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I can't believe the cops are charging the 16 year old kid with reckless driving or anything...that's just cruel and heartless. The kid, KID has to go through life knowing he is the reason why half his family is dead...and they throw that on top of him? God I can;t even imagine what must be going trhoguh this poor kid's head. This is beyond tragic.
The cops don't charge people. They hand out traffic tickets. Yes, what happened is tragic, but law enforcement as well as the DA has a job to do. We can't just wipe away charges anytime there's a tragedy. It's not like the police or attorneys are having any fun with this case. Like it or not, the 16 year old did cause an accident because he was the one behind the wheel. Yes, his parents made several AWFUL, STUPID decisions that he has to live with for the rest of his life which really sucks, but he could have stopped the vehicle before he fell asleep. So there was something he could have done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JrzDefector
I wish they had not charged the kid with reckless driving. He is a minor, and he doesn't deserve the blame for what was clearly a failure on the parents' part. THEY were responsible in that scenario - a 16-year-old should not have been driving on an unfamiliar Florida highway at 11 pm at night with his entire family in the car. They were responsible for buckling themselves up and making sure their children had their seatbelts on. He is likely traumatized beyond belief and probably blaming himself - and now he's got the law telling him he's responsible too. I understand it's probably standard procedure, but it just added to the damage on this kid.
This didn't happen in Florida. It happened in Louisiana. When you're the driver of a vehicle, you are taking responsibility for that vehicle and everyone in it. Age does not matter.
The cops don't charge people. They hand out traffic tickets. Yes, what happened is tragic, but law enforcement as well as the DA has a job to do. We can't just wipe away charges anytime there's a tragedy. It's not like the police or attorneys are having any fun with this case. Like it or not, the 16 year old did cause an accident because he was the one behind the wheel. Yes, his parents made several AWFUL, STUPID decisions that he has to live with for the rest of his life which really sucks, but he could have stopped the vehicle before he fell asleep. So there was something he could have done.
I agree the parents are largely to blame in this situation.
However, anyone who voluntarily agrees to operate a motor vehicle has to be treated as an adult because driving a motor vehicle is an adult activity. The law holds that person to the same standard that an adult would be held too.
Losing control of a car is a violation of the traffic code in every state that I have seen. This is a lesser offense than reckless driving is. For whatever reasons, the sixteen year old did lose control of the car. Such a charge is at least technically accurate.
I can't believe the cops are charging the 16 year old kid with reckless driving or anything...
Well he should have PULLED OVER and asked someone else to drive!!!!
REGARDLESS,HE IS THE REASON HIS FAMILY IS GONE......... I feel horrible for him but he caused this WHEN HE DIDNT REALLY HAVE TO!! (Im not yelling,im just typing something I want stressed here)
Usually when someone tries to start arguing by saying "solely" or wanting things to be only black or white or extreme, they have already lost the argument.
1. The cause of the accident is because a teen slept at the wheel and lost control.
2. Once you are off the road and trying to regain, the vehicle you are driving could be a lifesaver.
3. SUV's aren't lifesavers when you are in this situation a large percentage of the time.
4. If they were driving a car instead, the impact of a rollover is less because the height is less.
5. If you are driving a car instead of a high center of gravity SUV, a rollover would be less likely. Simple physics.
Those people feeling safer in SUVs should really understand what they are driving better. They should be driven slower and they should give more room when following behind others because they don't handle or brake well. All this being said, I certainly wouldn't feel safer in the vehicle these poor folks were in. Hope the kid has some really amazing relatives to help him cope with all this. I can't imagine what you would feel like. Sure people weren't wearing seat belts and that probably would have saved some life in this crash, but that is now hindsight.
I don't really BLAME any one individual. Parents says, do you want to drive? Are you tired? Kid says, I feel great excitedly. Can you blame some teen? I can blame the parents on the seat belt, but the crash would have still happened. There are TONS of deadly crashes each week. This is just another one that was the most shocking one this week, so the media got all over it. Shock value sells ads.
Well he should have PULLED OVER and asked someone else to drive!!!!
