There was an excellent editorial in Autoweek regarding an 18 year old that was given a brand new BMW M5, this despite the fact that the kid was so inexperienced that he didn't even know how to drive a stick! Bare in mind, the M5 is a 500hp, V10 powered rocket that is designed to be driven on the ragged edge. The consequences were predictable.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...6803/1530/FREE

Dutch Mandel
Accountability starts here

On the last weekend in January, Josh Ammirato, 18, slammed into a tree near Ocala, Florida. He killed himself and four others in his car.

I don't know Josh, but I know a lot of 18-year-olds, so this story hits hard for a few reasons--not the least of which is the dearth of effective driver training in this country.

It also hits because of respect and accountability--respect for the cars we drive and holding kids and parents accountable for their actions.

Hours before piloting his 500-hp '08 BMW M5 off the end of the Greystone airstrip in Anthony, Florida, and into a tree at triple-digit speeds, Josh was surfing the web for information on how to go faster. In posts to www.M5board.com, he sought ways to shift the sequential manual gearbox more quickly and smoothly.

He'd had his M5 for three weeks; the car was registered to his father, Santo.

"Let me say I am [a] beginner when it comes to high performance cars as I am only 18 so take it easy on me," he wrote.

Members of the site suggested he start slowly, that this was not a car to be trifled with. Time would earn him needed experience. Others expressed skepticism that he could have a V10 M5 at his young age; still, they warned him to be cool until he got more seat time.

"[The] fact that I never drove a manual car before may be true, but I've been driving for a lot longer than two years buddy," he wrote.

The tragic results speak for themselves.

Could advanced driver training have saved Josh and his four friends? It's tough to say. Could respect for his car's abilities have altered his behavior that night? Absolutely.

Here's a bigger question: How could a father arm a child with such a machine, particularly without skills to control it?

I know that 18-year-olds are adults. I know a few who can handle such a ride, such as pro race driver Graham Rahal.

But this is one situation where parents must be accountable and just say no.

We want our kids to have it better than we did. It's natural. But we must balance that want with tough love and sensibility.

If we are unwilling to do that, more children like Josh will kill themselves and their friends.

This scenario was absolutely not the child's fault. Handing an inexperienced teenager the keys to car with the M5's capabilities is like replacing a toddler's juice box with with a loaded weapon. I used to frequent site called bimmerforums.com to get information and ideas for my car. Unfortunately, the site has been overrun by kids just like Josh who treat it as their own personal egotrip. When some of the members, myself included, tell these kids that they really shouldn't be driving a M car at their age without proper instruction and experience, we are immediately disregarded as jealous haters or geriatrics waiting for our bedpan to be changed. Meanwhile, these kids tell stories of blowing off their rival's Civics while street racing.

The question becomes: "Whose fault is it?"

Teenagers...especially teenage boys...are the same as they have always been; They know everything and they're invincible. It's the one time in our life this occurs. I remember desperately wanting a Porsche for my 17th birthday, just like my friend got. Much to my chagrin, I had a rusted out '74 Ram Charger that was so dirty it literally had mushrooms growing out of the Harvest Gold shag carpet the previous owner had installed. My friend? He wrecked his Porsche while driving too quickly in the wet. Today, I realize that had my parents succumbed to my endless whining, I'd likely be dead.

To me, at best Josh's scenario is a parent trying to buy their son's love. At worst, it's an adult with a complete disregard for common sense and the safety of their child. "Reckless" is really the only word the fits.