Dilemma - my 16-year old
 

My son and I have been building up an 88GT since last August - it's been on the road now for a couple of months. During the whole process of building this car - my son and I have talked about racing. There's a right place to race and a wrong place to race. We have a straight-line track not more than 20 miles from our house.

Well - my son and one of his buddies were doing a little cruising and my son was asked by a ricer, "do you wanna race". Well that's where things started going down-hill. They raced down a somewhat secluded residential road - and apparently a goose was in the middle of the road - causing both drivers to lose control. The ricer got the worst of it and jumped the median strip across the other lanes - luckily no oncoming cars. My son was able to hold the pony from crossing the median strip but did hit a curb at 60+ mph - blowing the front time and wheel. Don't know if anything else was damaged as yet.

Both drivers were charged with wreckless driving - luckily the cop cut them some slack and didn't write them up with wreckless driving & racing.

Here's my dilemma - we've told him that if there was any racing on the streets, or wreckless driving with the car his license is ours. He's got a July court date and could lose his license after the court date. Not sure what to do long-term with my son and the mustang. My wife didn't want us to get the car - as she was always against a 5.0 for a 16-year old. There are a few options that I'm considering - selling the car(least favorite as I enjoy the time with my son working on the car), continue fixing it up and not allowing him to drive it for a while, taking it off the road and making it solely a weekend straight-line car. Has anyone on this BBS experienced a similar dilemma with their son?

Well, you son made a mistake, everyone does. However, you had already discussed street racing with him, he did it anyway. I'm sure it was harmless enough, but he still did it. I would not sell the car, however I would keep it has a weekend car for yourself, and after a period of time(and I'm not talking about like 2 weeks, I mean a good while) give it back or sell it back to him.

16 and no self-control
 

Take it off the road and make it a weekend straight-line car.

This way, you get to work on it with your son, he can still enjoy the car but the dangers and temptations of street racing are eliminated.

Frankly, your son proved beyond a doubt that he is too immature for this car on the street. Yes, the ricer challenged him but he could have said 'no', but didn't. Now, he has to pay a price. That's real life; actions have consequences. Often unpleasant. Lesson learned?

Frankly, 16 is very young for a modified Mustang and 16 is also very young to expect an adult level of maturity when tempted by another teenager wanting to race.

Some adult judgement was needed here, too. As it stands, the car is damaged, your son has legal problems and making the 'Stang a track car is probably the best compromise you can strike, in my opinion.

While I dont have any kids, and probably wont in have any, I still have some suggestions and possibly insight.

I personally feel that a stock, let alone modified Sports car (5.0, LS-1, 4.6 GT's, Cobras) is a bad choice for someone who's just got his license. For several reasons.

Experience. Ability to deal with situations sprung on you in a split second where one delayed reaction or false move can mean serouis injury, money, and most importantly...Death. Any Vehicle can hydroplane, slide on ice, or have a blow out, but having 240+ RWHP with a limited slip, or locking diffrential and a driver with little expereince can cause some problems there alone.

AGE=Maturity. No offense to your son, we all make mistakes, Trial and error is the best teacher, but I know I was not mature enough to handle a powerfull car. And after I was almost killed in an accident when I was 16, I saw that I didnt need a powerfull car till I learned to handle what I have (Which at the time was a 64 1/2 coupe with a 170 Straight 6, still have it..In storage) No matter how much you tell a person something, no matter how many pictures you show them, or how many personal stories or experiences you tell them, Most will have to find out the hard way.

Maybe this experience for him was for the better. WOuldnt you rather of had him had this one bad racing experience (Was it his first race??), and learn from it, and possibly shy away from street racing, than have had him win...And get hooked, and get a little to secure with safety?

Possibly the damage to the car, the ticket, the possible loss of his license will be enough to show him this is serouis. And that he could of been serouisly hurt, or hurt someone else.

I share a similar opinion with MR 5.0 when it comes to what to do with the car. Make it a Strip car, you all can still work on it, and he can learn about racing in a "Safe" enviornement. Possibly get him a 4cyl Stang, or a V6 stang, or a what ever you want to get him:D

My advice is somewhere in between. I feel that your 16 year old son has probably learned a lesson.

