sue&bob

Hiya
Our son passed his driving test about 3 weeks ago,so now he needs to do his 25 hours ( done 11 so far ) but he just cant see danger,he brakes way too late,and we have to tell him to STOP ,he whizzes round corners without looking properly,wont listen to any advice ,his answer is " ive passed i can drive"
I want to drag him down the hospital where he can see other crash victims,and make him realise,but i know that sounds a bit extreme.

We have explained we're not trying to be unreasonable,we just dont want him ending up in hospital,if that happened we would never forgive ourselves
and would be saying we should of done more.

Ive even rang a driving centre where they teach them on skid patches etc,but they wont let him do the course until he has done his 25 hours,by then he wouldnt want to do it,because he will be out loose on his own.
Any ideas would be helpful ,to help our stubbon son..

Cheers
sue

comet555

If you figure he's not driving safely enough then I would not let him drive or get in the car with him until he's willing to listen to your advice.

This is your only chance to have even a little input in the situation. I personally wouldn't get in the car with him if you're worried about your own safety. I think a major sit down discussion is in order about the priveledges (not rights) of driving and the responsibilities that come with it.

fairwayskid

He sounds

Like he is doing fine and driving like the rest of the maniacs on the road here. Wait at the roundabout till you can see the whites of their eyes and then go for it. He will be fine.

Paddy

Ps I know this was of no help.

sue&bob

Thanks for your replys,we have tried to talk to him,and hubby said he wont drive to work with him tomorrow if hes going to carry on like that,
he said " fine i will get the bus"
He even said he will fake the hours in the book,but ive told him if he does i will report him.
Oh paddy like your reply..lol...but no it dont help much...

sue

Rossi

Try smacking him round the head
DO NOT send him on the skid-pan course....... if you think he is bad now, after the course he will think he is capable of handling anything - it's one of the reasons that my company stopped sending us on it ( our accident statistics increased after the course )

He's just your typical teenager and thinks he is invincible....... you could try explaining to him that

The police here in Australia (well, VIC anyway) just love issuing tickets to P platers and try their best to take them off the road in 1 stop, for the same reasons as you state........ they just will not listen.

You could also try having a quiet word with the road safety officer at your local nick to see if there's anything available locally

Stilletto_rebel

Ah, the arrogance of youth...

I hate to say it, but your son sounds like the only way he will learn is to be involved in an accident in which he is to blame. Hopefully, he won't kill himself or anyone else and it will be the necessary wake-up call he needs.

In the meantime, if he's driving your car take the keys off him! Why should you lose your car because of his poor driving? If he's driving his own car he might be a little more careful with it!

Doesn't Australia have an Institute of Advanced Motorists like in the UK? Maybe asking one of them to go for a ride with him might help?

(I'm a Fleet Manager and deal with drivers like your son everyday. In my case however, I have to pick up the pieces and get them back on the road as soon as I can - time off road is lost revenue!).

Cheetah7

Oh dear Sue, my husband passed his test not that long ago, got his P plates as he had done his 25 hours.

He had driven in the UK and his country of birth and was about to sit his UK test when we moved to Oz, hence the reason he didnt have a full permit when we got here.

Just 2 months after he bought his car, he had a major car crash. He had to be cut out of the vehicle and sustained 8 broken ribs down his back, 4 down his front, collapsed lung, 2 blood clots on his lungs, broken shoulder, haematoma on his kidney/adrenal gland, and a broken leg.

Now he had driven before, wasnt hooning, although it was originally thought he missed a stop sign due to bad weather conditions, this was not the case in the end.

Please please show your son this post, make him read it, this message is for your son, tell him that it is no fun being cut out of a vehicle, it is no fun seeing a fast moving 4 x 4 coming towards you, T boning you and you take the full impact, and having people search you for Identity to tell your relatives.