REGARDLESS,HE IS THE REASON HIS FAMILY IS GONE......... I feel horrible for him but he caused this WHEN HE DIDNT REALLY HAVE TO!! (Im not yelling,im just typing something I want stressed here)
Actually, everyone wearing a seat belt survived, and everyone that didn't have one on was thrown from the car and killed.
His parents are the reason his family is gone. They didn't have belts on, and had an unrestrained four-year old in the car.
Actually, everyone wearing a seat belt survived, and everyone that didn't have one on was thrown from the car and killed.
His parents are the reason his family is gone. They didn't have belts on, and had an unrestrained four-year old in the car.
Well, I am sympathetic to that teenager just as you are.
However, you have it backwards. Seat belts don't come into play until after there is an accident. Accidents are caused by driver error. The major reason these people are dead is because of a mistake made by a driver. We don't have to presume every time we go for a ride there will be a life-threatening accident.
It may be a driver that is young, put in bad place by brain dead parents, fatigued, and has little experience driving at night.
The carelessness in allowing the vehicle to roll over though is the primary cause of the deaths of these five people.
Actually, accepting that fact--along with the reality his parents pushed him into--is an important part of that young man's healing process. Its tough. My heart goes out to him. However, it doesn't change what happened.
Usually when someone tries to start arguing by saying "solely" or wanting things to be only black or white or extreme, they have already lost the argument.
1. The cause of the accident is because a teen slept at the wheel and lost control.
2. Once you are off the road and trying to regain, the vehicle you are driving could be a lifesaver.
3. SUV's aren't lifesavers when you are in this situation a large percentage of the time.
4. If they were driving a car instead, the impact of a rollover is less because the height is less.
5. If you are driving a car instead of a high center of gravity SUV, a rollover would be less likely. Simple physics.
Those people feeling safer in SUVs should really understand what they are driving better. They should be driven slower and they should give more room when following behind others because they don't handle or brake well. All this being said, I certainly wouldn't feel safer in the vehicle these poor folks were in. Hope the kid has some really amazing relatives to help him cope with all this. I can't imagine what you would feel like. Sure people weren't wearing seat belts and that probably would have saved some life in this crash, but that is now hindsight.
I don't really BLAME any one individual. Parents says, do you want to drive? Are you tired? Kid says, I feel great excitedly. Can you blame some teen? I can blame the parents on the seat belt, but the crash would have still happened. There are TONS of deadly crashes each week. This is just another one that was the most shocking one this week, so the media got all over it. Shock value sells ads.
I was not trying to argue with you about whether SUVs are more likely to roll over, just trying to add information on the mechanism, which has more to do with centrifugal force than leverage. The propensity to roll over is related to the distance between the right and left wheels and the height of the center of gravity.
The accident we are discussing is the stereotypical SUV rollover:
"Most fatal 4WD rollovers are single-vehicle accidents that occur on weekend nights. The drivers are most frequently males under 25, and alcohol is usually involved. In three out of four fatal rollovers, the victims were ejected from the vehicle, indicating they weren't wearing a seatbelt."
In this case the driver's impairment was fatigue, not alcohol, but fatigue can cause just as big an impairment as alcohol.
Some SUVs resist rolling over better than others and those who choose to buy an SUV can use that as a factor when purchasing one.
I choose to drive a small SUV (not because of the looks ) because of the cargo space and because I use it for towing a small trailer. I also occasionally need the higher road clearance. I am aware of the rollover risk: there is even a warning decal on the driver's sun visor to remind me.
I do blame the parents in this crash. The inexperienced driver apparently was not trained well enough to be safely driving such a heavily loaded vehicle, and the failure to have everyone buckle in falls squarely on their shoulders.
Edited to add: focusing on rollovers may ignore the fact that SUVs perform better in some other crash scenarios:
Last edited by suzy_q2010; 11-24-2014 at 12:18 PM..
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) because of the cargo space and because I use it for towing a small trailer. I also occasionally need the higher road clearance. I am aware of the rollover risk: there is even a warning decal on the driver's sun visor to remind me.