My advice is to continue to let him drive the car, but maybe make him work to pay the fine.

You and your son could go to the track on Friday nights occasionally so he could race legally and relatively safely.

That would let you spend even more quality time with him and would set a good example as well.

Rev

So did he beat that ricer?

My dad let my brother start driving his 97 T/A 6speed and I begged him and begged him Not to cause I let him drive my 12sec gt once and he couldn't deal with it. ( i know sorta different but not much) My brother at the time was heavily into the party, drinking, and trying drugs cause all his friends where doing it. Well they have a court date now and my dad finally began listening to me and won't let him drive the t/a. He is was to immature for it and he tries to race the car he drives now (4beater) against SS, Cobras and anything else. Which included almost hitting a cop one day.

You layed the rules down now you have to enforce them PERIOD. The problems that steam from my brother is cause my dad who "SAY" he was going to take his liscense and the car away but he never did. It maybe harsh but make it a weekend racer and let him drive it at the track but no car on the road. If you don't back up what you say he will run a mile with what little slack you cut him.

There is another lesson to be learned here. While hitting the goose might be unpleasant, it would not be a catastrophe. Bent grill, bloody radiator, dead goose, etc.

Rev

My parents waited until i was 17 and had already had a year of driving under my belt before they let me buy my car. I drove an 86 olds cutlass all through my junior year of high school. I bought my stang in september of this year and i am graduating this year :D . At the time of driving the olds i wasnt liking my parents decision but in turn i think it was a good one. After hearing so many tales of 16 y/o's who just got thier license and have a fast car wrecking it, i can see that it probably could have been me.

So i think you should keep it as a weekend toy and get him something slower to drive until you know that he has more experience behind the wheel.

Later,
Nick

Tough decision. Mr. 5.0 gave the most sensible advice. I happen to be a little more strict. You laid down the rules. You two have had the talks. Like it or not, your son chose to completely disregard everything you've talked with him about. My choice would to be to sell the car. Make sure he's there to watch it go too. You have to let him know what he did is unacceptable. I'm sure you two do other things together that you enjoy. Sell the car and buy a new bass boat. Everytime he steps foot on the boat he'll be reminded of what he did. After one or two fishing seasons he might be ready for another car.

His license is as good as gone anyway. The state DOT is going to yank his license when he's convicted. Reckless driving is considered at least a misdemeanor, and I've never heard of a state that wouldn't revoke, or at very least suspend a license for 30 days to 6mo. I have no doubt the prosecutor is going to try and throw the book at him and make an example out of him with all this anti-street racing sentiment currently going around. What you need to do now is some research on the subject. I'd take his keys simply because you said you would. You have to stick by what you say. Realize you gave your son a car that was built to go fast, and perform. Telling him not to use the car as it was designed is probably a little short sighted.

I agree that a modified 88 GT is probably not a wise choice for the first time driver. It just has too much under the hood. What you do with the car is your choice. I don't know what a semi-residential street is, but there aren't too many of those suitable for much street racing, period. By the way, if a goose is in the road and you have nowhere to go, you turn it into road jerky. It's something he should have been taught in drivers ed. Make sure he is better versed on what to do in emergency situations.

Best of luck to you,

Kell

Don't feel too bad about the rim and tire; I hit a curb at 25-30 and blew the tire and destroyed the wheel. If that's all that happened to the car at 60mph, your son is very, very lucky.

Both my boys as teenagers had accidents. To me, that's pretty much a given. I think that's quite often the case.

My hope is that they (teenagers) will gain some insight and experience from these mishaps.

Why don't we parents try to help them benefit from these mistakes rather than just punish them?

Rev

I would say that since you had the talk with him and very clearly laid down the rules, that you have to stick to it...DON'T let him drive the car again...ever. Keep the car for weekend warrior for yourself if you can afford it, make him deal with the consequences of his actions, and make him buy his own car when he gets his license back if he loses it....good luck.

Thanx everyone - good input from all. I've already taught my son how to handle any car when it spins out. I was planning on taking my son up to a local road-race course where they offer aggressive driving for teens.

We did take his license away right after the wreck and don't plan on giving it back until after the court date in July.

