Teenagers: Young drivers are a danger to others

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, January 22, 2003

These kids in their little pea-shooters really need to SLOW DOWN! My wife and I were driving home Friday at about 11:15 p.m. and a whole group of kids in Honda Civics, Accords, and Acuras were all driving towards Oak Harbor on Highway 20 from Sharp’s Corner.

I was behind these delightful youths, and to my great surprise, instead of the mature, law-abiding attitude that one would expect from teenagers who live at home and pay no bills, I was utterly shocked to watch these youths drive like maniacs. They pretty much broke every rule that they should have learned in drivers education that their parents payed for. They must have been rushing home to play their PS 2’s. But here is a message kids:

I am 30 years old and though my wife may not agree, I have grown up. I had three little children in the back of my car (ages 2, 3, and 6) when a red Honda with tinted windows passed me in the Pass Lake area on a double lined highway around a blind corner. I do not need my children’s life to end because some pimple-faced, snot-nosed teenager thinks life is a Sony Playstation game.

Before the red Honda passed me, an Acura passed me while a car was coming in the other direction. The fact that you have a car with an exhaust pipe that is bigger than your car itself, and that you have to rev your car up to 10,000 RPM’s just to pass should shame anyone, but there is a much more important lesson you guys and girls need to learn. I hope you can figure out what it is…but I doubt you will, so I will tell you:

The highways are not race tracks, people (real ones!) die because of actions like the ones you displayed on Friday. I understand you are proud of your cars, they are nice, and the shiny wheels look neat. But please drive safely.

Jimmy Sloan

Oak Harbor