It happened again last week. A group of Fort Worth teens were rushing to get back to their high school after an off-campus lunch break. Some witnesses said they were racing, but the drivers deny that. In reality that's not important. The unfortunate consequence is that one of the cars involved went out of control and had a horrific crash. A young man was killed. The victim was a passenger. His family described him as a good kid, who took his studies seriously. He was also a baseball player, who dreamed of playing college ball. His coach stated he had a good chance of being the starting 2nd baseman next spring.
A friend from our church was working nearby, and heard the crash. He was one of the first people on the scene: twisted metal and one young man who obviously was beyond help. It's an image that will forever be etched in his mind. We both shook our heads, "kids and cars," I stated. "But I was the same way when I was a kid," he replied. "I had my Camero. We went fast and took risks," he recalled. "Me too," I had to admit. My American Graffiti set was Eight Mile Road, in Detroit. It was a divided roadway. The suburb of East Detroit stood on one side and the City of Detroit was on the other. Races took place on the Detroit side. Known fact: The Detroit Police had bigger issues than enforcing the speed limits. The staging area was a drive-in, Dunkin' Burgers. Chevy 409's and 428 Plymouth Hemi's were both present, along with other hot cars.
Kids and cars: It's a dilemma for parents. Turning sixteen and getting your drivers license is viewed as a right-of-passage. Most parents face the prospect with mixed feelings: No more chauffeuring vs. handing the car keys to "our babies." Barb and I went through it three times. Our first "Kid car" was a 1980 Ford Granada. Our oldest son, Peter, labeled it the "Turbo Turd." It was an ugly brown with a tan roof to match. It was big, heavy and we felt our kids were safe surrounded by all the sheet metal. I don't recall any speeding tickets and only one minor fender bender.
There are a couple of things parents need to do. It obviously starts with providing proper training, followed up with some very clear rules and consequences. We also need to be observant. Who are the friends and associates of our teens that we don't feel comfortable with them riding with? As with the other teen issues, open honest communication is vital. The last step is probably equally important. Put them in a vehicle that is safe. Their image is not as important as their security.
....I remember my mom teaching my sister and I how to drive in this huge parking lot behind our church in Grosse Pointe Farms - where my dad
ReplyDeletewas the pastor. He would be tending to details after the services and it was while waiting for him to take us home that mom would scootch over to the drivers' door and we would be allowed to drive through the parking lot, practice parking and laughing all the way it seemed !! I to this day have never had a moving traffic violation and I never hung out with guys and raced through the streets - but I saw alot of that and Thomas, I remember your dad telling my dad that you were driving one night to an outing with some of your buddies and they had gotten out of your car and you were locking it up and one of them said to you "you don't have to lock it here" so you unlocked it and someone stole your dad's little pocket radio that he kept near his hands when he was driving and boy were you in trouble for that!!....but you are right about making sure that your children are with those that have the right "positive moral character" - otherwise you may receive a call from the medical examiner's office and have to go down to identify your child - which is a really rough time in your life ....as a Licensed
Mortician during my working career - we buried many kids who could still be alive if they only altered their lives by a few seconds and stoped to think what they were doing !! Would it hurt someone, themselves or someone's property ?? I was always cautious and of course I was given a
special protection by our Heavenly Father and I am hear today to tell you my story !! Thanks for your time and stay healthy and keep reading these blogs they are excellent - I had enrolled in doing blogs with the title of "Parlor Ambush"
and after reading Thomas's material - you might like to read what my subject is about - if I ever get going with it !!....James...