We're going to wait till after his court date before we make the final decision on the car. According to the cop - because he's a juvenile, he'll be required to take a driving course and after completion he will get his license back and no nothing on his record.

According to the prosecutor, and the police, my friend wasn't going to lose his license for fleeing a few years back. It wasn't their call to make, it was the DOT. Unfortunately, when the DOT revokes a license for a juvenille, it's usually until they turn 18. Make sure you find out what the laws are on your own. You definately want to know the facts when you see the arraignment officer.

You can be strict without selling the car...

Actually, having the car chill in the garage with NO driving priveleges would probably be a more effective lesson than just making it disappear (out of mind, out of sight, etc).

Commenting on earlier posts, I started my driving career with a 4 banger, then moved to a 6, and then to my GT and notch :D Yeah, I probably could have handled a V8, but it was nice to be able to get some driving experience without worrying about losing control of a RWD car with a good amount of HP.

It pretty much sounds like you know what you are going to do, and I'd never try to suggest any advice to a person already brave enough to have a teenager in the house ;) But I will wish you the best of luck, and let us know how it goes in July!:)

Belle

Being the oldest of 5, (who are mainly teens now). I've seen it all. haha! With my own, my hubby and I began teaching our little girl from the wee age of 1, DO NOT directly disobey. To knowingly do something that you were specificly told not to do by a disciplining authority. i.e. Us, Grandparents, Teachers.

She is given a lot of freedom, she is given a lot of say, and she's a wonderful, well behaved 8 yr old. She knows that certain rules, like yours on street racing, are guaranteed the highest form of punishment because if she broke one of them, she'd be directly disobeying us.

You and your wife probably don't expect much more from your teen than good grades, taking out the trash, and the specific rules like above. Therefore, I think you are doing the right thing by not letting him slide. Too many teens do these days. Besides, he needs to think of how he'd be paying if he'd killed someone in that race...i.m.o. he got off easy.

In the end, you might save his life...and/or someone else's because of your choice. Thanks. Because while I drive home with my daughter in tow, I praise parents like YOU when some teen blows past us in a car he's not experienced enuff to handle.

I do believe that you should work on the car for weekend track visits, ect. Especially with a teen boy, you can never have too many things to spend time on - together. Good luck to you. :)

I disagree with almost everyone here.

I would do everything I can to help your son to not loose his liscense in court. Having you on his side to help him will let him know you care for him and are there to back him up.

Of course you need to punish him and let him know what he did was wrong and you arent happy about it. But dont you think he already knows that? Hes going to have to deal with the consequnces of his actions, and Im sure hes learned his lesson.

My best advice is to drive the car around with him and make sure he is able to handle it.

Sure he directly disobeyed you, but we all have to learn from our own experience. How many times did you do what your parents told you not to do? Atleast he wasnt out selling drugs or stealing.
It definatly was poor judgement on his part, but with having a fast car this is something he will have to deal with, and learn to keep it to the track only.

I think being firm, but leanient will get the most respect from you son and keep him on the right track.

DONT LET HIM LOOSE HIS LISCENSE OR HIS CAR.

Skyler

I'm a little confused here and I'm not trying to flame anyone.

What on earth did you think a 16-year old was going to do with a 5.0 Mustang? I know why I bought mine. Probably the same reason 95% of us own one..... PERFORMANCE.

If you give him the car back, he will race it again. He learned a valuable lesson early. You really should've expected this (racing not wrecking) to happen. Don't be too rough on him.

Cobra:

What I expected was working with him keeping his head and not racing on the streets. We've discussed many scenerios where he would be sitting at a traffic light and a ricer with a big wing will come rolling up and egg him on to race. We've talked about the correct way to go is -I will race you but on my terms - on a straight line track... We discussed getting involved with local Mustang clubs - who go to the track on a regular basis to get his wild-ride-race oats out at the track.

My son has a good head on his shoulders - but he's almost 17 and still a teenager. He's got a lot of experience driving as he's been driving since he was about 10 - not on the road of course!

Hopefully this will pass and he will learn a valuable lesson in life. One quick brain-fart can mess up your life for a long,long, time.

