How many Kids have to DIE before the Government pulls their finger out????

[Sorted]

Well done the Australian Governement - close your eyes and wait for the next accident to kill more kids on our roads - do NOTHING about it except blame HOONS by adding harsher penalties to those who are licenced.
I recall some one in the government once saying if the new laws save one life then it is all worth it.

So why no DRIVER EDUCATION??????

Apparently there is a need to talk to young people about the dangers of driving, really - NO **** !!!!!!!!

In reality what will happen, speed limits will be reduced, more speed camera's, harsher penalties for any offence etc etc

How does that help or deter the kids who don't even have driver's licences???

I am personally very disappointed with our Government - our kids are dying on our streets and they are doing nothing anout it.

A 16-year-old girl was driving a stolen car crammed with passengers as young as 12 went it crashed into a brick wall in Melbourne, killing three people and injuring three others.

Police say the car appears to have been speeding when it veered off the road in Coolaroo just after midnight (AEDT).

The driver, a 16-year-old girl from Sunbury, a 12-year-old boy from Preston and a girl, 14, from Pascoe Vale, died at the scene.

A 16-year-old Broadmeadows boy was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A boy, 15, from Dallas, and a 14-year-old Lalor boy were taken to the Royal Children's Hospital in a stable condition.

Police said the maroon Toyota sedan was believed to be stolen from a Coolaroo address on Wednesday night.

Neighbour Sevda said the crash happened in front of her Pascoe Vale Road house and she rushed out to help.

"When we got there, there was one boy standing around, walking around ... one boy outside the car," she told Fairfax Radio.

Sevda said the car was so mangled it had almost become one piece.
"The back seat was now joined to the front seat," she said.

She said she had lived on Pascoe Vale Road about eight months and in that time had not known it to be a high-speed road.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said police were trying to establish what caused the accident.

"As to why that driver lost control, given the age of the person it could be just general inexperience travelling at speed," he told reporters.

"Who knows what was going on in the vehicle at that time, there could have been people moving around, she could have been knocked, I just don't know, it's all conjecture at this stage."

Mr Crisp said police were always shocked by such accidents.
"As police officers, whether the most junior attending these scenes or the most senior ... we take these personally, and we shake our heads when we see these sorts of situations.

"We know that some young people engage in risk-taking behaviour, it's about what we can all do as a community as family, as friends, to try and protect, discourage and support young people that might engage in this sort of activity."

Premier Ted Baillieu said the tragedy highlighted the need to talk to young people about the dangers of driving.

"As a father you just despair at moments like this and you just feel for parents," he told ABC radio.

"Any parent who's got kids at that age would be choking, I think, about this news this morning."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/...elbourne-crash

[Wretched]

?
They stole the car, I don't see how any amount of driver education would have prevented this. They're not old enough to be driving.
I think more needs to be done to stop young children stealing cars. Hold the parents more accountable for their children's actions would be a start.

[prydey]

this is more a reflection on general society more than anything related to cars and roads.

i have a 12 year old. i know where she is at all times. when i was growing up, my parents were the same. i was never allowed out after dark, esp at that age. its called being a responsible parent.

[pottery beige]

sucked in.. you were a thief.. you payed the ultimate price..

[GTP-814]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

sucked in.. you were a thief.. you payed the ultimate price..

When this occurs, do the insurance companies pay up or make life difficult for the victim?

[prydey]

maybe i'm old fashioned, but how many parents on here have kids 16 or younger and aren't tucked up in bed at midnight, esp midweek when you would assume most would have school the next day.

drugs and alcohol have a lot more to answer for than speed and hooning!!

[turbodewd]

Alas parenting may have failed some or all of the individuals in that car. I dont blame the Vic government.

[GTP owner]

How could the government be at fault for an individual's decision to break the law? You can't legislate against stupidity. Maybe you want a law that states it is illegal to break the law...that'll teach 'em eh?

[LG17]

The government can't stop the lawbreakers from themselves.
Whilst I have some empathy for the families, the kids brought in on themselves.
Maybe they weren't brought up well, who knows?

[FGII-XR6]

sorry but I don't feel education will fix this they stole the car and drove it in a dangerous manner they had no regard for the law or safety. many of them would be from homes where this is the norm they were probably getting the bong for mum or dad since they could walk.
when you grow up with scum your chances of being a decent person are slim. some do escape and often these exceptions become the exact oposite of their upbringing
the only way I see the government being wrong here is not having adequate punishment

[tweeked]

It is not a car thing

It is about young people not being taught right and wrong. This is the same cause of loss of life as train surfing, drug taking, hanging off balconies etc.

