Originally Posted by
B. Carfree
Originally Posted by
009jim
What if the person is only 18 is not fit to drive because of their really poor judgment and consistently breaking road rules? Should the parents be held responsible if they don't take away their keys?
If the parents are providing the car, gas or insurance, then I think they should be held responsible for junior's poor driving decisions. Yes, I also think this should go for anyone you lend your car to.
Back to the OP: Many years ago there was a letter in either Dear Abby or Ann Landers. (I always get those twins mixed up.) Grandpa was clearly no longer capable of safely operating a motor vehicle, but no one wanted to be the "bad guy" and tell him it was time to give up driving. At a family gathering, grandpa put the car in drive instead of reverse, pressed firmly on the accelerator, and proceeded to remove both of his grandson's legs when he pinned them between his front end and the rear end of a parked car.
Two lessons here:
1. We all have a moral obligation to tell our elderly relatives when it "is time".
2. Stay well clear of cars that are being parked and removed from parking places.
Agreed, if the family had told grandpa it's time to stop driving, then the grandson would still have his legs.
I'll also add stay behind cars being operated by teenagers who are learning to drive.