17 year old dies in crash near Syracuse, NY

[loomex]

That in it self is not really unusual. What is unusual is what really pisses me off. The kid was drunk and driving a damn Ferrari. Take no offence to this you teens, but what the hell is a 17 year old doing driving a car like that? NO one with less than AT LEAST 2-3 years solid driving experience nor under the age of 21 should be operated a high performance car like that.  It is not that I am mad because he was driving a car that is wreaked and still worth more than my two car combined. Its that this kid did not have the experiance and was drunk.
There are a few exceptions to a kid operating a car with power. One is that the kid was raised drivng race cars and is currenlty in a league that races (NASCAR, IRL, CART, etc...). I would love to hear from any one of you that thinks that I am wrong, and can justify this.

Rant over
Chris

[Craig.]

there is nothing i can disagree with. I have had a go in a friends lotus before and although my driving experiance was limited even on a wide track the thing was extremely difficult to drive. A ferrari which is prob 2 times more powerful is not something anyone but experianced drivers should be messing with, especially drunk teens. Dont want to sound heartless but this kid wasnt even unlucky, he was just plain stupid, and whoever allowed him to have such a car is also partially to blame.

[Hagar]

My ex-boss collects sports cars & took special instruction for a licence to drive them on the road & racing circuits. He is a very experienced, skilful & respected driver. Despite all his experience he wrote off a brand new Ferrari by wrapping it round a lamp post. When I saw the damage I couldn't understand how he did it. This was caused by tiredness & a moment's lack of concentration when pulling out of a junction onto a main road after a hard day at work. There is no way anyone of any age & experience should attempt to drive any sort of vehicle while drunk. This is my opinion.

[gaztop]

As a Professional  driver, I see these kids driving like lunatics all the time. I have pulled many of them, girls and boys from the wrecks. The last time I did this, the kid died in my arms. SLOW DOWN!!!!!

The parents are the guilty ones, without thier consent, the kids would not have access to these machines  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

[BFMF]

SLOW DOWN!!!!!

I know, that's what everyone tells me, but I'm still curious to know at what speed the governor in my  Escort kicks in. I've gotten up to a 100 MPH so far, but I need a longer straight stretch of highway free of vehicles

[Craig.]

dont you have any drag strips in your area? Those places are great for testing out your cars potential.

[Rifleman]

My nephew is only just 16 and has been approved to drive without the "normal" graduated driving rules applied to his license, but this is because for about 4 yrs now, he has been active in go-kart racing in a fairly active organization......his insurance is reduced also, BUT, if he gets so much as a parking ticket, he reverts back to all the rules that everyone else drives by......
No passengers, no divided hwys, no night driving....etc.

As it sits, he is allowed by my sister and brother-in-law to take the car to pick up his sister from school and bring her home.....even gets to drive with friends in the car........I really don't expect to hear any bad news about Curtis' driving....

         ........I guess its all in how you learn about power and speed, and knowing where it all belongs......

[ozzy72]

Chris this is just a sign of poor parenting.
Frankly anyone who drinks and drives is asking for it, unfortunately its nearly always an innocent who is killed and the idiot survives! This boy was underage for drinking which raises a few more questions as well...
I had a friend killed by a drink driver a few years back, the guy was banned for two years and fined 500 pounds. Justice? What justice?
On the bright side a lot of supercar manufacturers are finally realising that they are looking like bad guys from this kind of thing. When Jaguar released its XJ220 they made all buyers take a compulsary advanced driving course before they collected the car (it was part of the price-tag). Maybe we all need to think a little more like that...

Mark (totally in favour of zero tolerance, and happy to live in a country that has zero tolerance)

Ps. I'm lucky, my wife likes driving and she is tee-total, so I drink and she drives

[Scottler]

[Craig.]

When Jaguar released its XJ220 they made all buyers take a compulsary advanced driving course before they collected the car

The XJ220 is one of the hardest road going cars to drive. Not because its so big, but because it is so manuverable at high speeds. Even a slight move on the wheel could throw you off the road.

[Hagar]

There are 2 separate problems in my part of the world. Little rich kids & wealthy footballers being given high-powered sports cars they have no idea how to drive. The worse problem is young kids, some too young to drive, stealing cars & terrorising the local housing estates. They usually end up either killing themselves, their friends or some unfortunate passer-by.

[Scottler]

I agree Hagar, but the real issue here is that he was drunk.  Sure, it was probably too much car for him, but no one, regardless of your experience, should be drinking and driving.  After burying a few friends, this is a cause which I'm very vocal about.

[Hagar]

This is something I'm also passionate about. The fact is that a drunken driver can do a lot of damage with any ordinary car. It doesn't need to be a Ferrari.

[Jaffa]

You guys would be surprised at the complete incompetence of many parents around here!  I know of parents that have taken their children to this place where it is well known that alcohol and various other substances are often abused.  Luckily, this site is so well known, the police stake it out each night and I get to watch the police helicopter shine its search light all over.

Around here, this is the most dangerous time to drive.  With graduations and all that, kids get very drunk and then drive.  I recall an accident a while ago where a 15 year old was driving and they hit a telephone pole and all occupants died.  

If you want to read up on the 17 year old event:

http://news10now.com/content/all_news/?ArID=22257&SecID=83

[Rivers]

I agree stepping too hard on the pedal of sports cars like that can be really dangerous especially if the driver is a 17-year-old inexperienced showoff drunk driver, this Kid paid with his life and I