GMconvert

According to a Detroit local news report, a 17-year-old on a bicycle was struck and killed by a dude driving an '05 GT. The driver may have tried to flee the scene but put the Stang in a ditch and got stuck. He was speeding and possibly DUI. Sad news. I hate it when drivers of performance cars give the rest of us enthusiasts a bad name.

Here's the story.

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kevinv-6

why they had to report that it was an 05 Mustang is beyond me. You never hear "a 95 year old woman hit the accelator on her Toyota Camry instead of the brake and drove through a shoe store"

It is a tragedy about the boy my heart goes out to the family, jeez 17 years old.

Sonic05

Because the media has something against Ford. No other manufacturer gets more bad press.

Stupid irresponsible people. It's unfortunate others have to suffer for their stupidity.

Webba

Very sad, no matter what car he was driving. They miss the point that he was apparently drunk. They dont mention that as often as the make and model. I smell a lawsuit coming. And we must be lucky in Maine as we have had 2 or 3 old people drive through stores/shops since last fall. One was the local drug store down the road. An old man stomped on the "brake" err gas, and drove through the store front. One last week was another old man who drove into a library. It was closed for Easter or else someone would have definitely been killed. They didnt mention the vehicle...just the old part.

Redzz2005GT

Type of car is irrelivant.

THRUST_

It shouldn't matter what car it was, almost all cars can go over the speed limit. Drunk guy hitting a seventeen year old is the story... and a sad one at that.

kevinv-6

I agree the type of car is irrelevant, down here in South Florida we have many older people hit the gas instead of the brakes. and the car is not mentioned, but when a younger drunk person runs into someone the type of car is mentioned.

Sonic05

I can feel my insurance rates rising.

On a side note, since we are talking about idiots in cars . . . just yesterday some high school kids where messing around in two cars, three in each I believe, on a busy two lane road. It ended with the Camaro cutting off the Cutlass, and the Cutlass hitting a Semi head-on. The driver was killed instantly. Passengers injured. The Camaro ran from the scene, but turned himself in later. Same day, a 19 year old was killed when he rapped his truck around a tree. Seems like these young drivers are getting worse every day.

Oh, and some 12 year old kid ran in front of a car leaving an ice skating rink. They specifically said it was a 2000 Hyundai, why is that relevant?

Drive safe everybody.

05WindveilGT

That is a shame, my prayers and thoughts go out to the family.

Matt

ponyboy66

Prolly cause they were quoting the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Dept. Cmdr. Dave Egeler. He mentions the mustang so for the reporter to mention it is legit in my eyes.

Such a sad story.
Seems like kids are getting killed more often thease days.
My daughter has had 5 school mates die since last summer.

I had 1 the entire time I was in high school.

Mangler

This is a tragedy! Being a bicycle advocate myself, I just hope people in this forum remind themselves that people on bicycles are on the road whether it is seasoned rider like myself or a 10 yr old kid. Drive safe!

smitty

I had none.

I'll bet there was no playstation when you were in high school. I may get flamed here, but there are no consequences for wrecking a car on a video game, and more and more kids play them these days. Learned behavior becomes habit becomes reaction without thought of consequences when in a adrenaline charged situation. I may be full of it, but it would make for an interesting study.

I don't know what I'd feel if it were one of my kids that was killed. I can't imagine the sorrow the family must be feeling. My heart and prayers go out to them.

iiibdsiil

I really disagree with the video game vs reality. The problem with America these days is no one takes responsibility for their actions. "The gun went off" the reporter says. Yeah, the gun just magically decided that it was going to fire. The kids blame the parents, the parents say "what do you want me to do?" Half the time the parents are as bad as the kids with resposibilities. A 5 year old girl go put in handcuffs because she threw a temper tantrum at school, throwing stuff, and kicking teachers. Police were called, and she was put in cuffs. Now mom is going to press suit. Why? Because she is a bad parent?

celticstanger

100% spot on!

It drives me nuts. I HATE going into stores (clothing/food/autoparts, whatever) and seeing kids rip the heck outta a stuff and the parents just watch them do it. HELLO! Wakey-wakey, look after your kids, dammit! Set an example!

The video-game argument is another responsibility-shifting argument. Video games were big (just not so realistic) when I/my brother/my sister was in school. This is about not learning to consider the consequences of ones actions - for oneself or for others.

Everytime I hear a story like this, I think how I'd feel if the police turned up at my door to tell me my kid had just been killed. The sad thing is, the legal system is designed to milk cash from perps, rather than address the real issues and try to prevent these things from happening.

smitty

I agree that there is a reluctance for people to accept responsibility, and therefore the consequences of their actions. (or inaction in the case of many of the parents to which you refer) However, I would assert that this is not a new phenomenon. I guess I was responding more to the comment that more teens (new drivers who have been exposed to video games before becoming drivers) are killing themselves in car accidents than in previous years. At least, that is how it appears at first blush. I'm not sure if it is true or not. That's why I think it would make an interesting study.