It is no fun having most of the ribs broken on one side and being in such pain that morphine doesnt cover it, being unable to take yourself to the toilet, being told by doctors that if you develop any more blood clots then you might not pull through, having your internal organs so swollen that you look pregnant.

It is even less fun being dependent on your loved ones, being unable to earn money and wondering if you will ever work again.

And most of all, it is bloody heart wrenching seeing those you love totally torn apart by your injuries, planning a future that may or may not include you - depending on if you recover.

The pain you go through when you have a car crash and the flashbacks that follow - your whole life changes in one second.

Your confidence, your dignity and your health - out of the window before you know it.

Hurts? You bet it does mate - in more ways than one, may I suggest you grow up, stop thinking you are invincible and behave like a man, do your supervised hours - its the law and it is in place for a purpose, start driving safely because there are enough idiots on the WA roads without you adding to them.

Cheetah7

Mr PP has just told me I can post a piccie of his car.

Look carefully at the position of the driver seat - it has been shunted almost to the middle with the steering wheel, now imagine the impact that must have gone through him.

Please show your son this photo - apologies if you find it upsetting Sue, but if it can show your Son just how fragile a car is on impact and make him think twice, then its worth it.

ronnie98

dont let him drive on his own

DadAgain

Unfortunately your son is (I'm guessing) a 17yr old male.

Brain development is not fully mature and its INEVITABLE that he wont be able to assess risks vs reward for a few years yet.

When I was 17 I started driving. After a couple of months of racing around like a lunatic in my parents cars I got fed up of asking to borrow theirs and bought my own.

3 months after buying my first car (a 1982 Ford Fiesta) I was racing around the rural backroads of North Hampshire and met somebody coming the other way round a 90degree corner. We met head on - but by the time we collided the speed was sufficiently slow that nobody was hurt. My car was however trashed beyond recovery and I went back to begging my parents again.

My driving habits however DID NOT CHANGE - I still rallied at ludicrous speeds on narrow country lanes. 3 months later after an argument with a girlfriend I drove my mothers car down a hill (in the wet) and saw an oncoming HGV truck turn a corner at the bottom of the hill. I braked and slid gracefully into the FRONT of the truck. The car spun off violently and came to rest on the footpath. I was unhurt. I tried to get out the driver door, but it wouldnt open. I shimmied across to the passenger door and with a bit of force managed to get out. My first thought on looking at the road carnage before me was "oh s**t, mum's going to kill me" (not "f**k I nearly died!").

Once again despite a stern talking to from the police (there were witnesses who commented on my excessive speed) and hell at home for a while my driving still didnt change. I hadnt learnt anything.

Luckily for me I managed to avoid any further collisions whilst I actually grew up and gained some perspective - but I was **this** close to killing myself or others and many occassions.

I dont know what the answer is to young guys driving. The "8ft tall bullet-proof" mentality is just impossible to break down.

Anyone with any good ideas share them! 'cos I know one day, many years from now, my daughters are going to end up in a car with their 17yr old boyfriends - which is a terrifying idea - and my concerns are not only for their innocence! (loss of which is inevitable and beyond my control )

spartacus

Just a suggestion, but perhaps ask him to arrange, and pay for, his own life / permanent disability insurance policy. Also, while he's at it, ask him to make out a legal will.

Bernieboy

hoofie2002

Tell him to go to the rehabilitation wards at Shenton Park Hospital - there are young lads there in their late teens or early twenties who will never walk again [or even feed themselves] due to car accidents.

One of wife's colleagues is a Trauma surgeon who has to try and patch up the mess that's left after someone runs off the road whilst pissed or plain stupid.

Hebe

We don't know the full situation here but if he is dependent on you ie still at school/no money then don't let him drive. I guess he is driving your car? Does he need to borrow the money from you to get his own car? If so then you have total control over when he drives - use it.

Deutschmaster

Buy him a tata Nano for his first car

From wikipedia:


Performance Acceleration: 0-60 km/h (37 mph): 8 seconds
Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph)

No worries about excessive speed