studavis

I recall reading last month a post from one of the E-60 members regarding the M5 that launched off a runway and into a tree, killing all aboard. Autoweek editor Dutch Mandel wrote about the accident in his column this week, and what really caught my eye was his mentioning the forum that the BMW pilot belonged to, and how members gave him advice on how to take it easy. Mandel soft pedaled the fact that a father bought his 18 year old son a 500 horsepower M5, but it really struck me as to the apparent responsibility we have as a "virtual community" on this board. Gave me pause to think about all of the posts we make indicating how fast we go, and how hard we drive our cars, and the message we seem to convey to readers. I have always advocated "drive it like you stole it", but perhaps some caveats need to be placed on our automotive enthusiasm for these wonderful cars for those whom cannnot seem to grasp the simple equation F=M(A).

vrondados

i feel that spirited driving doesn't necessarily mean flooring the gas pedal and seeing how fast you can max out your car, when you buy a bmw you buy it for its handling, speed, comfort, engine, and looks. I dont know or remember all the facts of the story but i do believe the driver had several passengers in the car and was trespassing on a runway that he was unfamiliar with. I have been a member here since sept. and can not recall many, if any, posts that recommend anyone doing this. Any posts that talk about racing or driving recklessly is usually followed by post saying how dumb and unsafe stuff like that is. I feel that this driver was irresponsible and careless. It is a shame what happened to these people but the driver is to blame with no encouragement from the forum.

JSpira

Softpedaled?

JeffNNJ

Similar thing happed about two years ago in Manhattan on the West Side Highway. 17year old was driving his father's CL600 and killed himself and a few friends. Really is a shame. My boys are 15 & 12 and whenever we drive together I try to explain to them the importance of safely and control. They have been grilled endlessly about such things are maintaining safe distance from the vehicle in front of them and avoiding potential dangers. One can only hope and pray. His poor parents.

beaker

While I do feel for his parents, I feel worse for the parents of Josh's passengers. Josh's folks are at least partially responsible for the tragedy - the other parents aren't.

Westcoast M5

You can tell your kids all you want about control, danger, etc....but when you are 18 years old you are immortal (I know I was) and young people lack the judgement and experience to handle a car like that. It is incumbent upon parents and more experienced drivers to limit access to these cars. Let your 18 year old drive the car sure, but only when you are with him.

These unfortunate young people are not stupid, nor did they want to destroy the car, themselves or their friends, in every case they honestly believed they were in control.....sort of like the impaired driver that believes he has the reaction times of formula driver even after 6 beers.

Rudy

In case anyone wants to read the entire article, you can do so by clicking here:
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...16803/1028/FREE

EBMCS03

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nickolas_g

Recently here in Charlotte the drag racer Doug Herbert lost his two sons to driving without care. Perhaps stories like these will give some pause to their own guys their age.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23059830/

studavis

I think that Mandel soft pedaled the contributory negligence aspect of the article. I really would have gone after it, rolled in some seriously prejudicial statements, and ended with something like what this father did was no different than handing a loaded gun to a meth addict. Face it, outside of a couple of thousand people on the planet, few people have any idea what an M5 is capable of, let alone the significance of a car with 500 hp. I won't hand the keys to my 993 to my wife, let alone an 18 year old kid and she has been driving for 20 years. It just irks me, and perhaps I am hypersensitive with a newborn, but the profound waste of human life in this situation is just tragic. I hand it to Dutch, and visa vie Autoweek, because they have made significant strides in increasing teen driving skills through their seminars, and furthering the cause for better trained drivers. I'm climbing off my soap box on this now, but if I were the editor of a major national magazine, I would have railed on this topic like a biting sow.