Mustang_289, I would like to raise one question. What would have happened if it had been you that was driving the 88GT (without your son present) on that "somewhat secluded residential road" when the ricer made the challenge?

I know what would have probably happened had it been me. Of course, I would have smacked the goose, fixed the grill, and that would have been the end of it.

Rev

I cant believe all the hard nosed opinions that I am reading here. Sell the car? Keep it but dont let him drive it? Man, the kid runs in to some bad luck and you guys want to damm him forever. The last thing you want to do is break the kids spirit. There are alot worse things that this teenager could be doing.

Nobody even mentioned the fact that since the ricer suffered the most damage, maybe Mustang_289's son did a hell of a job of driving to avoid the medain!

I agree with the few others who said keep the car. Let him drive it. Be thankful that you and your son can enjoy this hobby together.

The only mistake in this situation was the goose being in the middle of the road. If the race would have ended without incident, would it still have been a mistake?

My first car was a 302 Capri with a SROD 4 speed. I was 16. I have been driving for 13 years and still have never been in an accident. Were my parents stupid for buying me the car that I wanted? (even though according to some of you, a teenager has no business being in a performance car) No, they werent. They knew (just like Mustang_289 knows about his son) that I had a good head on my shoulders.

Guess what my twin boys are going to be driving in 9 years when they get their licenses. If they are as good then as they are today, they will be driving whatever they want!

andy

It's pretty simple in my opinion. A rule was made, a punishment for breaking the rule was set. He broke the rule, and got caught. Now, does the parent wimp out, and let his son know his dad doesn't back up what he says? Like I said, Mustang_289 pretty much dug himself a hole for the current situation. If you're gonna set punishment in stone, you not only set it for the child, but for yourself. I hate it when I see parents tell their child what is going to happen if they break rules and then back out of it.

As mentioned earlier, a Mustang 5.0 is a performance car, and the reason you get a performance car is to use it. There are people who only run at the track, but that rule is tough to follow. Even for most adults.

I really think investigating the punishment from the state in regards to reckless driving is worth some time. Maybe you can plea it down to careless? Bottom line there is no way out of the ticket. The only chance there is, is to get the prosecutor or arraignment officer to plea it down big time. I don't know what the rules are in the state for a minor in regards to license suspension and revocation.

What if the duck had walked out even if he wasnt racing. Could have been the same result.

Go easy on the kid man. C'mon have some heart, think if it was you in the situation and what you would want done. Be firm and gentil. Help him w/ the ticket, and let him keep the car. Im sure hes learned his lesson on street racing.


How many times did you street race in the past?

SKyler

Its not really a matter of the duck, or the damage done during the race. Sure if the goose, or duck or what ever wasnt there, PROBABLY none of this would of happened. But It did happen. One can always "What If" a situation to death, but it doesnt change what had happened.

The point is, the son was doing something that he was told not to. Its about defying Trust, not about an animal being in the road, not about the damage done. That animal has as much right bieng on the road, if not more, than the right of the two kids racing.

Your son was lucky. Racing on the street, and accidents caused by racing on the street dont usually have such an outcome.

While some may be born with cat like reflexs, forsight, and intutions, some are not.

While I'm not against street racing by any means (That would be really really hypacritacal of me), I paid my duse. I started off with a car that couldnt even go fast..Had trouble going 70. After I got the feel, I graduated up to a V8 64 1/2, then I got into a new GT.

One must find his own limits before finding the cars. Most peoples limits fall far short of the car they are driving.

I assume the car is under your name and you are the one who purchased the car to begin with, right? Are you also paying for the insurance? I agree with your decision to take his license until after the court date. I don't expect them to take his license if its his first offense - maybe a suspension and defensive driving school, but it will stay on his record for a while. Does he have a job? Make him pay for the repairs, and if you let him drive it again, at least make him pay for his own insurance (not under your name - that will teach him the benefits of safe driving:D ). I'm sure he scared the hell out of himself and will think twice before doing something like that again, but a mustang is definately too powerful for an unexperienced driver who can't resist peer pressure. There are exceptions to every situation, however.

I've been driving mustangs since I was 16, but I bought it myself and paid for my own insurance(under my father's name). I'm 21 now and have never got a speeding ticket or had an accident....in a mustang:p

1st, id hope he was wearing a seat belt.

