As the friend of a (former) 18 year old who was given a 2006 GTO, and later totalled it, I can say that powerful cars shouldn't be given to young drivers. In this case, the father seems to have handed over the keys on several ocassions (probably believing his son was a safe driver) and this is the result.

My heart goes out to the families of those lost. And while there ARE responsible youngsters out there, the power of such a car should be left for those more experienced. Actually, age has nothing to do with it. I would never hand the keys of a Viper to a thirty-five year old if he'd only been driving two years. Shoot, I've been driving for nine and I still don't think I'm ready to handle a car like that.

 

You know incorrectly then, all of the below are either totally true or at least partially true:

A) He raised the kid, mainly his fault the kid is...was an idiot
B) He let the kid borrow the M5, unless we're missing something, in which case he left the keys in reach of the kid or made some other huge parenting error
C) Chances are that in one way or another he has not only NOT contributed to his son being more mature, but also contributed/influenced his son to think driving like that was cool/okay.

Deep down I hope his regret (if he has one, which he shouldn't, life happens) is letting his son borrow the M5, not purchasing it. Its stories like this that are why I laugh/ed at people when they'd ask if they could drive my car. My condolences to his family for sure, but some lessons for some people have to be learned the hard way.

 

The M5 is a pretty stable car, even at high speeds with ~1000 lbs of people in it. The adrenaline/peer pressure factor would be much greater.

Everyone starts out inexperienced. The place to gain experience is not in 500 HP cars. Things move WAY too fast; most of these types of incidents involve the driver panicking because they don't know how to react. I'm not sure what you mean by giving young drivers a chance to "prove" they aren't inexperienced, especially when it comes to street racing. And even though they weren't on the street, this was basically the same thing.

 

Agree 100% with A and B. Not so sure about C. Having 4 other young males in a car encouraging you to go faster can quickly offset 18 years of your parents telling you to go the speed limit.

 

When will parents learn? I just read about a 16 year old killing himself and 12 year old brother in a brand new MazdaSpeed 3 that his parents got him. It seems that these kinds of events are coming more common.

This accident was similar to one that happen in Forrest Hill MD. A kid and his friends went to an airstrip to see how fast his car was. They went off the end of the runway and flew into a building 100+ feet away killing all that were in the car.

 

Typically, when you say that, every 18-20 yr old on this board will go ape ¢hit. Forget about the number of actual 18-20 year old Evo owners who've actually killed themselves on this board, no one wants to deal with facts like that.

This just reinforces my opinion that the first car my kid is ever getting will be a 1972 Buick Electra. If they're lucky, and I'm feeling particularly generous, it will be a convertible.

 

This was in my same town minutes from my house I didnt know them but all of my friends are pretty bumbed sad thing to happen rip....... Funeral and memorial was held today in Ocala sad thing people

 

Damn truly tragic RIP to those involved.

 

Ironically I've never had any major accidents, or gotten a speeding ticket for that matter, in my life. So yes, I was a responsible driver at 17. Does that mean I could have handled an M5 at 140mph? HELL no. Honestly, I still couldn't...I wouldn't know what to expect, how to brake, or how to handle it.

Irresponsibility, as I mentioned later in the post, can be found at any age. But yes, given the lack of experience at that age an M5 (or Evo for that matter) is a poor choice. Again, that may not apply to everyone, but I think it applies to many.

 

holy ****!

I highly doubt 5 18-20 year old kids were at a birthday party and non of them inside the car consumed alcohol that night......

 

True, and I read a report that said alcohol WAS involved, but to be fair it really only matters if the one behind the wheel had any.

 

Maybe I've been spoiled with only really having had lighter cars as track cars, but the M5 was one of the most UNstable feeling cars I've had a chance to drive on the track, and I've driven one of the newer ones and an older one. Or maybe I just hate big heavy beasts and they all *feel* unstable to me...

And I agree... C is a little out there but parental influence, even just at the subconcious level, can be a powerful thing. But, the chances of his dad being a speed hungry maniac AND relaying that onto his son are pretty slim.

And by giving them a chance to "prove" I don't mean let the kid drag his M5, or even his Buick Electra on the street. I'm just commenting that I hope you (and everyone else) know that experience isn't necessarily a direct correlation to age, but you didnt' really sound like you were saying you thought that anyway.

 

Gotcha. I personally try to give the benefit of the doubt to everyone, but I've found that younger people with significant track/racing experience usually aren't the ones street racing or "seeing how fast it'll go".

Thanks for clarifying what you meant.

 

Thats just a big WOW to the parents of the driver that let that a 18 year old kid drive a 500 hp M5 at 3am in morning.

A witness said the car did multiple runs before the final crash. U know that kid was trying to hit top speed. How did he not see the 80 foot embankment commin up?

 

yeah he was probably trying out the 7 gears.........it said he was sideways when he flew off the ramp, so im gonna guess he saw it but it was too late.