ACCIDENT OF YOUNGSTER DRIVING WRX STI CARS

Yep. Responsible or not, real world experience is the key, and nothing will ever take the place of that.

Sorry, coulda been a little more clear with the statement, but yes, I didn't mean to say that 17 or 18-y.o. kids are irresponsible, but more to the point that because they are that young, they don't have enough real-world experience to deal with certain situations effectively... and it doesn't only apply to cars, but basically anything where you need a level of skill to operate (mechanics, plumbers, computer geeks, athletes, fighter pilots, boat captains, the list goes on and on).

I find the parents mostly at fault for lack of education and guidance, and for not realizing that their kids aren't at the same skill level as they when it comes to driving. As much as it sucks to not get your license until you're 17 (or 18 now I think in places), there's a reason for that.

That's why insurance companies charge more for younger drivers, because they are 'inexperienced', and because they are more likely to get into some sort of accident or bad situation within the first few years of driving. I did. I had an accident within my first year of driving, and it was in bad-weather conditions, where I slid into another car while driving on snow-covered roads. I can say for sure that I've had many other situations similar to that one, and now I can navigate safely in that situation, base upon my learning experience that night.

That's why I can't stand it when someone buys their kid a car (or even if the kid has worked hard enough to buy their own) which is as powerful as an SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STi, without the kid really knowing how to drive it properly. It's sooo easy for an inexperienced driver to make a wrong move at a bad time because they haven't encountered a situation like that yet... and having a car which can accelerate and corner like an SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STi can (or even a WRX, or EVO, or Camaro, etc. etc.) which makes the situation worse because the car takes the wrong move, and makes it so much worse, so much more quickly, that the driver cannot possibly correct it in time.

The kid could be as responsible as they come, be an outstanding person, always cleans their room, does the chores, manages his allowance perfectly, gets a job where he can afford a $30k car and all associated costs, etc. etc. He could be a 'responsible driver' and do the speed limit always, keep the fun to a track, use his turn signals properly, yield always to slower cars, and so on. However, being a responsible kid does not do anything when the driver is going down a rain-slicked highway in bad weather, a little too fast for the conditions (right or wrong, and knowingly or not), and instead of taking the foot off the gas around a corner, keeping it on the throttle. At that point the car goes on boost, accelerates much too quickly in the corner, starts losing control, and the driver over-corrects it in a panic, and they go backend into the guardrail.

So, there is where my issue lies. Things like this happen, it's a shame, and unfortunately, until parents actually parent (and I'm making a generalization here) it will continue happening at a more-than-normal rate.