Id expect to be punished for breaking the rules, even if they might be a little harsh. He knew what they were before it happened. It depends on what kind of kid he is and how sorry he is. If you hadn’t said anything before, id say take his car rights away for 3 weeks because when your 16 and in school, and since he has the taste of driving already, it’d be an eternity to him. And on top of that, he has to pay the fine and wheel costs before he can drive, and that should hurt a bit. But don’t sell the car if you like it.

Oh boy, with the "give em a break" attitude, I can't wait to see how YOUR kids take the teen years :rolleyes: Someone's getting walked over :D

Not only that, he didn't ask for people's opinions on his parenting. He asked if any other parents had ALREADY been through the same situation. Everyone seems to know exactly how to raise a kid...

Stick to the topic, and ya'll need to stop dishing it on the poor guy. He chose to set a VERY OBVIOUS rule, and the kiddo willfully ignored it. ****, when I did that type of crap, I paid the price, and so will he.

Let me answer a few of the questions posted - if it were me behind the wheel and a ricer challenged me, I would stick to my guns - that I've talked to my son about. Racing is great if it's done the right way on the track. I'm sure we'll all agree - s*** happens - and too many unexpected things can happen like a goose taking a walk on the wild side.

I would not race him on any residential road period. Now if we were on an open road highway and the challenge occured - I would punch it to see who's got it. I've also explained to my son that if he's going to punch it - and I surely expected him to - take it on the highway, where these unexpected things are greatly reduced.

My son has a job, pays his own insurance. No matter what happens to any of my kids - taking words from an ole country song - "A dad's love will never end" and both my wife and I fully intend to support him in court. I must say for a 16/17-year old he's pretty responsible and does have a good head on his shoulders. Looking over the accident scene and hearing what happened from both drivers - my son did a great job holding tough with the stang.

I have been working him with the car, shifting handling etc, so I have to say it's more advanced in driving skills than other 16-year olds. Man - he was backing up his grandfathers tractor into the storage shed- with a tow cart behind it at the age of 7-8. I know many adults today that can't back up a trailer period.

I've looked at the laws in my state and looks like a first offense will not cause him to lose his license for any period of time. He will have to take a driver improvement course. I have also encouraged my son to do the research and find out what the laws are to be prepared for the court day.

This was my point exactly. I have certain rules that are NOT to be broken, usually set in place for a good reason, many that could save her life. Not to be unfair, controlling, a Grinch, etc. How is she supposed to respect me if I don't follow through on my own rules? I wouldn't have respected my mom if she backtracked. I kept my nose clean as a teen because I knew my butt was grass if I broke those key rules. Looking back, I know they kept me alive too.

Will you adopt me too? ;) Your hard working, responsible son is a reflection of good parenting. He made a mistake, made it out in one piece, and you just want to be sure it doesn't happen again. It's obvious you just want to do right by him...He will be the one respecting that as an adult. I know I do my own parent. :)

Good luck on the court date, I sure would hate to see him lose his license...especially after working so hard to get there. :( Maybe it will be just a good scare, one that will keep him on the right track no pun intended :p in the future! Be safe! Nic

Wow, good deal that your state is leaniant on Reckless. Here in Minnesota reckless is considered a gross misdemeaor, equal in respect to punishment compared to fleeing a police officer until a couple years ago when fleeing became a felony. A reckless charge for a minor here results in revocation until the age of 18, same as being pulled over under the influence of any alcohol or drugs if I'm correct.

Insurance companies treat reckless and careless the same as far as points ratings in many cases, so keep an eye out on the insurance bill.

His first court date will not be a trial, it will be an arraignment. The arraignment officer or prosecutor has some capability to plea bargain. I suggest your son make the most of it. If the prosecutor throws a deal his way, take it. Like I said before, there is no reason to go to trial on this one, cause the ticket is gonna stick. Best case scenerio is the prosecutor is in a good mood and plea bargains it down to unreasonable accleration (unlikely), or careless driving (more likely). Go for a trial date if he doesn't give you anything. Meet with him before the trial and try to get him to knock it down again at the next court date. If he doesn't do it, just take it in the rear and save yourself a few hours of waiting. Might be worth it to stick around the courtroom though. You can get a feel for what works, what doesn't, and how hard nosed the judicial system is. Gets the idea of tickets magically disappearing out of kids heads.

