I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!
Back in the late 1990s when I started driving, things were a lot like they are today. Thus far, I have lived, but I have also been over-cautious. My folks actually took the time to teach me how to drive. A professional driving school is a great start, but it is not enough, not even close. Too many parents then, and now, rely on driving schools or drivers' ed classes to teach their kids how to drive. I think parents should ride with their kids and correct them when they do something wrong.
Racing a train is incredibly stupid. I'm a railroad buff and I know how dangerous a train can be. A coupler is like a steel fist. It usually impacts the car at about head-level with several hundred tons of force behind it. If you ever get hit by a train and live, at any speed, consider yourself the luckiest person on earth.
When I was attending the National Railway Historical Society's Railcamp '99, we were shown a film by Operation Lifesaver. In the film, 2 donated full-sized pickup trucks were fitted with crash test dummies and cameras. There were cameras all around the grade crossing where the collisions were staged, and on the locomotive too. The train used had 8 empty cars and 1 small locomotive, traveling at about 55 miles per hour. Needless to say, this was a very lightweight train, although it was quick. In one clip filmed at the moment of impact in the cab, you can hear the collision and see that the engineer's cup of coffee didn't even have a ripple in it. A train hitting a car is like a person kicking a ball of dryer lint. It's not even noticeable.
Racing other cars is also a bad idea. If kids want to do it, fine, let them. Just do it on a track, with proper safety equipment. Have the kids get part-time jobs and pay for some performance driving classes too. Lack of experience can't be fixed exclusively with training, but it doesn't hurt either.
Most importantly, teach kids to control their tempers behind the wheel. I know traffic is often frustrating. It's like that for everyone. Driving recklessly to compensate for unfortunate circumstances or poor planning is no excuse, especially when they can use their cell phones to stop and call ahead to say they will be late.
Parents should also serve as role models by driving defensively, especially when their kids are watching. Cursing at the other drivers, speeding, and driving like a maniac is not a good example.
I know that in my early days, if I had been caught speeding, I would have been in BIG trouble. The fine and court appearance would have been nothing compared to what would have happened at home. The same for any accident or damage that was my fault.
If I wanted to drive, I had to pay for all of my gas and half of my insurance (as long as I was in school/college and getting acceptable grades).
I never had an $80,000.00 car, and I still don't. I had a 12-year old Volvo (now 20 1/2). It was not my responsibility to maintain the car, it was a requirement. I had to keep it clean (inside and out), I had to pay attention to how it was running and tell my parents if it needed to go to the shop. I had to put air in the tires, change the oil, and always make my passengers wear seat belts.
Kids need to learn responsibility, and they need to learn it from their parents. Goodness knows they won't learn it from their friends, the TV, or the movies.
Why do car commercials always show the most irresponsible driving?
End of rant. I feel better now,
Dave
