To young to drive
@shaggin (71663)
United States
February 25, 2012 7:02pm CST
My friend was over last night and I was telling him how when I was young my mom took me on this old dirt road and tried to teach me how to drive in case of an emergency. I was probably 12 and I told her I couldnt see over the dashboard but she wouldnt listen. I almost put us over a huge drop off before she believed me. I was so scared I didnt get my licence until I was 17 (everyone else I knew got theirs at 16).
Well my friend told me that he started to drive when he was about 8 years old. His parents would take him to dinner and they would get drunk and his dad would sit in the passenger seat and his mother in the back and my friend who was only 8 would drive home. I asked if it was back roads at least and he said no. I was like wow that is really irresponsible of his parents to get drunk and have their 8 year old son drive them home at night.
He told me how someone saw his backing out of a parking space at the bar/resturant one night and they started freaking out saying he was to young to drive but my friends dad was like just relax he knows what hes doing he does this all the time. WOW.
3 people like this
12 responses
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
26 Feb 12
I'd heard here of gangs of joyriding kids who'd get a stolen car and drive it around..I dunno how old they were,but they were apparently so small that the kid at the wheel couldn't reach the pedals-there was a second one in the footwell doing the pedals as a team with the driver!
But I agree-REAL irresponsible to use the young son as the designated driver!
But I agree-REAL irresponsible to use the young son as the designated driver!
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
26 Feb 12
If your relationship with this boyfriend took place without the Parents knowing about you to GIVE an opinion on your suitability for their son,(He's a Grown Man,right? he didn't live at home in their basement,or something?) His negative feedback about you having kids,and maybe not being up to their standards seems more like his way of distancing himself before breaking things off because he didn't see enough of You..(May I ask Who was getting it worse from the "Not Seeing Enough"-You or Him?) I figure if you want someone in your life,You'll wait for them..You read about these "kiddy Designated drivers" cases when they come to light-it's considered as dereliction of responsibility and child abuse! And that's to say nothing of having the kid along when they're getting too drunk to drive in the first place to need him to drive home..
1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
9 Mar 12
I think I saw something like this on an episode of COPS!
Although I admire your friend for being very responsible, and being brave and wise enough to drive at such a young age, I am appalled at how irresponsible his parents were. And how a bad example they were setting for your friend.
I hope your friend was wise enough not to follow in his parent's footsteps.
@choybel (5042)
• Philippines
27 Feb 12
Sounds irresponsible on the parents' part but I still admire how much trust they gave their son. That was something you couldn't take off your friend, an experience he could really brag of and be proud of. What doesn't kill you can make you stronger, right? 
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
26 Feb 12
Wow is right. to ADMIT that? I am surprised nothing more was done. Now I know people are taught to drive at very young ages, and it is good but it's best o be responsible about it. Wasn't taught to drive until I was 21, and so that was a bit longer then anyone else.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71663)
• United States
26 Feb 12
My friend will be 31 in June so this was many many years ago but I know that even that many years ago it was not legal for an 8 year old to drive on the roads to take his drunk parents home lol. I was so shocked when he told me about this I just could not believe it. My daughter is 7 and I would NEVER ever allow her to drive my vehicles.
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
2 Mar 12
Thats sick. They were irresponsible parents. I would never have my son do that for me. And I don't go to bars and get drunk like that either. Well, at least your friend learned at a young age. I bet he is a real good driver though. LOL. It's amazing what people let their kids do.
@boboskull (49)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
26 Feb 12
omg... I understand if they want their son to start learning at young age so he can end up a better driver later, but at the age of 8 it is very dangerous of course..
A kid at the age of 8 is probably having fun while driving and isn`t even awear of the possible consequences which is normal, but the parents are the ones that concern me..
And if it was really as the father said and the kid does that all the time, I wonder how the police didn`t see them or hear about them... :O
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71663)
• United States
26 Feb 12
There probably werent any cops where he went. Back then most places didnt have cops. There simply wasnt much crime so they werent needed. Now children have to be in booster seats until they are 8. I cant even understand how at 8 years old he could see over the steering wheel and dashboard or reach the gas and brake pedals. He thought it was really fun when his parents let him do this. At that age I might have thought it was fun to but I am horrified at him being able to do this when he was little. I would never let my kids drive at that age.
@smacksman (6053)
•
26 Feb 12
Well if you can reach the pedals and see over the dash then that is the age you can drive! haha
I was driving farm tractors and old cars at the age of about 8 and thought nothing of it really. I was a useful part of the team for bringing in the harvest. I drove while my uncles did the heavy work.
Children that age are probably better drivers than 16/17 year olds as they know they don't know everything and are more careful than teen tearaways. Well, I was a teen tearaway anyway! haha
My children had driving lessons but I would take them onto an old aerodrome and get them to really wind the car up through the gears to really show them the power that was there if needed. They loved it and were amazed after driving with the instructers at 30mph.
Learning to control a skid and how to safely do an emergency stop from high speed are just as important as safely driving in slow city traffic but are not part of the test.
Regularly driving drunk parents home at 8 years is not a good thing though.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
26 Feb 12
I've seen it on the news of these things occuring. Usually the parents or adult usually gets in severe trouble for not only being drunk but putting a child in such a position.
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
27 Feb 12
Here in the country we learn to drive early. Back roads and on farms and such. Driving is an every day part of life. Most kids know how to drive trucks, tractors and even some heavy equipment such as combines at an early age. I have never heard of parents getting drunk and letting their 8 year old drive them home though... How old is your friend? Sounds like an interesting and independent life. If they are getting soused at restaurants over dinner they must stay completely drunk at home. I guess your friend raised himself. I got my license at the age of 16 but I learned to drive way before that.
@yanzalong (18983)
• Indonesia
26 Feb 12
since I was a kid, I always wanted to learn to drive a car but it was only dreaming. My dad was too poor to buy a car. I got a job at the age of 24 and hadn't had a chance to drive.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
29 Feb 12
I didn't even get behind the wheel of a car until I was fifteen years old (if we ignore the time when I was about 11 years old that I decided I was going to take the car so I could go shopping, I didn't get further than the driveway). Even at that time I was a little bit scared to drive.
But, I did teach a lot of my friends to drive that were younger than me. None of them were as young as eight years old and I can't even begin to imagine putting my daughter behind the wheel and she is nine years old.
1 person likes this
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
26 Feb 12
It is irresponsible to let a kid to drive a car. Driving on the road is not a private matter. It concerns other road users. What if the the kid makes a mistake and hit other cars or worse, crash the pedestrians, because of their slow reactions or misjudgements in relation with their age. I think the kids should be protected from their selfish parents to do something the kids are not ready physically and mentally to do.
1 person likes this
