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So, so sad. My heart goes out to the survivors. It will be tough for them.
The lack of seat belt use is absolutely mind boggling.
On my first date with the man who became my husband he insisted I buckle up. That was back when lap belts were standard in newer cars and many older cars did not have them at all.
When our kids came along, they grew up knowing the car would not start until everyone was buckled in.
My four and a half year old grand daughter reminds everyone to buckle up.
A sixteen year old girl driving a Jeep Liberty on a road near me recently left the highway after she took her eyes off the road momentarily (I do not think a phone was involved.) There is almost no shoulder in that area, and she went down a short embankment, rolled a couple of times, then flipped end over end. She ended up dangling upside down from her seat belt, which had to be cut to free her. She walked away with a few scrapes and cuts.
In her situation, I believe the vehicle would have rolled even if it had been a sedan, not an SUV.
Very sad. I read about accidents back home in Phoenix area on I-10 all the time (I work in California). More reason to fly back to Phoenix. Statistically the more miles you put on the wheels, the more likely you will be in an auto accident. Even thinking about strategically planning my retirement off-season location based on proximity to an airport.
I wish that family of six just waited another couple of years to go to Disneyland - they could have saved enough for air fare.
They should not have left at 7 or 8 PM after working all day and tried to drive all night. I bet the 16 year old went to school that day and was also too tired to drive during the night.
They pushed themselves too hard and paid the price. Like Dirty Harry Callahan said in Magnum Force, "A man has to know his limitations."
Too young to be driving at night. Everyone else was probably asleep. Parents and kids probably took off right after school. No rest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rakin
Tragic mistake by the parents to let a 16 YO drive at night with the whole family in the car.
So what is the magical age when one can drive at night?
I was driving at night the day I got my drivers license, I had a job after school and didn't get off of work until after 10:00 pm so I had to drive at night to get home.
You have no idea how long that kid has already been driving as far as experience goes, it is a tragic accident and those happen every day.
The 16 year old driver needs therapy, not criminal charges. I guess the reason they charged him with reckless driving was because the others weren't wearing seat belts, but it could be pretty difficult for a kid that age to insist that everyone in the vehicle buckle up, if the parents were refusing.
So what is the magical age when one can drive at night?
I was driving at night the day I got my drivers license, I had a job after school and didn't get off of work until after 10:00 pm so I had to drive at night to get home.
You have no idea how long that kid has already been driving as far as experience goes, it is a tragic accident and those happen every day.
But you have to remember the chutzpah of a 16 y.o. absolutely convinced that their skill level and knowledge about everything has peaked right now! and that there is nothing, no experience or information that can possibly be of benefit to the God-like status they are certain that they have attained.
I too was driving in the night at a very young age (actually I was driving 8 speed grain trucks to the scales in town when I was 13 on dirt roads in Nebraska) but I was just lucky that those around me always reminded me that what I was doing required intense attention and focus to make up for my complete lack of skills and experience, and I learned, gained experience and survived.
It was an accident that was unfortunately almost certain to happen with all the horrible choices that the adults made in allowing such an inexperienced driver to pilot an overloaded unstable vehicle, and it's so obvious how irresponsible they were by no one else wearing seat belts.
It doesn't lessen the tragedy and of course my heart goes out to the poor kid and all the victims but Jesus those parents made some unbelievably bad choices.
So what is the magical age when one can drive at night?
I was driving at night the day I got my drivers license, I had a job after school and didn't get off of work until after 10:00 pm so I had to drive at night to get home.
You have no idea how long that kid has already been driving as far as experience goes, it is a tragic accident and those happen every day.
Would you hop in a vehicle right now, and road trip it for hours, feeling ok to fall asleep, with a 16yo at the wheel?
My parents did this with our family. I took the first leg on our way to Disney from Atlanta because I was familiar with the highways AND because I'm a teen. I was staying up late all the time, whereas, my parents went to bed from 9pm to 10pm.
When I grew up (way back in the 1970's) my father and I enjoyed power boating. We'd frequently hall our 20 foot boat up to either Flaming Gorge Reservoir in eastern Utah or down to Lake Powell in southern Utah. Both were long trips. Many times my friends accompanied us. However, there were times when it was just Dad and me. During this period I was about 14-16 years old. I liked driving and I envied the kids in the neighboring state of Idaho because they could get a driver's license for daytime use at the mature age of 14!
Dad couldn't do it all on our boating trips. Even though I didn't have my driver's license, I was frequently called on to drive the family station wagon pulling this 20 foot boat. The route took me over a number of two lane highways with plenty of traffic coming the other way. Keep in mind, I didn't even have a driver's license. Somehow, Dad didn't seem to worry much. Life was different than. I can't remember whether we wore our seat belts or not. Sometimes, Dad drank a can of beer while I drove.
I also remember when I was 17, being allowed to drive by myself with two friends on a vacation from Utah to Southern California. Age 17 is a young age to be trying to learn to drive on the Southern California freeway system, but I did it.
So, I don't know. I don't think letting this 16 year old drive his whole family at night along the freeway was a very bright thing to do. However, some kids are more responsible than others.
If a sixteen year old is going to drive a car, they need to be held to the same level of responsibility as that of an adult driver.
A terrible tragedy. Seat belts won't save your life in every accident, but here people were thrown out of the car and killed. It sounds like they would have saved lives here. Its a shame people still choose not to wear seat belts.
Last edited by markg91359; 11-21-2014 at 11:45 PM..
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