PanteraKitty

Last week our grand daughter was attempting to walk while jacking her jaw on the pocket phone and she fell off her flip flops. She seriously sprained her ankle - may even have torn ligaments. Now we are wondering if she has the necessary motor skills to operate a car.

The options that we have considered recommending for her are:

1. Turn in the pocket phone and keep the car.

2. Turn in the car, keep the pocket phone, and issue her a stick horse to ride.

I have preached for years that a woman should be allowed to have either a car or a cell phone, but NEVER BOTH!!

Any of you have any experience with a situation like this? Any recommendations?

We are really worried about being blamed for any future mishaps since we gave her the car.

fltsfshr

She'll survive. Just the threat of phone from ear removal will turn her into a new Danica in a hearbeat.

Be a good grandpa and buy her something new safe and shiny to drive around in.

fltsfshr

Lainey

First a for that comment.

Second, I don't think it hurts any young person who is given the privilege of driving/owning a car, a few strings attached to the privilege. It is a privilege, not a right. Sometimes they forget that.

Give her the car. Let her know the string attached to it is NO CELL phone use while driving. It's the law in a few states already with good reason.

RC - Ryder

Lainey: I think you've got it right in your last comment. Kids need to learn that all privileges have strings attached - now and forever.

I have a related dilemma. My 15 1/2 year old grandaughter does not yet have access to a cell phone. We've tried to facilitate that by placing her on our Verizon account, but the parents have not yet given permission. It's been decided that she will drive a stick shift because so-called experts think it makes new drivers more attentive and involved in the process. I've been giving her some lessons in safe/private property areas, but she's not going to be allowed to have her "own" car for several years. Our kids all learned to drive in big, bulky, slow and stick-shift Volvos. It kind of bothers us that our son has forgotten his privileges from almost 20 years ago? We might have thought a bit more enlightenment and evolutionary progress.

Rdrunner

My 24 year old daughter was in an accident yesterday. Someone in a truck turned and crossed 3 lanes to hit her in the front drivers side wheel well. Her car is borderline totaled. Fortunately she only has bumps and bruises. My thanks to Volkswagon.
If I could afford it she would be driving a Hummer and that's only because they won't allow tanks on the roads.
Point being no matter how good a driver they are, there is always the other guy.


dvh

PanteraKitty

We gave her my Escort a little over a year ago. Is that shiny enough for you?

That is why I had to go out and get a Honda for my daily beater.

PanteraKitty

We know how that goes. A couple of months ago the grand daughter got the front end knocked off the Escort. Took off front bumper cover and headlights and wrinkled a front fender and hood - not enough to set off the air bags.

Also a borderline total deal. $2800 to fix a car that might be worth $3500.

We don't know if the pocket phone was involved and with the weird way it happened we're not sure who was at fault.

Rdrunner

I'm glad your grand daughter is ok. It seems like one heart attack after another once they get out into the world.
My daughter is a cell phone junkie, she says she wasn't on it at the time of her accident, and she does use one of those hands free headsets.

She's been awful sore for the last couple of days.

dvh

Legal Bill

My reactions to this thread. Sorry if some are offended, but I've raised three and now have grand kids. I know or knew all my kids' firends and what they were all up to. I got calls from other parents when there were "problems" looking for counsel. Given the difficulties of child rearing, I even consulted all the statistics and studies on these subjects. Plus, I can actually remember what I did as a kid. So here it goes.

Women cars and cell phones? What, you think men/boys don't f-up like this?

Buy your kid the biggest tank so your kid will be safe? Great, now when your kid gets drunk and/or distracted and drives across the median strip he or she will just kill me and my family instead of his or her own stupid self. Another truimph for society.

Just tell your kids they can't talk on the cell while driving? Gee, I guess we can also tell them not to drink, do drugs, have relations with the opposite sex, speed, etc and that will solve that. People are quick to resort to the old "talk to your kids and tell them what is allowed" mantra, but kids just nod, say "ok" and then wait until they get around the corner to do just what they want to do.

Sorry for the rant, but if your don't want your kid to be in an accident, don't give them a car. If you don't want them on the phone while in the car, don't give them one or the other. The roads are full of kids whose parents told them not to do eactly what they are doing right now.

Rdrunner

My apologies if I touched a sore spot.

The gentleman who hit my daughter was 62 and taking his dog to the vet. This guy is probably a good driver most of the time. He said he didn't even see my daughter. Accidents can happen to anyone at any time. From a parents perspective I would do anything I could to protect my daughter from accidents.

So if you're out there driving you not only have to be on the lookout for drunk teenagers driving tanks while talking on cell phones you have to watch out for 62 year olds taking there dogs to the vet.

I too, am sorry for the rant.

dvh