# Stupid fucking teenage driver! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 7, 2004, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969 "2004-02-07T08:11:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/21 "2004-02-09T13:32:16Z")
I just can’t grasp the concept of getting a teenager with several accidents under their belt a NEW CAR. Or even an used car! If they want to drive so badly, they can get their own car and pay for it themselves (at least in part). Something tells me that if they did, they’d be a little more careful. It’s a lot harder to replace a car when your job (which you got to pay for the car) involves flipping burgers. ---
**Author:** ![MarkofT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MarkofT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkofT)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/22 "2004-02-09T18:24:43Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Last week, my daughter and I witnessed an accident where a high school senior (my daughter knew her) ran a red light and smashed into a pick-up truck, sending it spinning a 180 before it stopped. The driver of the truck was taken away in an ambulance, while the teen driver was pacing around somewhat hyperactively. Both vehicles were probably going to be totaled. > > As we left the scene, my daughter commented on how many of her classmates had totaled vehicles, some more than one. Her best friend was one of them. > > I think seeing the crash made my kid more cautious than usual, which suits me fine. She’s been driving over 3 years, 2 of them licensed, one on permit. Last few times I’ve driven with her, I noticed she’s gotten better at monitoring traffic around her. And she uses her signal. I figure once she has 15 or 20 more years of experience, I’ll stop fretting. There was one kid in school that had crashed a few cars before graduation. I think he blamed the last accident on shaving cream that a jokester had put into his washer fluid. I don’t know that many people in school believed him. The hyper activity is due to the adrenilin rush from the accident. I start acting like I’ve just chugged a 5 gallon expresso when that hits. I’ve had 3 accidents myself, last one would be at least 8 years ago now. I can tell you just what I did wrong to cause each accident and I don’t do that in a car anymore so I consider them great, 'tho expensive, learning expierences. And your fibbing. You won’t stop fretting in 15 or 20 years unless someone is dead. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/23 "2004-02-09T18:36:02Z")
> [@ChronosGF](#): > > You might want to talk to your town’s Police Chief about this. See if he can get some officers to patrol that area around that time. Maybe you could even talk to the City Council about it, just so the city is aware of the problem. I remember when I was driving to HS in the mornings, just having some officers there to pull the people running the stop signs for a few mornings was enough to slow everyone down. I’d love to see that. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. Until there are more accidents and/or assholish behavior, the cops don’t care. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/24 "2004-02-10T03:11:41Z")
I remember the day this happened. I barely missed the traffic jam that resulted. I got to work the following morning and heard terrible stories of the girls faces being maimed beyond recognition. I heard the second 15 yr old girl made it three hours in the hospital before she passed. I couldn’t find a newspaper anywhere that following day, they were sold out everywhere. This whole town was in shock. As was I. Sadly though I wasn’t suprised. The following investigation revealed that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the vehicle she was driving. You see the young people like to jump their cars (as they’re moving in a downhill direction)on that particular hill she drove down. Office workers who work at the bottom of that hill report that they very often, “hear cars landing”. Young people make up the smallest number of drivers, yet they make up the highest number of accidents. (No cite) > [@](#): > > From: [My hometown paper](http://www.ketchikandailynews.com/cgi-shl/news/archives.pl?category=1&view=8-02) > Two teens die in Tongass Ave. crash > KDN Staff > A violent collision between a compact car and a pickup truck took the lives of two teen-age girls and injured four other teens and a young man Tuesday afternoon in Ketchikan. > Courtnie Tuinstra, 15, the driver of a 1988 Honda Accord, and one of her two passengers, Chelsea Palmer, also 15, were pronounced dead at Ketchikan General Hospital following the 3:14 p.m. accident. A second passenger, Jamie Palmer, 16, Chelsea Palmer’s sister, was in stable condition as of Tuesday evening. > Andrew Spokely, 28, driver of a 1996 Dodge Ram pickup, and his three 15-year-old passengers, Michael Bjur, Michael Lawler, and Michael Slenkamp, also were in stable condition at the hospital following the crash at the corner of Tongass Avenue and Madison Street. > Ketchikan Police Chief Grant Sirevog said a preliminary investigation indicates that the Honda came down Madison Street at high speed after its brakes failed and the emergency brake didn’t function either. At the intersection with Tongass, it collided with the truck. > “The Dodge pickup actually vaulted over the Honda and landed on its roof, continuing to roll, landing on its wheels in the eastbound lane in front of Madison,” Sirevog said. > The Dodge came to rest facing the direction from which it had come. The Honda was also spun around 180 degrees and was facing back up Madison street. > “This is a terrible, terrible accident,” Sirevog said. “In that situation you have to try to stop the car. They attempted to do what the textbook says to do.” > The Gateway Center for Human Services crisis team, local pastors and other concerned individuals will be available at 10 a.m. at the Craig Family Gym at Ketchikan High School to offer support and talk with anyone about the incident. And Revilla High School Principal Charley Jones will open Revilla school from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. for any teens who want to gather informally to talk and eat together. > > For more detail on this story, see Tom Miller’s article in the Aug. 7, 2002, edition of the Ketchikan Daily News. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/25 "2004-02-10T03:46:10Z")
Tongue-Ass avenue!?!?!?? ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/26 "2004-02-10T04:22:44Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > Tongue-Ass avenue!?!?!?? Ahhm no [Tongass](http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/) Did I spell it that way? Lemme check…nope ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/27 "2004-02-10T05:45:45Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > Tongue-Ass avenue!?!?!?? Yeah…not really in too good of taste, that comment. I was a _horrendous_ teenage driver. I was the chick who totalled two cars in six months (with a handful of fender benders in between) in high school. Granted, I always bought my own cars (when you’re waitressing and live at home with your parents, you find you’ve got a bit of money to burn, and I always had clunkers) but it didn’t make it any better. I believe that was the year my mother’s hair turned completely grey. 😃 Although by the time I totalled my second car, she was regaining her sense of humor. I remember sitting in the living room with her and my stepfather in total silence, thinking this was gonna be when she completely lost her shit. She just looked at me and said “at least you don’t have to move your car for trash day tommorow.” Ah, good times. I’ve totalled a couple more cars since then, but am happy to report I wasn’t at fault for any of 'em (check the insurance reports if you don’t believe me!). All of my friends and family are convinced I drive with an invisible bullseye on my car. At least I never have to drive if I’m in a group. No one wants to ride with me, I can’t seem to escape my own car karma but dammit, they can save themselves! Anyhoo, my point is: Yeah, teenagers are sucky drivers. I realize there are exceptions to the rule, as with any rule, but as a whole, they suck. They’re expected to suck, they’re completely inexperienced. But they get better. Still, there’s no excuse for what this little shit did. I hope he gets a pleasant suprise by the cops knocking on his door and having a nice chat with his parents. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/28 "2004-02-10T20:54:26Z")
Probably oughta give the kid a break, he probably would have stopped if it wasn’t for the reefer and beer (He knew he’d get in trouble over that). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969/29 "2004-02-10T21:59:49Z")
> [@Tony Montana](#): > > The following investigation revealed that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the vehicle she was driving. You see the young people like to jump their cars (as they’re moving in a downhill direction)on that particular hill she drove down. Office workers who work at the bottom of that hill report that they very often, “hear cars landing”. The street we live on has a similar problem, knuckleheads who treat the curvy hill like their own private slalom course. One evening a couple of weeks ago, the smell of burning rubber permeated our dining room. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-fucking-teenage-driver/227969.md?page=1)