Well, let's look at both sides:
He disobeyed your request for him to drive resposibly in the car and you made it clear going in that he would lose his license. You made the rule, now you must stick to it if you are going to retain credibility in what you say to your son reguarding disipline. He didn't take you seriously this time and decided to street race.

Other side, he is safe and unharmed so you could modify the disipline by making him drive a junker and make the Mustang a "drag strip only" car. That is probably what I would do. The point remains that there must be disipline. Remember when making decisions about disiplining your children, they have to be decisions YOU can live with as well.

Good luck and keep us updated.

My bet is that he will get off with having to take a defensive driving class, and that will end the legal aspect.

I know that I'm in the minority here as to opinions. From what I've heard so far, Mustang_289's son is an excellent example of a responsible teenager. I think he learned a lot from what happened, and will actually benefit from the experience (not that we want accidents).

I believe he will learn more from what actually happened than he ever would from punitive actions (some seem extreme to me, selling the car,etc.).

I've already said most of that before. All I can really say, is that both my boys turned out well without me playing the excessive authoritarian role.

Rev

not all teens are the same..i was a teen when i got my stang...it was my first car...my mom didnt want me to get it but my dad let me...sure iv got pulled over a few times for speeding and once for spining my tires but other then that i keep it safe and use my head...

my mom said when i first got it that id either be in trouble all the time with it or id wreck it..and i proved not to either of those things...all though that car has greatly improved my driving skill...you dont drive a rear wheel drive V8 modifyed sports car the same as a normal car in wet weather...on a highway during heavy rain with flooded over parts of road...or spring time flurrys...found out the hard way on a few occasions...wet weather...whiping a fishy and not knowing what i was doing..ended up over the curb in someones front yard..had to drive down the side walk to get out:rolleyes: spring time flurry..."oh ..winter is over" going up a hill doing 55...snowing lightly but not sticking...but wait what about a bridge...yup..you guessed it...hit the bridge...back tire starts spinning...posi kicks in...start going sideways...other side hit nonicey road...whip it sideways a few more times slide sideways half in ditch then back on to road...get home...check car...no damage just some grass and rocks in tire/rim..go inside and clean out my pants

point is...do i think you should take his license away...NO..why...you dont get better at something by not doing it...he needs to drive to get experience...all these young kids say "o i can drive good im a good driver" no your not...you have to experience things to learn...you tell your kid.."hey..even if its snowing and its melting right away bridges and underpasses can be slippery" dont matter..a 16 year old kid is going to be like..yea whatever...im 16 and i know it all.....

punishment wise..id give him his licence back..so he can drive to go to a freinds house or to get something from the store or whatever...not the stang that is...and id let him drive that again..not soon...cause if he ever gets his own he will have to learn how to handle something like that eventually anyway..so id say....3 months no stang driving...

i just think its dumb to take a kids license away..iv had freinds with parents that did that..but worse..like any little thing they did wrong they would take there license...lets think about this...how do you learn how to drive...you take behind the wheel course in school..and what do you do in that course...you "drive"...when you preparing to get your license what do you do....you "drive"

The End

He's probably already afraid to race again, but that shouldn't excuse what he did one bit. So i suggest you make sure his driving privalages are as limited as you can make them. When my brother got his first speeding ticket he was only a senior in highschool and the only driving he could do in the 5.0 was to and from school and to play taxi for his brothers...NOTHING beyond it. Someone suggested taking it off the road and making it only get used for racing. That's a good idea, if you want to buy your son something else (if he'll even still have his license after the court appearance), but otherwise what you need to do it make that GT slow. Add a rev-limiter, throw in crappy gears, do something to make that car no faster than a toyota. Then he won't want to race it because it wouldn't be fast enough, plus he doesn't deserve the respect of a full mustang anymore by street racing, especially when his parents drilled into his head, "NO RACING".

These are my 2cents...keep in mind I'm 18, have two brothers and we all got out chance to drive the 5.0 for a year. (My brother brother is just now beginning that year though.)

