<p>From the link toledo The driver of the Volvo, 17-year-old Zachary Kimble of Tralee Court in Damascus, was taken to Montgomery General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.</p>
<p>“He was a good driver,” said Ashley Masterson, a friend of the driver’s. “He just got his license two weeks ago I think.” </p>
<p>One of the other teens, 16-year-old Brittany Jones of Ridge Manor Drive in Damascus, remains in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma.posted to the Gaithersburg, Md" crash that killed a 15-year-old passenger:
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<p>Whatever the law in that area would impose, I would as well. Kids need to know that driving a car is not a joke, and that we (as parents) take it very seriously. </p>
<p>There’s a reason the law exists prohibiting non-family passengers for 6 months. And as far as I’m concerned it’s a good one.</p>
<p>OP … Good job. I think all the punishments were just right. I hope you enforce the no-screen time with making him play cards , monopoly, wrap gifts or something with you as well, just so he isn’t isolated. It could be a good thing!</p>
<p>I also pitch in with the <em>what</em> are those parents thinking. Our D’s friends did share rides before they were legal a few times, but not our D (at least that we found out) but I wasn’t surprised at the ones who did. Siblings are allowed here and it was nice to have her drive S to school, but that is the only place I asked her to take him.</p>
<p>And I also chime in with the tragedies that happen to new drivers… beautiful cheer girls, one a brand new driver picked up a friend early one morning (obviously with parents knowlege). Turned into the HS infront of a truck … T boned… 15 yo passenger brain dead. Driver some broken bones, but will (maybe) recover. Who was at fault? Well, it was an accident, a mistake, but a mistake in parenting as welll I think.</p>
<p>Not to minimize the tragedies that happen to new drivers, but what punishments should we as citizens be handing out to adult drivers who talk on their cell phones (not hands free), put makeup on while driving, text message while driving, enter info into their GPS devices while driving, etc. I would imagine they cause quite a few accidents and tragedies too. I see a lot more of those types on the road than out of control new drivers.</p>
<p>Altmom, agreed. The difference is that as adults we take the consequences of our actions. When our kids get into trouble, it’s with OUR CARS, OUR INSURANCE, OUR MONEY, etc. It is a good thing to note for all of us to clean up our own bad habits with our kids getting behind the wheel. To tell them to do as we say, not as we do, is not very effective. I had to add ten minutes to get anywhere when my oldest got close to driving age. I realized that if I sped everywhere, like it was no big deal, it was going to be the same for him.</p>
<p>I was a little surprised to read through this thread and not see a mention of asking the teenager what he thinks the punishment should be. They’re usually harsher than the parent would be, but you always have the option of a stricter or more lenient punishment. The instructor of the driver’s ed class that DS took required students and parents to develop a contract so that the consequences for infractions were predetermined.</p>
<p>ellemenope: we have a family member who is a quadriplegic from a drunk driver, and another that had their 10 year old son killed by a drunk driver. I suspect it is the #1 reason my D (now 20) decided that driving just wasn’t for her (after her 3rd professional lesson). Lucky for her she now goes to school/lives in NYC…no car needed there.</p>
<p>altmom, you are so right. I once looked in my rearview mirror only to see the driver behind me had food in one hand, cell phone in the other…and ELBOWS on the steering wheel. I prayed they wouldn’t hit me.</p>