As a follow-up to yesterday’s accident coverage here at the dump, I wanted to take a moment to mention that as a parent, I want my son to see these things himself so he can be scared to death of the thought of driving a car.
Because quite frankly, it’s that “invincibility” factor that makes a 17 year old boy the equivalent of a large, junkfood-eating torpedo.
I want him to be properly respectful of other drivers. I want him to realize that it only takes two seconds for death and destruction to occur. I want him to realize that even if he is a good driver, chances are the person in the next lane is not, so get the hell out of his blind spot, and always assume someone is going to pull out in front of you. Never assume people will stop for a red light. And if it’s late out, beware of the tired, drunk, or both.
He has hazy memories of the Halloween Eve accident where Mr. Dump hit a truck that had run a stop sign, but not enough for it to be useful for scaring him. And he remembers the guy who backed into us at the YMCA, but he had no concept that this small fender-bender did $1500 worth of damage and caused me no end of phone calls dealing with insurance and the rental agency.
I think he’s getting the idea, that people who don’t pay attention and follow the rules are “bad” people who shouldn’t be driving because they could cause an accident and hurt someone. I want him to be a good driver, or I’m never ever going to let him leave the house without me. And you can quote me on that.
