Very sad story from another forum

[stumpy]

Just been reading a thread on an American BMW M5 site to do with a high speed crash at 3 am on a runway in Florida. It seems that the car left the end of the elevated runway at full pelt, flew 200ft through the air and hit the top of a tree. All 5 aboard were killed, none of them over 20 years old. The owner was 18 and a member on the forum. Reading his previous posts sends a chill down your spine, as on a few of them he defends driving a 500 bhp car so young by saying he is responsible and will not harm anyone else. Such a tragic story. 5 young lives wiped out. It makes you realise how dangerous cars can be, particularly high powered ones. I have definately slowed as I have got older, and my new purchase is a real pipe and slippers car. I am dreading the day when my son wants his first performance car. I now see why my parents were scared when I was driving a 205 GTi at 17.

Enjoy your cars but stay safe everyone

 

[anyweb]

wow, that's awful particularly for the relatives left behind

do you have a link to this please i'd like to read it

 

[treborsenior]

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=111454

Have a read through

 

[jberks]

Does bring it home. At least here in the UK, insurance companies normally stop kids driving fast cars but in the US, it's almost considered normal for an 18 year old to get their hands on a 5lv8 monster. I watched one of those MTV things recently where a 14 year old skater kid (presumably famous over there) was showing the cameras around his (his dads) house. They normally do a car thing at the end (for the rappers to show off their obscene custom merc) and he proudly showed them the V12 7 series he'd bought from his dad but couldn't drive until his 15th birthday. A 15 year old with his mates in a 750il - Scary. I remember thinking, why doesn't his dad just buy him a gun.

Thinking back, I used to get my hands on my Dad's 380SE and my Mums 318i when I was 18. Those were fair beasts at the time, but I had already cut my teeth on a Lada and subsequently a Vauxhall Viva. Even then I did some crazy things but having mainly driven cars with such low limits, I had at least some respect for the limits of traction and when discovereing them in such cars your speed was still so low, that it was doubtful you'd hurt yourself. So, when pushing the merc and BM I was at least aware of what could happen and that when it did, I wasn't immortal. I never so much as scratched either of them.

Even a Fiesta today would probably outhandle an 80's merc or BM so its scary that when the kids of today hit the limits, even in a basic car, the results are normally far more severe.

Perhaps legistaltion is the only way but I do know one thing. My kids will be presented with a used asthmatic 3 cylinder corsa on their 17th birthdays. There is no way they'll get their hands on the Merc until I'm confident they are mature and experienced enough to handle it.

 

[Splatt]

I am afraid that a lot of kids these days learn the limits of car control the hard way, that is of course if any learning occurs in the few seconds between exceeding the physical constraints and oblivion.
Back in our days we were always aware of such limitations, skinny crossply tyres, weak drum brakes (or no brakes at all if you had gone through a puddle).Three forward gears and no synchro on bottom, low compression sidevalve engines, cart spring suspension. You learnt your roadcraft because you had to coax the car to your destination.
Today, powerful engines, super grippy tyres, competent suspension terrific brakes. They feel there are no physical limitations, and there are probably not at sensible speeds and conditions so they push the envelope more and more and more until they exceed it.
When we made our learning mistakes it was usually at a speed where we lived to tell the tale. Youngsters today probably not. Unfortunately they often wipe out others when they go.

 

[jibcl500]

Sorry no sympathy, you wouldnt give a five year old a loaded gun would you.


jib

 

[100%Bitch]

My sentiments exactly, what a stupid pr@t.

(BMW driver again!)

 

[Juddian]

Tragic though this its not going to be the last.

I agree with many sentiments expressed, and i believe a lot of the problem is as already stated, modern cars are too fast, with superb handling, amazing brakes, and cornering performance that we as youngsters could only wish for.

Unfortunately even though tyre technology has improved, at the end of the day there is still only a dinner plate sized point of contact with the road, and when the roads are salty or slippery with wet or spillage or even just worn out, then tragedy is only a moment away, because the youngsters are lulled into this false sense of security by the car doing everything they want of it, and their speeds and driving technique (foot to the floor maximum revs and wheelspin away from roundabouts etc) may be fine when conditions are good, but maybe they havent learnt as we did driving much more limited vehicles to feel the contact on the road quite the same.

Hope that makes some sense.

