if your teenager was driving with his friends in your silver or gray BMW

[Anonymous]

Three cheers for raising teens in walking neighborhoods. They won't be driving!

[Anonymous]

My brother was hit by a teen driver, and was badly injured. He is fine now, but he missed his high school prom and had lots of physical therapy. The kid simply didn't know how to drive, and later said he felt invinisible and powerful behind the wheel. (We talked to him about five years ago. He refuses to buy his kids cars when they are old enough.)

I agree with the poster who said that bikes are best for 16 year olds. Yes, give them the keys and let them drive when and adult is with them, and they can learn gradually. Espcecially in this area.

Hell, I am not a great driver in NOVA and I am 39 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:P.S. One quibble: No consequences? Let's not judge the driver's parents' parenting based on their child's behavior. I know several very affluent families, and they are damn strict and would not tolerate this.

Then why are they allowing their offspring to drive a car that 99.9% of the people on the planet cannot afford? I don't parents driving cars like this but I despise seeing children drive them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just attended the manditory parent/teen DMV class now required in VA. Stats show that kids who are given their own car, whether it's a shiny, new BMW or a crappy second hand car are twice as likely to have crashes than teens who have to borrow the family car. When they have to borrow, they have to ask, and have to be more accountable to the parent. Otherwise, they just hop in and drive whenever and with whomever they please.

Isn't driving with other teens also a risk factor. My parents also wouldn't let me drive with anyone other than my older brother for several years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just attended the manditory parent/teen DMV class now required in VA. Stats show that kids who are given their own car, whether it's a shiny, new BMW or a crappy second hand car are twice as likely to have crashes than teens who have to borrow the family car. When they have to borrow, they have to ask, and have to be more accountable to the parent. Otherwise, they just hop in and drive whenever and with whomever they please.

That assumes lack of parenting - which certainly may be the case for a lot of kids. My dd is not allowed to just hop in and drive whenever she pleases. She drives to school and back every day. She otherwise needs to ask permission for any other outings. In MD you aren't allowed to have another teen in the car for 5-6 months after you get a license, which is helpful.

[Anonymous]

I will give my teenager son money to ride the bus, maybe he will be mad but I really think it will be better for everybody.

[Anonymous]

School districts with a later starting time for HS have 25% less teen caused car accidents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The safest car is a schwinn.

In this area? Are you insane??

Everyone I know who has been biking around DC for any length of time has had at least one accident. Hit by a car, doored in the bike lane, or like that young woman killed at Dupont Circle a couple years ago, run over by a trash truck backing up. I would never let my child bike in this city. Nope, we're going the elderly Volvo route, assuming she even needs a car. If we're still living in the city, she can get around by metro and cabs, and rack up good behavior points to borrow the family car on occasion.

Another tidbit on car safety: there is actuarial information on which car colors are the most at risk of being hit. Silver and grey are the worst, because they're less visible in fog and rain.

[Anonymous]

Driving is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. Yes, the Metro is great, but at some point your teen should learn how to drive.

[Anonymous]

My first car was a Plymouth Horizon and my grandfather bought it for me. It might as well have been a BMW for how lucky I felt. I roamed free for the rest of my high school career.That said, I was totally irresponsible and I wouldn't let my children have 1/4 of the freedom I did.

[Anonymous]

I have a few friends who have an older pick-up truck which is the spare car. The kids know that if they EVER have anyone in the flatbed part they will lose all driving privledges. This way there can only be 1 other person in the car (less distractions) and they have the pick-up when they need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The safest car is a schwinn.

In this area? Are you insane??

Everyone I know who has been biking around DC for any length of time has had at least one accident. Hit by a car, doored in the bike lane, or like that young woman killed at Dupont Circle a couple years ago, run over by a trash truck backing up. I would never let my child bike in this city. Nope, we're going the elderly Volvo route, assuming she even needs a car. If we're still living in the city, she can get around by metro and cabs, and rack up good behavior points to borrow the family car on occasion.

Another tidbit on car safety: there is actuarial information on which car colors are the most at risk of being hit. Silver and grey are the worst, because they're less visible in fog and rain.

I was wondering when someone would refute the whole biking is safer thing. Jeez, I'd sooner let my 10 year old behind the wheel than tool around main roads around here on a bike.

Interesting on the color thing. My (dirty) white car always seemed invisible. I remember one awful day when 3 people tried to drive right into me on the 5 minute drive back from daycare. No more, now I drive a dark blue car and have never had a problem.

[Anonymous]

How about different ages for permits for males and females? Testosterone is bad news behind the wheel.

[Anonymous]

I feel like I'm 80 years old saying this, and my 16 year old self would throttle me, but why is the driving age 16? It seems young given what we know about a teen's development. There should at least be more restrictions, like driving to school (which is typically close), no driving at night, etc.

Like I said, I know this sounds old-fogeyish but now that I'm a mom....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about different ages for permits for males and females? Testosterone is bad news behind the wheel.

I don't agree with that. I am a woman and I was an idiot teenage driver, also never washed my car or kept the inside very clean. On the flip side, my brother had a near-perfect driving record and his car was always spotless, hand washed AND vacuumed weekly. I think it is how much you care about things and yourself that is a real indicator. I was obsessed with everything and everyone else, being popular, smoking cigarettes, looking cool driving my car while listening to the coolest music. I didn't care about safely transporting myself, I cared about appearing a certain way. My brother was just more introverted, paid attention while driving, wasn't bothered with other people and didn't care what they thought while he was driving.

Maybe girls with low confidence and the need to be popular are the unsafest drivers on the road, tied with macho teenage boys who also want to appear cool? The cell phone call can wait. The make-up can wait. The radio doesn't matter. Let's not try to impress our friends by driving fast. Don't race the other car to see who is cooler... On and on...