Teens are programmed to push the boundaries. It is a families job to do their best to guide them through this stage of life on the way to becoming responsible adults. Not all make it, and there is no way you can stop it. There is a giant roulette wheel spinning deciding which risks have the ultimate cost.

It is sad, but governments cannot stop it, I actually fear a government that would really try, you would not be able to do anything except sit in a padded room.

[MITCHAY]

How much more money do you want to waste coming up with more ways to say the same thing. If you drive like a moron bad things can and do happen.

I wasn't stealing cars when I was 16 and no one I knew was either.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

How much more money do you want to waste coming up with more ways to say the same thing. If you drive like a moron bad things can and do happen.

I wasn't stealing cars when I was 16 and no one I knew was either.

The problem is that we have an almost entire generation who believe that:
1) They have the right to do or be whatever they want and everyone else must accomodate them. If they disagree with anything they can cause any damage or interferrence they feel is appropriate without any retaliation.
2) They cannot fail. Even if they are just too incompetent to do something the requirements or exams must be made easier so they pass.
3) They cannot be held responsible for anything they do or not do.
4) They do not have to contribute to society as they will always be looked after because the world owes them a living. They do not need to work for luxuries or pay debts.
5) They deserve respect and admiration regardless of what others have done and they haven't done which is in total contradiction to their almost complete lack of respect for others.
6) They are always right.
7) It is always someone else's fault.
8) They have an intimate and broad understanding of every subject as they know how to work google, wikipedia and facebook. When faced with a choice of believing a eye witness or internet/television they always believe the media.

And of course they get VERY angry if this is ever pointed out and will retaliate with abuse and feeble attempts to deflect by blaming everyone and everything else........

While this is the mindset nothing will solve these problems.

[Jim Goose]

Sadly no amount of driver training will stop kids from stealing and thrashing cars....

I can understand driver education being introduced at schools etc (like in the USA), which i think is a good idea.

However maybe they should also introduce classes on parenting and social skills?

[Silver Ghia]

As mentioned, its not a government thing at all. Or maybe it is, to educate the parents to bring their kids up the right way so they know they are not invincible, and dont break the law. Just like Puppy school. And as Prydey says, they should be tucked up in bed at night.

The media and everyone seems to absolve the parents responsibilities completely, and clutch on the emotional side each time when a kid comes to grief. Wrong.

[mcnews]

Stupid Hurts

[Mad_Pom]

I am afraid this is Darwin at work.
I am just glad that they did not hit an innocent victim.
Teenagers believe they are invincible and are always looking for the next rush. Unfortunately there is nothing for them to learn from this, maybe their friends and other parents will.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Its the parents that need to pull their fingers out... Not the Government.

Kids think its okay to do the wrong thing if they are lead by example. E.g. using the phone, how many parents use the phone while driving their kids around... Too many...

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Sorted

Well done the Australian Governement - close your eyes and wait for the next accident to kill more kids on our roads - do NOTHING about it except blame HOONS by adding harsher penalties to those who are licenced.
I recall some one in the government once saying if the new laws save one life then it is all worth it.

So why no DRIVER EDUCATION??????

Apparently there is a need to talk to young people about the dangers of driving, really - NO **** !!!!!!!!

In reality what will happen, speed limits will be reduced, more speed camera's, harsher penalties for any offence etc etc

How does that help or deter the kids who don't even have driver's licences???

I am personally very disappointed with our Government - our kids are dying on our streets and they are doing nothing anout it.

I think you will find many schools have implemented driver education programs. One of my clients is a provider of such a program and while its good there are still kids who will do the wrong thing, regardless of how much education you give them, as per above...

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

I think you will find many schools have implemented driver education programs. One of my clients is a provider of such a program and while its good there are still kids who will do the wrong thing, regardless of how much education you give them, as per above...

First the kids have to go to school

[LG17]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

First the kids have to go to school

Now that's a whole different story! :(

[RedHotGT]

Firstly to OP - you can't blame the Government for this accident. There are plenty of other people responsible for what happened.

How does a situation happen where 6 x 13-16 year old kids are out and about in a stolen car and hooning around? There are probably way too many underlying issues to even speculate.

