangerous regardless of speed or horsepower.
New laws aren’t the solution. Most of what they do is harangue reasonable drivers.
If one wanted to be logical about it, one would base this sort of law on driving experience, rather than chronological age.
This is another point that is contradicted by the research on the subject.
Again, enthusiasts need to understand that accidents are generally not caused by a lack of technical ability, so much as they are by attitudes. The emotional immaturity of the young driver is a major contributor.
The brain of a 17 year old is not fully developed, and lacking in impulse control. All things being equal, older drivers with one year of experience will have lower accident rates than would 17 year olds with one year of experience.
That developmental problem can’t be fixed with training or experience. The easiest way of dealing with them would be to simply keep them from driving altogether. In the absence of a complete ban, more monitoring of their behavior would be better than nothing.
Enthusiasts need to read the research on drivers education, which almost universally concludes that it doesn’t help. You can’t fix a reckless, hormonally-powered attitude with education, it doesn’t work and you aren’t going to find valid research that concludes otherwise.
I don’t think we’ve tried hard enough. Here is an interesting presentation from the European perspective:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Events/symp_driver_ed/presentations/siegrist.ppt
There is some evidence that things like second-phase training (skills training and intensive ride-alongs, mostly) provides a safety benefit. Yeah teens are not going to start driving like grannies en masse, and no system will prevent all tragedies from occurring, but I would be pretty surprised if, for example, a day at skid control school didn’t wake at least some of them up to how quickly things can go pear-shaped.
Jeez, no wonder they wanted the pictures stopped:
http://www.barbecuestopper.com/forum/f10/nicole-catsouras-nikki-lost-control-porsche-hits-toll-booth-gory-pictures-1248/
If the poor person in the Honda got killed instead there would be a lot more outrage.
There is a lot to be said for graduated licensing. Nobody learns to race in an F1 car.
The above accident is an anomaly, freeways, where almost any car can get up to speed eventually, are actually really safe. High performance cars allow stupid speeds to be reached in neighborhoods and urban/suburban streets where those speeds could not be achieved in a lesser car. And those areas are where bad accidents occur.
Right now insurance companies attempt to keep kids out of high performance cars with very high insurance rates, but some people are still able to afford those insurance rates.
There is strong precedent with motorcycles, almost all states treat sub 50cc motorcycles differently, and I believe that some states prohibit certain cc levels under the age of 18.
The problem is that creating a good policy is going to be very difficult. HP? V6 family sedans make close to 300 HP, and manufacturers will just sandbag their HP ratings. Displacement? Not very representative at all anymore, an S2000 is a crazier ride than a lot of cars with twice the displacement. Turbos? A huge number of compact cars will soon have turbos on small engines for fuel economy reasons.
I’m (once more) totally with Pch101 here. Give young drivers a long probation period. Here in Germany there’s a zero blood alcohol rule for the few few years, in addition to a strict limit on traffic violations. It really has helped. Neuroscience has shown that the human brain is not well able to assess risks until around the age of 26, so young people need society’s strong hand.
Yes I believe in low-powered POS cars for teenagers, but then I’m biased, my first car was an 1982 Chevrolet Celebrity with the Iron “Puke” 4 cyl engine.
Having said that I managed to top it out at 85 mph and get the car airborne at the top of a rolling hill in NW Ohio. It actually flew quite well and landed quite nicely.
2nd car: 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, 4D, 307V8, quadrajet carb. Huge heavy and all of 140hp, but I still manged to power slide it sideways through a Detroit left while I lived in the Motor City. (But that was at age 25.)
3rd car: 1997 Ford Escort Wagon, lack of driver attention, caused me to launch it airborne, a few inches off the pavement when I missed a stop sign out in rural Ohio.
What did it teach me? F&#@ pay attention!
“Experience keeps a dear school, but a fool will learn by no other.” – Benjamin Franklin
I think “Loser” captured the key point best: “We don’t teach people how to drive in America, we teach them how to get a license.”
Frankly I don’t think anything will stop teens – or other reckless drivers of any age – from driving outside their skillset envelop unless they are shocked into a moment of pause. I would think that anyone exposed to the aftermath photos from this wreck – or others like it – would have them burned into their brains for a long, long time.
That may make a difference, because no sane person, once exposed to the consequences, would shrug them off.
Nonsense.
The issue is one of parental wisdom and control – not a role for the government.
I did plenty fine taking a ‘78 Ford Fiesta all the way to 100 mph as a teen. 0-60 in 12 seconds from a 75-HP 4-cylinder 1.6L engine.
No regulation could have prevented the danger I presented to myself and others with such behavior.
This article sits up there with Smart car crash test videos and the discussions they generate.
gslippy:
No, it’s not a parental control issue. With your line of logic we could have parents let their 12 year olds drive if the parents thought it was appropriate.
Parents can set higher guidlines for their kids, but the government has always set guidlines for what kids are allowed to drive on public roads at what ages.
Also, did you get your Fiesta up to 100 mph on a conrolled access freeway or rural road, or in a residential neighborhood or between stoplights in an urban or suburban setting? It makes a big difference.
Physics is not taught properly, especially so in the USA.
Combine that with outright idiots like a recent current TTAC columnist who believe that somehow technology/mass/strength will save them (screw the other road users) and people die.
Of all the people I’ve known in my life who died in car accidents… every single one died in high school doing something stupid. At my small high school, seemed like there was an annual fatal car crash.
I don’t know of anybody who has successfully extricated themselves from a dangerous situation by ADDING power.
You now know one.
Rather than this becoming a political issue I propose that Licensing and training be a function of the Insurance company and the people financing it in the same way that nobody would put a huge semi they owned or were responsible for in the hands of somebody who had never operated one before.
Another thing, how can one sue for invasion of privacy for an incident in a public place?
There’s no accounting for human nature, I’m afraid.
If you were to limit teenagers to electric golf carts, they would still find ways to crash them.
Preventing teenagers from driving exotic cars unless it was for work would just make rich/irresponsible parents put the kids on the company payroll.
I imagine that plenty of kids drive their mother’s Jag or their father’s Corvette whether or not they are licenced, insured or permitted to do so.
Extra driver training in, for example, skid control just leads many people to drive recklessly. Going on a two day course makes people believe that they have the skill of a young Walter Röhrl.
I am firmly convinced that there are plenty of conscientious, sensible young people on the roads. Unfortunately, they don’t make the headlines or indeed the laws.
“nobody would put a huge semi they owned or were responsible for in the hands of somebody who hand never operated one before.”
Sorry but that comment made me laugh.
“nobody would put a huge semi they owned or were responsible for in the hands of somebody who hand never operated one before.”
yeah that comment was made in the best of all worlds not knowing much about the trucking world.