Flower Mound teen dies after flipping Dodge Viper this weekend

[viperscott]

did any of you check link from the beginning of this thread? that nobody handled keys to this guy?
parents werent home...
and I agree - age itself is NOT a factor. Not at all. Experience, driving aducation (or more - lack of this education), or just thinking when driving is a factor.
about choices and experience in handling power:
Even here there are some threads in style - what is lower temperature to drive viper, because it is nothing about it in manual? and I am not sure if it was teenager who was asking those questions...
I can understand them, but can't understand replies to this guy... Does it mean that most of viper owners who answered thread don't know that stock tires are summer ones? Don't they know that under 44.5F rubber in their cars became to hard and slippery, not safe to drive? It is really enough for fatal accident. Even for the best driver on whole world.
I am not so sure if Usain Bolt will be so fast and precise wearing skates on ice ring as he is on stadium running 100m.
Very often explanation of accidents is simpler than we think, and we should use this knowledge for the future.
Talking about min and max age to drive viper or any other car, reasons why insurance is lower or higher in some age, or age when we can vote is simply missunderstanding for me.

condolences to family
I am really sorry for your loss
Scott

 

[ROCKET62]

Condolences to the family - my prayers are with you.

Every situation is different and I have let my 18 year old drive my Viper. I spent numerous hours driving with him and he showed the respect and full attention that a Viper requires. He is very responsible, and I would trust him with any vehicle I own. That being said - my younger son just turned 18, but has not shown the interest or displayed the level of maturity that I feel is necessary to handle the Viper - so he will not get to drive the Viper to prom. Just because someone turns 18, 21, 25, or 30 doesn't necessarily mean that they are qualified or guarantee that they will make good decisions - with a Viper or any other car for that matter. The challenge with the Viper with all of the torque is that things can go from OK to very bad in the blink of an eye. Numerous stories exist for Snake Bite for all ages of Viper owners.

Again - the most important point for my post was in my first line - Condolences to the family.

 

[craig_g]

Sad story. I couldn't imagine ever having that kind of pain and loss with loosing a child.

 

[vancouver-gts]

did any of you check link from the beginning of this thread? that nobody handled keys to this guy?
parents werent home...
and I agree - age itself is NOT a factor. Not at all. Experience, driving aducation (or more - lack of this education), or just thinking when driving is a factor.

Scott

It looks like someone [ could be a parent or friend of his taking the video ] didn't have a clue telling this 16 yr old how dangerous [ illegal as well ] driving a car without proper footwear! He seemed to take it easy getting onto the road so we can only hope he is still around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcLyf2-Qv48

 

[c65491]

age does not matter.

 

[eucharistos]

Condolences to the family

 

[Twister]

Id die at 18 in a viper. Nearly did it at 26 in a viper. In my 30s now and know how to respect the car. I attended driving classes at 24. Driving calsses or not theres little that can prepare you for the vipers torque.

Very sad

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Parents, if you're gonna spend 10s of thousands of dollars on a high horsepower car for your kid, spend 5-10 thousand at a track teaching him how to drive. Are people really that unaware of the opportunities to get on a track nowadays?

 

[Silver04]

Old folks cause nearly as many deaths/accidents as teen drivers. Does your society limit them as well?


Really? I've never seen any statistics that support that. I believe that older drivers lose driving skills but they become more cautious. That extra caution sometimes cause accidents.

Do you belong to a different society that places these restrictions on 18 yr olds?

Stats below that support my statement. First # represents fatalities (per 000000, second # is non-deaths (per 00). Older drivers are more cautious but more deadly, younglings are both:

19 years old - 38 20
20 to 24 years old 36 14
25 to 34 years old 24 9
35 to 44 years old 20 8
45 to 54 years old 20 7
55 to 64 years old 18 5
65 to 74 years old 18 4
75 years old + 28 4

I agree with the comment about being dead several times over based on decisions I made in my younger days. Very ironic/sad that the kid "borrowed" his folks Viper...