The kids in the car.
Youth of today have no concept of consequences or risk. I'd bet that none of those kids even considered that they might end up dead if they hopped into that car. The mentality is 'those bad things aren't gonna happen to me' but the reality is it happens to someone.
Did they know they were doing something wrong? Well - you don't even have to finish primary school to understand that stealing is wrong/illegal. So - yeah they knew that they shouldn't be doing what they were doing. They just didn't care. Maybe there were a couple of leaders and a few followers - but even followers know when something is wrong - perhaps they didn't have the confidence or the guts to stand up and say that 'this isn't right' or get out of the situation. Calling you parents and admitting you've got yourself into a bad situation - and asking for help - is better than ending up in a fatal car accident.

The parents.
Some blame will end up on the parents. How does a 13/14/15/16year old kid end up on the streets at midnight on a Wednesday night (School night)? I'll bet there are some grieving parents who wish they might have been more involved in their kids lives? I'll bet that there are also some grieving parents who had no idea that their kids were out and about an involved in this kind of rubbish.

Society in General
Society in general is a mess. We're all too busy trying to make a living that we forget why we are living in the first place. We live in a selfish society where everyone only looks out for themselves. Take a look at the amount of illegal drugs that are being manufactured/dealt in Victoria alone - its mind blowing. The drugs aren't made to store in a warehouse - they're made to meet the demand of illegal drug users. Clearly - that demand has increased - why? Lower Class society is rife with drugs, Middle Class society has grown to enjoy the 'party drugs' and High Class Society enjoy things 'because they can'. It might not be the majority of society who is into the drug scene - but it's a fairly large part of it - based on the quantities of drugs getting around.

What I see - are parents who are struggling to pay their mortgage/bills/loans - so they either work longer, or work a second job, just to support the family. In doing so - they spend less time with their family/kids - who grow apart from them. This happens in Lower Class, Middle Class, and Upper Class families - just the figures ($$$) are different.

How many of these 'troubled' kids have support at home? How many of them have parents who have time to sit down and do homework with them? How many of them have parents who enrol them into sports / activities through the week and weekends? How many of them have parents that are genuinely interested in their kids lives - and what happens to them on a daily basis?

I hear comments of 'its too expensive' or 'we're too busy' or 'the kids don't like it' all the time. I've got 4 kids of my own - and sure its expensive to keep them involved in sports and leisure activities - but the alternative is more expensive (as this crash has proven).

I'm not sure where these kids were from, but the area that the crash happened is known for trouble, ethnic clashes, drugs, drive-by shootings, and criminal activity.

Too many times we see kids involved in these sorts of incidents. You only have to scroll back through the news stories of 'high speed / overloaded / young drivers' to remind yourself about how common this is. It is such a waste of life.

Why don't they care about their own life? Perhaps it's because nobody has genuinely cared about their life in the past.

Maybe they don't understand the risks?
Maybe they don't understand the consequences?
Maybe they don't think it will happen to them?
Maybe they really don't care?

I don't know what the answer is to 'fixing' society - but I know in my heart that my kids will not get involved with things like this - simply because they come from a home where they are loved, where they have parents who are interested in their lives, and where they have a home where they can express themselves, disagree, have an opinion, and learn something new every day.

They won't feel the need to risk their lives and their future - because they will know how important their lives are to themselves, and to others around them.

Anyways, I've said too much - this stuff depresses me because its such a needless waste - but it should serve as a wake up call to all the young clowns out there who think they are bulletproof.

Smarten Up and Use some Common Sense.

[mik]

some kids grow up in a screwed up family/ screwed environment and no amount of law making will help them unfortunately.

[noosacuda]

The only way you can blame the government for this is for taking away disiplinary powers away from the police and school teachers. People HAVE to learn there ARE consquences for their own actions.

[atec77]

Originally Posted by Sorted

Well done the Australian Governement - close your eyes and wait for the next accident to kill more kids on our roads - do NOTHING about it except blame HOONS by adding harsher penalties to those who are licenced.
I recall some one in the government once saying if the new laws save one life then it is all worth it.

So why no DRIVER EDUCATION??????