Good luck,
Jonathon

I was involved in an accident last year. The cop that was there issued me a failure to yield, which in Missouri for me meant 1 year in jail or 1 grand in damages, or both. My mom has Pre Paid Legal, which has become useful to us on two different occasions. We got a lawyer and got it reduced to just paying court costs and no points against my license and no ticket. The kicker was that I had to have 1 year unsupervised probation. Not so bad. I've been off it since September.

As far as the car, you could make it a weekend only car for your son, or you could sell it outright. I'm not going to say that at age 16 that your kid shouldn't have a modified muscle car, but they need to be responsible. Your son didn't show it that night that he raced after you talked to him about it.

Daniel.

Back when I was 16, I had a 85 crown vic. I still managed to find a straight road and some adolescent adrenaline (killed the tank). I was no where near mature enough for any car (no 16 year old is). I am smarter with my cars now, but I still manage to get myself in trouble sometimes on the street. Owning a quick mustang street car is a viscous circle as long as S*it talking rice is around. Some guys never grow up ;-)

Smiff

lol..the civics in town make wooden or carboard cutouts and put them on their hoods? "woo! i'm a cool mustang, la la la la"

Tough call ... to soft and he'll go right back out and do it again. To harsh and you'll turn him into a rebel and he'll be on a first name basis with every cop and judge within 50 miles of you.
Like many have said here, he has to know about consequences, but if you're going to be realistic, he has to know the world and its rules are made of compromise also.
I like the idea of turning it into a strip only car. You get to keep that closeness you have with him, and keep something in common between you, and keep an eye on whats going on in his life too, and at 16 thats of prime importance because this isn't the only mistake hes gonna make!

To all the people that think they have it all covered racing down a residential street ... a freekin goose !! did anybody think of that one ahead of time ?? and it could have just as easily been a child !
I'm a little troubled by the attitude of some i'm picking up that makes it sound like it would have been ok to do what he was doing if only he'd been a bit more experienced with a high performance car ? This goose thing should bring home the fact that there are unforseen things that can happen at speed that could cause even Dale Earnhart to run into a wall, if you catch my drift (pun intended). As far as him being in a lower performance car making a difference ... thats what was racing against him right ??
Keep a close eye on him ... what he does after this scare and all this hassle is extremely important. Did he learn from it or is he just brushing it off ? If you catch wind of him getting involved in that behavior again ... then you have every reason and even a responsibility to pull out all the stops and lower the boom on him hard !

im not a father, i am actually only 21 but i was in the same boat as him, i lost my license from 17-20 i acquired over 30 tickets between the age of 16-17 i bought my first car 67 fastback w/306 went 13.0's(at the time that was REALLY fast) and all hell broke loose, my dad didnt give a shiI what i did, as long as he didnt have to spend any money to get me out of trouble, i have been street racing since the age of 16, there are two drag strips-us41 and one in wisconsin that me and my friends frequent now they have "street car chaos" and "real street drags" they keep the track open until 3:00am and after 12:00 its legal street racing at the track, you can spot people out, go off a flag or light, its really a great program that has worked in my case, i no longer race on the street. (i do go to watch sometimes though) im probably not making sense here!
basically i would take the plates off the car, and build a strictly strip car, i would not let him drive it on the street until you think that he is mature enough to obey the rules, i wouldnt sell the car, than your punishing yourself for something that he did.
also i was charged for wreckless driving in illinois, speeding 60, passing on a median, in a construction zone, with 3 people in the bed of my 95 lightning, i got 20 hours community service for that and it didnt go on my record. if he has no previous record and you go to court with him, i think he should be ok and not lose his license
hopefully he is nothing like me and he will learn his lesson from this, it took me 30 tickets, thousands of dollars, and three years without a license to learn my lesson. but i guess all that matters is that i did learn my lesson.
hopefully this will be the only idiotic thing that he will do, and maybe its a good thing that he got caught so early in the game, before he actually had time to create a lifestyle for himself.

If he gets the 5.0 back he will race again, It used to be only muscle cars street raced.

Now civics,neons, trucks etc... are all out there street racing.

My point being if you like to race it really doesnt matter what you drive you will find something on your level to race.