 

[verytalldave]

Inevitable given 500bhp + 18 year old inexperienced male driver. Its not difficult to explain is it?

 

[anyweb]

i clicked on the link and read the entire thread and checked out the photos of the deceased boys,

i have three boys and as a parent of course I will do my best to make sure they understand what danger is and how to be careful, but what I do want to say here is that this upset me, the fact that one day a guy is posting on a forum (one week ago) and then boom, he and 4 other kids are dead.

horrible, for the parents and the families involved

i did many silly things when I was that age but thankfully nothing like this, i can only imagine that they all egged each other on to get it to go faster, or something,

if those of you who have no pity can honestly claim that you did nothing stupid or dangerous when you were the same age group then ok i understand your opinion

but to me, I feel that this was a terrible waste of young life.

sad.

 

[100%Bitch]

if those of you who have no pity can honestly claim that you did nothing stupid or dangerous when you were the same age group then ok i understand your opinion

but to me, I feel that this was a terrible waste of young life.

sad.

Well I must have been a goody two shoes or something because at that age I was working for Her Majesty and being very sensible.

I do agree that it is a waste of life but it was his foot and he could have lifted it up at any time. Sorry if I offend anyone but pr@t still comes to mind.

 

[Ultymate]

Well I must have been a goody two shoes or something because at that age I was working for Her Majesty and being very sensible.

I do agree that it is a waste of life but it was his foot and he could have lifted it up at any time. Sorry if I offend anyone but pr@t still comes to mind.

It's alright to say prat so long as it's not your offspring, there but for the grace of God say I

 

[Splatt]

To get philosophical about the event. Dad lends or gives BMW M5 to 18 year old son. Son wraps it around tree killing himself and 4 others .
Moral: If you have got more money than sense spend it on a brain implant first.

 

[jberks]

It is easy to critisise but most of us have been there. I remember going out with a friend who had got his hands on a 2.6 Audi for the evening. It was the fastest thing we'd driven at the time so we decided to find out what it could do, putting it on the downhill stretch of the M62 flat out with me leaning across to see what the speedo was reading (my friend was driving and daren't look as he didn't want to take his eyes off the road). I saw 145 come up before he backed off.
It brought back the memory as I dare say there were similar things going on in that car that night.
There but for the grace of god go many of us.

 

[A210AMG]

I agree that the car he was driving was probably way to powerful for the average 18 year old but we don't know the driver or his family.

That said ANY car driven irresponsibly is a killer.

At least the car he did crash in 'could' have helped save them (multi airbags, traction, good brakes etc)

So its a BMW so what? would it make it any easier if it were a Mercedes??, its a life thats been lost !, Parents without a son, brother or sister without a brother, freinds without their mate.

Just for a minuite perhaps think that could have been your son, or a friend. Its awful and sad.


Lets perhaps be grown ups for a miniute and spare a though for his family and friends.


There is a time to knock other drivers and I don't feel this is it.

 

[stumpy]

I agree that the car he was driving was probably way to powerful for the average 18 year old but we don't know the driver or his family.

That said ANY car driven irresponsibly is a killer.

At least the car he did crash in 'could' have helped save them (multi airbags, traction, good brakes etc)

So its a BMW so what? would it make it any easier if it were a Mercedes??, its a life thats been lost !, Parents without a son, brother or sister without a brother, freinds without their mate.

Just for a minuite perhaps think that could have been your son, or a friend. Its awful and sad.


Lets perhaps be grown ups for a miniute and spare a though for his family and friends.


There is a time to knock other drivers and I don't feel this is it.

+1. Now is not the time.

 

[jubhi]

Very scary, very sad news. I just read it all too, just crazy and unbelievable.

 

[stumpy]

I knew this story would provoke a reaction because of its predictable nature, but for Petes sake, some people should show a little compassion here. The irony is that Josh probably thought an airstrip was the safest place to maxx his car. Better that than the local M25 . But the fact that 5 families and a community has suffered a huge loss just cannot be forgotten imo. And to slate the father for buying / lending him the car in the first place - just like the Mcanns, I'm sure he is more aware than anyone of his mistake.

 

[Splatt]

I have often felt sympathy in road accident situations but reserve it for the innocent who suffer injury or death as a consequence of the actions of the irresponsible.

 

[stumpy]

Exactly, the families involved are all innocent here non? Except perhaps his father