The big and correct question is where were the parents and why were the children out unsupervised , why are the parents not being prosecuted for allowing the children to run loose , certainly isn't the governments problem that youngsters were illegally driving in a hot car now is it

[DENKO]

Too much freedom!! i blame there parents for everything! I feel sorry for that brick wall as its gona cost someone money to fix from these F#$%wits

[flappist]

Originally Posted by DENKO

Too much freedom!! i blame there parents for everything! I feel sorry for that brick wall as its gona cost someone money to fix from these F#$%wits

Of course.

You smack your child for being naughty and the do-gooders arc up as smacking is "child abuse".
You try and discipline your child and they complain to the do-gooders who arc up as you are "hurting their feelings and self esteem".
Your child is taught that they have rights and are equal to all adults but as children they are actually protected and superior.

It is a no win situation and if it were not for the ingrained instinct for reproduction at all costs the human race would be almost extinct.

When I become king all these "special" kids will be shipped off to offshore "holiday camps" were they will share facilities with the do-gooders who just may learn some real life lessons about human behaviour.

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by flappist

You smack your child for being naughty and the do-gooders arc up as smacking is "child abuse".
You try and discipline your child and they complain to the do-gooders who arc up as you are "hurting their feelings and self esteem".
Your child is taught that they have rights and are equal to all adults but as children they are actually protected and superior.

I cannot agree more with these statements.

I had some lady in her 50's-60s walk up to us in a shopping centre while my two year old was being a typical two year old and she said are we OK? My wife said yeah we're fine but he's gonna get a smack if he doesn't stop.

She was in shock and said oh no, you can't do that. I then said well if you don't want him knocking on your door in 10 years time brandishing a knife and asking for all your money then you will mind your business, cause thats the result of not letting parents be parents. She walked off in a huff.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

I cannot agree more with these statements.

I had some lady in her 50's-60s walk up to us in a shopping centre while my two year old was being a typical two year old and she said are we OK? My wife said yeah we're fine but he's gonna get a smack if he doesn't stop.

She was in shock and said oh no, you can't do that. I then said well if you don't want him knocking on your door in 10 years time brandishing a knife and asking for all your money then you will mind your business, cause thats the result of not letting parents be parents. She walked off in a huff.

Totally agreed, the government arent responsible directly for this accident, but it is their desire to protect children from discipline that has contributed to it.

I use the term contributed as i believe at the end of the day a parent needs to take a certain amount of responsibility too.

I was only a young fella when it became taboo to smack kids, prior to that i had felt the wrath of my father on many occasaions.
Did he change his approach because some do gooder decided his way was wrong...not on your life.
I still copped it whenever i pushed the boundaries.

During my early teens i grew into a tall, strong fella and often thought one day i'd square up with him.
Fast forward to my late teens early twenties and i realised that the firm upbringing and structure he provided kept me safe from myself.

Now, the do gooders will tell you a smack in your childhood years will lead to violence in adulthood, to that i say BS.
I copped my fair share of smacks and have never raised my fist other than to defend myself, it has not made me a violent person at all.

If you ask me the only thing the do gooder achieved was to absolve the parent of the responsibility of ensuring their child is a good citizen.

Sure, there are kids who have never been smacked and have become model citizens, but so to are there succesful people who needed that tough love and as i do, proberbly look back with thanks for the experience.

There is no instruction manual that comes with a childs birth and every child is different, you cant apply a blanket rule over every individual, this is where the parent needs to be allowed to take the appropriate action as they see fit.

Like i always say when these incidents occur, there is nothing you can do to help the people who have perished as a result of poor decisions, but i will use their misfortune to educate my kids to the real dangers, and when and if my kids need a smack they'll get it.

My sister lost her 4 kids to welfare 15 years ago as some do gooder decided they were at risk from the strict upbringing they recieved, they went into foster care and were spread across the state going from home to home, if the do gooders think that is a better alternative then can they explain how two of them ended up with regular police contact...

[JC]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

I cannot agree more with these statements.

I had some lady in her 50's-60s walk up to us in a shopping centre while my two year old was being a typical two year old and she said are we OK? My wife said yeah we're fine but he's gonna get a smack if he doesn't stop.

She was in shock and said oh no, you can't do that. I then said well if you don't want him knocking on your door in 10 years time brandishing a knife and asking for all your money then you will mind your business, cause thats the result of not letting parents be parents. She walked off in a huff.

Gold - absolute gold. My sister is of the "no smacking" mentality, and her kids are feral. She asks how come my kids behave so well, and I just show her the palm of my hand!