The 5.0 isnt the problem he is, maybe you should focus on him more than the car.

JMO,

who keeps digging up these old threads??? hehehe :D it's like a time machine or something...

E

That's what I'm talking about E.

Funny how it was a couple of young one's trying to get the kid an easier punishment. If it was a 6 month thing, he's done already.

dam i didnt even look at the date, im sure its done and over with now.

nevermind, my bad:confused:

Been there, done that. I feel for you. My opinion (comes from raising two boys, both with 2 Mustangs each and so far only a fender bender in the snow) No matter what the outcome of the wreck or the ticket, you need to be consistant and stand by what you two agreed on.

Now. . .don't misunderstand me, my youngest would give the pope an ulcer and knows the defensive driving instructor in our county by name. ( did you know a 2001 Saturn will go 97 mph???)Our biggest agreement still stands, you get a ticket on your record and I drop the insurance. He can still drive, but he also gets to eat the rediculous insurance bill too. His choice. Yes he's had tickets and he's lost the keys to his car before and it hurts to do it but I figured if I gave in what would we agree to give up next?

Kids are going to make mistakes and I'm sure he's no more a monster than any other 16 year old in the world. I can only hope. . .that mine know there are consequences to actions like these and they have to own up to them and it sounds like your son is on the right track.

Stay on him is all I can say. I've had the misfortune of having to attend to 5 teenagers in our town who managed to kill themselves in car wrecks. Some from speeding, others from alcohol. All of them I knew very well. I've always prayed that I would never have to respond to one of my own kids and find him dead.

I've devoted my life to my boys and theres' no way to describe the enjoyment of building these cars over the years with them but sometimes I had to put being a Dad way out in front of being their freind.

Hope everything turns out well with da Judge and you sound like you got a plan for the rest. Good luck.

Yous son was dumb for street racing! He must not have much common sense to say " we could probaby race at the track on a saturday or sunday" I'm 16 and have enough common sense to say bite me to the dumb@ss who wants to race or say I'll see you at the dragstrip sunday. Street racing is stupid and he should get his license taken away!

Well guys/gals - let me give you an update. The racing incident got dropped, the policeman was a good guy and didn't write my son up for racing but wreckless driving. In our state there's a first time offense policy for under 18 drivers. If you go to driving school the incident will be dropped from your driving record. So he was lucky on this one.

There was another incident that caused him to lose his license for 6-months. My son's best friend graduated high school and several of them decided to toast his grad with a beer. There were about 6-8 of my son's friends and they all had a single beer to toast with. Another couple of friends showed up and they moved outside to talk. Well - two policeman were walking the streets and caught my son with a beer in his hand and wrote him up for underage drinking. Man - the courts threw the book at him, lost his license for 6 months, 24 hours of community service, 20 AA meetings.. All these teenagers are great kids - as they've hung out at our house many nights watching movies videos, playing x-box.

This young man has learned a lot from this experience and hopefully he and his friends clearly understand a 20-second brain fart can impact your life for a long time.

One week before he lost his license I took him to a track for his first offical 1/4 mile race. This was awesome guys - watching your son crank down the track with a car that we've put some hard work into! He's now really got the 1/4 mile bug - and really wants to take his car to the next level for the track. Game plan is for the stang to be a weekend warrior and maybe cruise around town etc.

We're taking the time and working on the car over the winter while he's lost his license. As a matter of fact - he's getting new gears for Christmas.

Some advice from someone your son's age
 

Well, my parents weren't as laid back as you are when I got my liscense. Since I was 14 I wanted a Camaro or Mustang. I begged and begged but my parents wouldnt let me get anything past 150hp for my first car. I'm now past 17, Ive had my liscense for a year and a half now, and my parents finally are allowing me to get my Mustang GT in the Spring (3 months from now). Your son did make a mistake, all kids his age would. It takes alot more willpower to say no then most people think, I know I woulda done the same thing yuor son did a year ago. My suggestion, take it away for awhile, let him work on it, and give him the disappointment of not having his mustang and have him tell his friends why. Maybe a few months from now when he learns, sell it back to him at a low price ;). Maybe a good birthday gift if you ask me.