Last night, there was another drag racing accident. A 17 year old in a two year old Corvette and a 19 year old in a brand new Mercedes sheared a car in half, killing the occupants while the teens (and their passengers) lived.
They haven’t yet determined the speed of the collision, and the officers declined to call it a drag race yet. Assuming that it is (and I believe that is a fair assumption), what would be appropriate justice.
Obviously, these kids should spend time behind bars. Vehicular homicide and reckless endangerment come to mind. I would find it hard to be lenient on them myself.
Additionally, while I know they are probably not legally liable, I hold the parents partly responsible. You can’t put kids behind powerful cars and expect them to not to test them. If you gave a ten year old a loaded gun and the only lesson you give is how to point and shoot, you better expect trouble. You let a teen, with minimal driving skills, drive a Corvette, you can be damned sure he is going to see what it can do. I’d do my best to hold them civilly liable for being irresponsible with their choices.
Assuming the United States: that’s the problem right there. Either make sure that 16 year olds CAN be legally liable, or raise the age to get a driver’s licence to 18.
Cars aren’t toys - at least not on public roads. To put minors in them and expect them to behave 100% of the time is a bad idea.
Sure, 18 is just as arbitrary, and 18 year olds will speed too. But at least a speed demon can be held fully responsible for his deeds at 18.
I’m not disagreeing with your notion that parents who give their 17 year old a Corvette are asking for trouble. But I do think that “appropriate justice” means “being held fully responsible for one’s actions”.
17 and 19 are plenty old enough to know right from wrong, and to disregard it. let’s not bring the parents into this, unless they trained the kids in drag racing.
The kids will be liable legally. The parents putting them into race cars will not and enabling them will not. 17 year olds cannot afford to insure (especially in NY) a nearly new Corvette or a new Mercedes, even at the bare minimum.
Not for nothing here, but a Mercedes is a really crappy choice for drag racing. You slam on the pedal and nothing. No pick up. Its box shape is terrible for aerodynamics and going fast ensures bugs splattered all across the windshields.
How do I know this? I got to drive a mercedes for part of high school. I never drag raced period but I wouldn’t have even considered doing it in that thing.
Not to say others wouldn’t be completely idiotic, I’m just saying I had the opportunity with very fast cars as a teenager (an Aurora takes off like a bat out of hell) and it never occured to me to drag race them.
Both drivers are convicted of murder and spend pretty much the rest of their days in prison.
Both sets of parents are held civilly liable and go bankrupt making restitution to the families of the dead couple. This is assuming that the parents can be proven to be the legal owners of the vehicles that were used. If the drivers somehow managed to purchase and maintain the cars on their own, the parents can be left out of it. I would, in that case, seize all of the driver’s (apparently considerable) assets in such a civil action.
The harsh nature of the outcome is widely publicized and gives pause to the next set of parents that want to give their irresponsible spawn a high speed weapon to take onto the road.
spooje, the parents handed the kids dragsters (or at least one of them; I don’t know the Mercedes model to know if it was a speedster or not). I believe putting inexperienced kids behind the wheels of a sports car is an accident waiting to happen.
Cheesesteak, according to the article, the Corvette was owned by the father and the Mercedes by a 19(!) year old. 99% of the time, 19 year olds will not have the funds to buy a new Mercedes and insure it (especially given NY’s high insurance rates), so it’s a safe assumption the parents bought it and were paying for it. I’m willing to bet, at least on the Mercedes, that he’s paying minimum, so I definitely say go after the 'rents.
belladonna, of course the driver can’t remember anything and the father is backing him up. The accident happened just before 11:00pm, but the lawyer’s comments were still able to make the morning paper. They lawyered up real fast and are being coached.
Enderw24, I had a fast car also (1977 Dodge Charger - no, it wasn’t orange). I will admit to opening it up a couple of times (literally); both times on the NYS Thruway, where no one will be making left turns. Both times, I think I only encountered 2-3 other cars on the road, in either direction at all. Smart? Certainly not, but like these kids, I was young and stupid. Just not stupid enough to drag race, or to test my car’s speed on residential streets.