Street racing Mustang vs Vette = tragedy

[TomServo]

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19781171/detail.html?taf=atl

Posted w/o comment.

[pinkcamaro10]

that is so sad.

[chrisgalles]

Keep it on the track.

[Adam]

I bet they were wearing their seatbelts. The problem isn't trying to tell people how they could hurt themselves, the problem is that you guys practically advocate this stuff with the discussions that ARE allowed, and these activities hurt innocents.

[jma313]

ive lost 3 friends here in memphis to street racing 2 car accidents and 1 terrible bike accident like he said above me ^ keep it on the track

[Supermans]

Even on the track, at that age it is very dangerous. This is why kids out of high school shouldn't be driving 400HP sports cars.. They don't have any common sense yet.. Obviously the kid wouldn't have enough money on his own to buy such a vehicle so young without parental help.. And at that age, they think they are invincible.. Very tragic.. If only parents would simply not get their children race cars so young, these types of accidents could be minimized..

Originally Posted by Adam

I bet they were wearing their seatbelts. The problem isn't trying to tell people how they could hurt themselves, the problem is that you guys practically advocate this stuff with the discussions that ARE allowed, and these activities hurt innocents.

Lots of people on here have posted videos of themselves going fast on public streets which is just as deadly. But at such a young age to be racing is just pain dumb unless they have some training on a track and follow many safeguards like tire pressure and track "checkups" before racing. many accidents occur on tracks from older tires and as you all know, even some new tires have defects and blow up on the track under heavy pressure..

[speedster]

Another reason why it scares me to see so many really young people with high performance cars. Most are beyond their driving capabilities. Sad, but it will continue. :( I always feel terrible for the passengers in these types of crashes. They never have a chance.

[bartking]

I am so happy that ohio now has a law that if your caught street racing you'll loose your car. Period.

<RANT> why is a 20yo driving a corvette??? kids are just too spoiled today. </RANT>

[stovt001]

What really needs to be done is teaching young drivers how to really drive. We simply teach them rules, which they promptly ignore, and send them out without knowing what the limits of the machine are, how to take them to the limits and control them, and what to do when things go wrong. At my first high performance driving school, the instructor said, "Racing means demanding 100% of what your car has to offer. Emergency driving means demanding 100% of what your car has to offer. See what I'm getting at here?" I wholeheartedly agree that young drivers should not have high performance cars, and no one, young or old, should ever race on the street. But we also need to teach people how to really drive.

[speedster]

Originally Posted by stovt001

But we also need to teach people how to really drive.

Agreed.
I teach my children this even at their younger ages with "Power Wheels" and now motorcycles and karts. Then later, drag strips, abandon parking lots (autocross type with cones) and similar things. I would bet you would do/have done the same. They need to know the limits of what they are operating which drives their personal capabilities.

And it's definitely up to the parents - NOT High School Drivers Ed.

[PsyDoc]

It's not only commonsense that can be lacking, but the adolescent brain is not developed fully enough to contemplate the possible outcomes of "risky behavior." That part of the brain that regulates impulse and emotions does not fully develop until the person is in their early to mid 20s. They simply do not have the capability to fully control themselves. Research also shows that when other peers are around, young adults are significantly more likely to engage in risky behavior (e.g., showing off). They simply do not have the "neurological brakes" of adults.

I am not trying to say that teens are not responsible for their behavior (e.g., it's not my fault, my brain is still a baby). What happened was a horrible accident, but calling it an "accident" only means that the outcome was not intentional; someone is still responsible for bringing about that outcome. Perhaps teens need more oversight by their parents and perhaps parents should be educated about what kids and teens are capable of from a cognitive standpoint so they can then make better overall decisions about their kids.

[McGruff]

And that's why 20 year olds shouldn't have Corvette's.

[Supermans]

Originally Posted by stovt001

What really needs to be done is teaching young drivers how to really drive. We simply teach them rules, which they promptly ignore, and send them out without knowing what the limits of the machine are, how to take them to the limits and control them, and what to do when things go wrong. At my first high performance driving school, the instructor said, "Racing means demanding 100% of what your car has to offer. Emergency driving means demanding 100% of what your car has to offer. See what I'm getting at here?" I wholeheartedly agree that young drivers should not have high performance cars, and no one, young or old, should ever race on the street. But we also need to teach people how to really drive.

Who is the we?? Do you mean the Government?? Where the responsibility really lies is with the parents of these teens. A high performance driving school is not something everybody should have lessons in and even at a young age is very dangerous in and of itself since most kids wouldn't be able to handle that type of knowledge as well. Look at Hulk Hogans son.. He had plenty of lessons and had multiple sports cars... we all know how that ended up.. Your argument would be good if all those same people had drinking and driving classes as well at the same time, and other stupid things kids seem to get themselves into on a daily basis when they have high end sports cars and want to impress their friends..

[Rocky918]

thats terrible ... i wonder how fast they were going before losing control :(