Why do young people think theyre immortal??

[tea lady]

Considering the massive travesty that has just taken place, I cannot believe you posted that. And adding a few thumbs up makes it worse

Me neither. Although I know you would be careful Calm (and you are obviously an VERY experienced driver ), there are others who could be there and wouldn't be expecting the speed.

Although I have also been guilty of speeding. Less so these days. Having a Camry takes care of a lot of it. And having other priorities, and other thrills in life. (Fast spinning wood yeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaah! )

[FRB Design]

Sadly it will never happen that everyone abides by the road rules and tragedies such as these will not cease to happen.

And sorry Calm but putting into print ( i often get 160 or even 180 in the quiet night on the freeway heading home to Ballarat ) is as irresponsible as the driver involved.

[Ian Smith]

Ian, you should check FC's age, he's 16. Perhaps he's speaking as a responsible teenager.

John,
Yeah I've often wondered about that - I 've watched most of his posts and he's either a very mature 16 year old or he's lying through his teeth - my money is on the latter.

However, even if I'm wrong it doesn't alter the fact that what he said lacks understanding/experience, and it raises the spectre of the attitude that if something bad happens to me then I must be able to blame somebody else for it.

Ian

[Groggy]

FC is a pretty sensible guy from what I have seen (yes, I've met him).

[ozhunter]

This is one of my pet hate subjects.

I believe the root of this problem is on many levels.

Most people try to the right thing with their kids, but at the end of the day you can only do what you can do.

One thing that is sadly lacking in kids nowadays, is lack of respect. When I was a kid, we got some pretty good hidings, and deserved it too. None of us ended up being armed robbers or drug addicts or murderers or child molesters because of it.

We were terrified of the local copper in the small country town I grew up near. We knew that if he caught us up to no good, not only would he give us a kick up the #### but then he'd drag us home so we could get the feather duster, or the belt or a slipper or whatever was handy. No serious physical damage was ever inflicted, but we have respect for the law, for our elders and our parents and our peers.

Kids today know that the police won't touch them, nor will a lot of parents (I have smacked my kids and will again if the situation is warranted) they get told this stuff at school. on the television and from other parents from a very early age. The net result is they have no respect. How many teenagers have you seen that will consistently stand so an elder or another adult can sit. I tried to bring my son up (he's 19 now) like this but he won't get out of a chair for an elder unless I give him "the look".

There are a lot of people who have children who don't have respect for themselves, so their off spring don't have any chance. Their should be a test before becoming a parent.

We were bought up that children should be seen and not heard. We were allowed to voice our opinion, but god help you if you butted into a conversation or disrespected an adult. Now, have a listen to the way kids talk to their parents when your in town next.

There have been a lot of things like this happening in recent years. About 18 months ago, when there was talk of stopping young people from driving certain types of cars to try and slow them down. In our local paper there was a flood of whinging from the local boy racers. Saying things like "Oh, like, how am I suppose to, like, learn to drive fast if I'm not allowed to own a fast car. We'll just go and, like, do it anyway, whether it's legal or not" Another one said "Oh man, I couldn't live without mu xyz fast car, it's like, everything to me."

And when someone does have a cock-up, they are not prepared to take responsibility for their own actions. A while ago, there was a 14 or 15 year old girl on the news who had had to file for bankruptcy. She had run up a three or four thousand dollar phone bill. She said on the news "Oh, I'll just fix it up with bankruptcy, lots of kids are doing it now" Then the mother started, "I blame the phone company for this." Yep, the phone company made that girl run that bill up, just to get more money. HELLO Make the little troll pay the money back through community work, or giving out food to the homeless or picking up the crap that piles up on the side of the road. Make her do something that will remind her for a long time how stupid she was.

And street racers, does anyone remember the outcry from the boy racers when it was suggested anybody convicted of street racing should have their car crushed. and make them push the button to do it.

I don't know the answer, I have tried to bring my kids up as respectful, productive, good human beings. My son is a good kid, but he is infected to some extent, he carried on a right treat when he got booked for 10 k's over on his way home from work. I reminded him how tired he would get of the look of the inside of a bus for over an hour a day, 5 days a week for 6 months if he got caught again. He seemed to see my point. My daughter is just at the age when she is testing her boundaries and giving lip. I have been pretty hard on her and it's working. She is very polite and respectful to her elders (except SWMBO and I every now and then. But once they get out of the home environment, it is out of our control.

Sorry for the rant

[tea lady]

FC is a pretty sensible guy from what I have seen (yes, I've met him).

Me too. And a few others of us. And yes! He is young. (But maybe not 16 anymore. )

[ozhunter]

Sadly it will never happen that everyone abides by the road rules and tragedies such as these will not cease to happen.

And sorry Calm but putting into print ( i often get 160 or even 180 in the quiet night on the freeway heading home to Ballarat ) is as irresponsible as the driver involved.

[dj_pnevans]

Well said ozhunter.
David

[graemet]

The ironic thing was that Channel 7 showed an ad for Ford featuring the XR6 immediately following the news item tonight!

[Wood Borer]

You may be correct about your comments directed at young people but have you forgotten what it is like to be young?

Did you current oldies when you were young ever listen and take notice to old pharts rattling on about every possible topic ranging from sex to rock and roll?

I didn't, in fact I probably did quite the opposite to their advice just to stick it up them. Was that silly? Probably just as silly as the identical actions of all previous generations.

Do you really think young people are going to take notice of all the advice when you and I took no notice when we were young?

Of course it is horrific to hear of the loss, of course it was possibly due to human error and poor decisions but making laws and thinking up punishments will probably be as effective as it was when we were young and immortal.

I spoke to my father about this topic this evening and although he is now 86 he too recalls not taking much notice of the oldies when he was young.

I can vouch for Funky Chicken's age also.

[Waldo]

On a side note to the tragedy and allow me to digress.

I find it laughable and beggars belief that RACV made a call for trees in known blackspots (if I have the story right) that trees should be cut down a distance from the road so in the event of a car going off the road it is less likely to hit a tree.

What the hell ? What about power poles? I'm sure more of them are hit by cars than much else.

Nothing can be done about a moments carelessness. I'm worried every time my SWMBO goes out on the road with the kids, not for her driving but all the nutters on the road. When driving with my family I'm more worried about their safety and you have even more care to drive properly.

But get a few kids (I reckon I was pretty immature on the road until I was about 21 myself at times) in a car a you quickly lower the collective I.Q. (dependent of course on the type of kids).

[Lignum]

I think the Hoon legislation needs to be beefed up. Just to impound a car for 48 hours is a joke. It needs to be 12 weeks first offence, and the car crushed for the second offence.. Its almost bragging rites now days to have it impounded for 2 days.

[Waldo]

I think the Hoon legislation needs to be beefed up. Just to impound a car for 48 hours is a joke. It needs to be 12 weeks first offence, and the car crushed for the second offence. Its almost bragging rites now days to have it impounded for 2 days.

[Ian Smith]

Did you current oldies when you were young ever listen and take notice to old pharts rattling on about every possible topic ranging from sex to rock and roll?

I didn't,

....and neither did I, but when things turned to shyte because a bad decision I had made I took it on the chin and did not cast about for someone else to blame it on, and that was the point I was making about FC's post.

Several folks have confirmed FC's age, thank you, so I stand corrected but stand by my comment

Ian

[Lignum]

Heard a bloke on the radio today with the suggestion that for the first offence, the car should be spray painted bright pink (at the hoons expense)

imagine a tough young hoon in his hotted up Subaru driving around in a pink car… lol. That would deter any young macho rev head hoon