As for the story that started the thread, it looks like they are going to wait for the results of the driver's blood alcohol level. Unfortunately, those kinds of accidents have been happening for as long as there has been alcohol. Considering the public attitude toward drunk driving these days, I doubt the driver will be allowed to evade accepting responsibility for their actions. :nono:

future9er24

thats a real sad story. man...

also, i dont think it has as much to do with video games as it does with simply the attitude that most yung ppl have. alot of ppl my age just dont care that much. we teenagers are indestructable after all

and i also hate it when parents dont so anything abut their F***ed up kids. and when the kids get in trouble, they blame the authority, which in turn is axactly what the kids do. its never "its my fault for misbehaveing" its "well... mom n dad never told me what to do" and if th kids dont say it, the media does. i agree with most of you: people need to take resposibility for what they choose to do. now if the kids acted responsible and the parents raised them right in the first place, none of this would be a problem anyhoo!

all of this from your friendly, egotistical, immortal, neighborhood teenager

OBleedingMe

Video games? I'm 21... I really don't think it has to do with video games, lol. Honestly, I think it has to do more with the music the younger generation listens to, especially rap. I can't tell you how many bad drivers I've encountered blasting that crap out of their speakers on the highway.

Responsibility is another factor. Parents rarely agree with authority figures who punish their children anymore. They always think their children are right and can "do no wrong." They've gone so far as to take legal action against schools that don't do as they wish. This in turn has made the schools deathly afraid of taking ANY serious punitive action against students. That's why you see little children between the ages of 4 and 8 being ARRESTED (terribly traumatic for the child) instead of disiplined by the school - they wash their hands of it and let the cops handle the problem and any lawsuits can be deflected to the police department. The children carry this "blame" mindset over to adolescence and their parents support them. The end result is a bunch of teenagers and young adults who think they can get away (sometimes literally) with murder.

Actually last week, I had a guy in a Cirrus LX so far up my butt on Interstate 195 that I could barely see the top of his hood. I was in the left lane and there were a line of cars on the right. I was going around 75 in a 65 so I wasn't going slow. I guess he just mistook the Interstate for the Daytona 500. I finally was able to move over, and this kid (he looked all of 17) mouthed "F--- you!" as he passed by. Then he nailed it, weaving in and out of traffic at what had to be 100 - 110 MPH, his soft suspension making his rear end dance all over the place. God, one wrong twitch of the wheel and he was dead. Where's a cop when you need one, right?

future9er24

ppl like that **** me off

smitty

I think that my comment about video games has been misinterpreted. I did not mean that playing video games necessarily makes young people irresponsible. I own a playstation with GrandTurismo 3, and the level of realism in the game can get your heart going, your adrenalin pumping, etc. But those cars do not respond exactly like a real car will in the real world. Also, if you happen to push it too far and wreck your video car, you just keep goin. What I was speculating (and the kid you mention in your post is a good example) is whether or not video games like GT3 could be training young drivers to push too far before they even sit in a real driver's seat. Combine that training with the egocentrism, immortality, and surging hormones of youth and the practice from the game may have them pushing it further than reality will allow. Except in the case of a real car, you don't just keep driving after a wreck at 100 to 110 mph in a car with a soft suspention. It's all just speculation about a possible correlation. It would be virtually impossible to study.

Irresponsibility and avoiding consequences are a part of the human condition. Modern day kids don't have a corner on that market. What is different in our society today from when I was a kid can be illustrated with this example. Lets say a child is out in my front yard after school messing up my flower beds, destroying property (in a minor way, granted) and I say something to them. They stop. Then lets say they come back the next day and do it again, so I go to their parents for help. In my day, my dad would discipline me and back the other adult. Today, parents will back their kids, even if they are clearly in the wrong. Why is this? I have some thoughts, but I'd like to hear what other people think, first.

CelticNut

Ego? Perhaps the parents would consider it an insult. They don't want to be perceived as being poor parents. Their children are a reflection of them, so they are in fact, are defending themselves rather than the actions of their children. Just a guess. btw, my dad would do the same as yours.

Sad story by the way. I agree: the make of the car is irrelevant, but news reporters specify which make because they know it will evoke an emotional response from their audience. It's a cheap and easy way to glamorize their horrible story. It automatically puts a picture into the minds of those watching. Unfortunately, it tarnishes the image of our beloved Mustang. Hope this fella wasn't a TMS poster. Any wrecks posted lately? Hate to think this reckless numbskull was lurking on this board...

Arin: you and others like you are the best hope for our future. I think you made some very keen observations.