 

[BigDawg]

I understand nobody handed him the keys. This is a tragic story and my prayers go out to the family. With that said I feel compelled to comment. I think any and all parents who purchase their kids fast sports cars (or expensive cars period) need to get their heads checked. Regardless of income. My dad could have bought me a Ferrari if he wanted. He didn't, and I respect him for that. Kids need to earn things. The performance war has spawned cars faster than previous generation could ever even imagined. Hell, a mustang GT now is faster than most 1990s Ferraris and Lambos. If you love your child you won't put them in a car like this. Sure they can kill themselves in other vehicles. But a teenager in a Viper is a recipe for disaster, period. Even one who knows who to drive. Our brains are not even fully developed until we are at least 25. All the skill in the world doesn't make up for high testosterone dip**** teenage mentality. It doesn't matter how much money I make, when I have a child all he/she is getting is a used Jeep.

 

[klamathpro]

I was at a parking lot car meet last summer with a buddy and it was getting close to midnight and the place was packed, close to 400 cars. I then spot a 08' Coupe pull up with two cute teenage girls getting out. I immediately asked the driver if it was her dad's car and she said yeah, that he lets her take it out. I asked her if she understood how much power the car had and how it needed to be respected. She seemed to not be phased by it. We talked about the car and the only thing she knew about it was it had 600HP. I don't understand how a father could let his teenage daughter go out for a late-night drive with her friend in a Viper, it's just asking for trouble.

 

[CEJ]

Sad story. I hope the deceased was at peace with his Maker.

My daughter wants to drive the Viper when she gets her license. She's very mature for her age, BUT she and I will take a defensive driving course and a high performance driving course (I think there is a 3-day course at VIR still for this) and then I'll let her drive the car with me in it.

I don't think I'll even get daffy enough to let her take it out with a friend late at night.

 

[johniew398]

Supposedly the parents were gone and the son snuck the car out without their knowledge.

 

[v10enomous]

I was at a parking lot car meet last summer with a buddy and it was getting close to midnight and the place was packed, close to 400 cars. I then spot a 08' Coupe pull up with two cute teenage girls getting out. I immediately asked the driver if it was her dad's car and she said yeah, that he lets her take it out. I asked her if she understood how much power the car had and how it needed to be respected. She seemed to not be phased by it. We talked about the car and the only thing she knew about it was it had 600HP. I don't understand how a father could let his teenage daughter go out for a late-night drive with her friend in a Viper, it's just asking for trouble.

While they're texting and taking pictures of themselves nonstop

 

[Silver04]

I was at a parking lot car meet last summer with a buddy and it was getting close to midnight and the place was packed, close to 400 cars. I then spot a 08' Coupe pull up with two cute teenage girls getting out. I immediately asked the driver if it was her dad's car and she said yeah, that he lets her take it out. I asked her if she understood how much power the car had and how it needed to be respected. She seemed to not be phased by it. We talked about the car and the only thing she knew about it was it had 600HP. I don't understand how a father could let his teenage daughter go out for a late-night drive with her friend in a Viper, it's just asking for trouble.

Forget the car...when my daughter is a teenager and ready to go out, she won't be able to leave the house! Boys are TROUBLE!!

 

[georgethedog]

Just sad, very sad indeed...

Condolences to the family.

 

[SkyBob]

What are your thoughts on needing an ID to vote?

I think it will cut down on the prevalence of ballot stuffing.

 

[Silver04]

I think it will cut down on the prevalence of ballot stuffing.

It is kinda weird that you need an ID to buy beer and **** but not to vote...well, I used to get carded!

 

[WOT!]

The age debate will go on for years. Maybe it shouldn't here, right now. As a Viper family, lets mourn for the drivers family and a tragic loss to both families.

Remember, the odds are good a family member will read this thread. What if you were in their shoes?

Just my .02!

 

[JonB]

ASSuming the unsourced stats below are gospel, the 16-19 stats DONT exceed the 65-75++ total!

