16, with car keys

Last fall, my husband and I came within inches of losing our lives when a 16-year-old driver came around a corner on the wrong side of the road. We had a split second to pull our van away from a head-on collision that surely would have killed us and the girl in the car. In our case, we escaped unharmed and so did the girl and her carload of friends, although both vehicles were totalled. We were lucky.

Recently, a man I’ve known for many years was not so lucky when his motorcycle met a similar 16-year old driver. He and his passenger were killed along with the youth in the car. Dick Robinson’s two pre-teen sons must now grow up without the loving father who was raising them.

I did not know the young man who drove the car that day but I’ve heard he was an honor student and a good kid. The girl who hit our van was also said to be a good kid, not a “wild child.” As a mother of boys, I sympathize with what the Fioris must be going through.

I’m sure these youngsters reputations for being good kids is accurate. But even good kids can’t resist showing off to their friends at 16.

As responsible parents, none of us would hand our 16-year-old children a gun to carry with them. But we think nothing of handing them the car keys. That car becomes a deadly weapon in the hands of a driver who lacks the maturity and experience to handle it.

Maine needs to tighten its control over teen-age drivers. Age 16 is too young for a child to be in a car without an experienced driver. It’s too young for kids to be transporting other kids.

Other states issue youth licenses that require teen drivers to have an older licensed driver with them for the first year. “Older” meaning adult. Maine needs to institute a similar licensing policy to allow 16-year-old drivers to gain the expreience they need while staying safe behind the wheel. They also should not be allowed to transport other teen-agers during that time. They are too easily distracted.

It’s not enough to tighten the rein after the accident occurs by taking away their licenses. Too often lately, there is no more 16-year-old to punish after the fact. How many more 16-year-old drivers and their victims have to die before we figure that out? Cindy Campbell Holden