“Cars, Kids, & Crashes”

“Hi, my name is Rick and I actually like teenagers.” There I’ve said it out loud, or at least I’ve said it publicly. I have a soft spot for the little buggers, and like you, I was actually one of those very teenagers myself some many years ago. I also, like you and your teenagers, was a perfect child and completely trustworthy in all matters teenagerly. Not! It was only after many years into adult hood that some of my driving antics were told to my mother who stood there in total disbelief with her mouth open far enough to drive in a small lawn tractor. Not her son, no way, impossible – sorry Mom, it’s true.

Prior to my sixteenth birthday I earned enough money to buy my own car, a 55 Chevy, fix it up and insure it. On my sixteenth birthday I went to MVA and obtained my driver’s license. No sideways picture, no restrictions, no parental log, just a full fledged license. Things were different then. This was all done with my parents blessings and admiration since I was, remember, the perfect teenager. It was not long after this that I started down the road of misdeeds.

Since I was the only one in my circle of friends that had both a license and a car, I was the defacto chauffer, and hence, had two to four other teenagers with me most all the time. Like I couldn’t get in enough trouble all by myself, my teenage friends were always egging me on – “spin out”, “lay rubber”, “race that guy”, all which I did. Unfortunately, these same friends forgot to help me keep an eye out for the police. So, over the period of a couple years I received citations for all of the above and a few others! I had “earned” too many points on my license, my insurance increased, and I had to the pay fines, all of which was known to my parents, and yet I was allowed to keep driving. In addition, I know my driving record cost me at least one job, it almost got me thrown out of the volunteer fire department, and had I not already been hired prior to my employer seeing my driving record, I would have lost my career as a firefighter.

The reason for this background information is to properly set the stage for my message and I want it to be abundantly clear that I know whereof I speak. Luckily, and I mean very luckily, I lived to write about it. Unfortunately, many teenagers don’t. I was lucky again when, as a Dad, my teenage daughter wrecked her car and came away with only a bruised ego. At the time I wasn’t practicing what I am currently preaching and I should have been. I’d do things way differently now.

O.k., here’s my point. If you have a teenage driver, or are the friend or relative of one, consider what I have to say. You could save a life! It’s time for parents to start parenting and stop trying so hard to be the child’s friend. There’s plenty of time for that later. Please feel free to direct any parents of teens to this column for my suggestions to help them live to make it to their prom. In my next column I’ll have specific suggestions to aid them in their first years of driving.