Stats below that support my statement. First # represents fatalities (per 000000, second # is non-deaths (per 00). Older drivers are more cautious but more deadly, younglings are both:

19 years old - 38 20
20 to 24 years old 36 14
25 to 34 years old 24 9
35 to 44 years old 20 8
45 to 54 years old 20 7
55 to 64 years old 18 5
65 to 74 years old 18 4
75 years old + 28 4

I agree with the comment about being dead several times over based on decisions I made in my younger days. Very ironic/sad that the kid "borrowed" his folks Viper...

 

[Cobraken]

Stats below that support my statement. First # represents fatalities (per 000000, second # is non-deaths (per 00). Older drivers are more cautious but more deadly, younglings are both:

19 years old - 38 20
20 to 24 years old 36 14
25 to 34 years old 24 9
35 to 44 years old 20 8
45 to 54 years old 20 7
55 to 64 years old 18 5
65 to 74 years old 18 4
75 years old + 28 4

I don't agree with your conclusion. The way I see this is that drivers over the age of 55 are the best drivers. Most of our population might say these are our senior drivers. Most statistics I see from traffic courts support the conclusion that the senior populations are involved in less accidents than our younger drivers..

When I was 18 my car was a '68 GT 500 4spd and I didn't kill myself.

Last year I had a fellow in my court who was 101 years old and had gotten a speeding ticket. I told him I hope to get a speeding ticket when I'm 100.

 

[Silver04]

ASSuming the unsourced stats below are gospel, the 16-19 stats DONT exceed the 65-75++ total!

Um, JonB, you might wanna look at the chart again...If you need help reading it, just holler - You can also go back and delete the thread since we ASSumed you could read before you starting typing...

 

[flatblack]

This is sad to hear and I feel bad for the family. A prayer goes out to them now. I was one of those 16-18 year olds that thought I was indestructible. Im very glad that my poor decisions at that age never hurt or affected anyone, and am thanksful that I learned a valuable lesson from a near death experience.
Hopefully that accident doesn't turn out to be alcohol related.

 

[JonB]

Maybe I stated my point backwards, and am not even sure who / what source? Accidents per 000000 ?? is that per-million DRIVERS?

If so, the 19 yearolds stat ALONE is worse than the 55-74 COMBINED ! ?

Yes, please help me understand the SOURCE....and the 000000 wht? and why 19 stands alone? vs "teens" statement?

 

[ViperGTS]

Supposedly the parents were gone and the son snuck the car out without their knowledge.

That alone shows that the adulthood was far away. Darwin's theory of evolution won once again.

 

[Silver04]

Stats come from National Safety Council via US Census. Data is per 100,000 for first column and per 100 for the second. 75+ is involved in less non-fatal accidents but they are the second-highest category when it comes to deaths. The first row is 19 and under, last row is 75 and above.

I feel for the family, especially since the car was "borrowed".

 

[ViperGeorge]

Stats come from National Safety Council via US Census. Data is per 100,000 for first column and per 100 for the second. 75+ is involved in less non-fatal accidents but they are the second-highest category when it comes to deaths. The first row is 19 and under, last row is 75 and above.

I feel for the family, especially since the car was "borrowed".

So JonB is correct then. The 19 year olds have more accidents and more driving related deaths than any other category including the 75+. Could this be because 75+ drivers don't drive as much or is it because when they do they tend to drive into buildings so their trips are short. Hardly a week goes by without hearing about some old person mistaking the gas pedal for the brake and ending up in a supermarket or something. Usually no one dies though.

 

[viperbilliam]

Most of the over 70 (or even 65) group probably quit driving when they get the message after an incident or two. Note, I said most not all (unfortunately). Young folks obviously aren't going to quit driving, even after wrecks.

 

[brantdw]

Its unfortunate that this young man died and many prayers go out to his family. Just everyone look back and remember the young days in high school with the motorcycles and friends crashing. I was a crazy fool in my younger years. I do remember so many close calls and near crashes that I was lucky enough to get through.

The Viper is a hot potatoe and is not sutable for young drivers without training and skills. I think were now just pounding the issue and repeating the same thing. Hoping the family can recover from this terrible loss.

-B

 

[01rt10outlaw]

sad
Ferris Buelers day off....gone wrong.