PUT ALL THE CHILDREN IN PLASTIC BUBBLES!!!

"Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow" (chriskf) 05/29/2014 at 10:04 • Filed to: None

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Just kidding.

So I was reading Autoblog and came across this article/poll about a g !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I think this is fine. Hell, it's safer than getting your 9 y/o a dirtbike, and no more dangerous than getting your kids into karting. There's so much potential for something to go wrong in normal everyday life, are you going to tell your kids not to walk up stairs because they might slip and fall? Helicopter parents these days are just ridiculous, and they are depriving their kids of life enriching experiences. This little girl will likely grow up to have a very special relationship with off-roading and cars/trucks, a rare thing for kids and young adults these days. I think any auto enthusiast should see this as a good thing, and parents in general should start being more open to allowing your kids to try new things in a reasonably safe setting. Hell, my little cousins were riding around on PW50s with training wheels in front of my grandparents' house well before they were 9. They all race enduros now and love being on their motorcycles. I think it's awesome to see someone so young doing well at and enjoying anything automotive. What's your guys' opinion?

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CalzoneGolem > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:06

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I let my daughter drive my car on the road when she was 9.

505Turbeaux > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:10

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I let my 5 year old steer my old 73 wagoneer in the back yard quite often from when she was 2. I agree here 100%, get em started and respectful early. Here she is in the BJ 60

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > 505Turbeaux 05/29/2014 at 10:13

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Exactly.

dinobot666 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:14

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She's just idling along with adult supervision a few feet away. I don't think it's as dangerous as a child walking down a busy street in most metropolitan cities.

I grew up in a rural area where lots of farm kids started driving tractors and heavy equipment around 9 or 10 years old. I even had a cousin who drove her Chevy Blazer out to the field in 1st gear with the flashers on (gravel roads) when she was only 12.

Squid > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:17

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My uncle let me steer his big suburban when I was 4 and didn't fully comprehend him telling me to turn hard left and went hard right instead making a huge U turn going through the ditch and heading straight for a tree. In his defense, the truck was barely idling along and he had control over the pedals. But that was fun and it made my sisters and cousins butts pucker up real good.

Nothing wrong with starting kids off early, as long as they are in a safe environment and are taught to respect the power that the right pedal commands.

crowmolly > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:17

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I think it's fine to let the 9 year old experience driving but I would be uneasy about letting her be in the vehicle alone.

jkm7680 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:18

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Seems a bit young for that. Then again, it's his Jeep and if she wrecks it. There's nobody to blame but himself.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > jkm7680 05/29/2014 at 10:23

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I definitely don't think you can just drop a 9 y/0 in there with a brief explanation of which pedal does what and hope for the best.

But here is proof that they can be taught to have a comprehensive understanding of throttle, braking, and steering control:

RazoE > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:24

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As long as it's a closed road and safety precautions are taken, why not? I personally would have let her steer while she sat on my lap and I controlled the pedals. But I would also have waited until she got a bit older to go on her own.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > RazoE 05/29/2014 at 10:26

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Yeah, if it was my kid I probably would have been in there with her at the very least, and most likely have her on my lap. Probably let her take full control when she's like 12, but maybe she has been steering on his lap for a few years at this point and is fully capable of driving on her own. It certainly looks like she is.

RazoE > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:28

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True. My daughter used to parallel park my wife's old car when she was 11 or so. Not on public roads, but between two cones in the alley behind our house. She drove my car (manual) for the first time last year, though.

Hermann > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:28

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My mother learned to drive a tractor when she was 13 to help her dad plant on the farm. Non-synchronous Tranny.

She's not a gear head. But she has never driven an auto in her life. Give her pretty much anything and she'll drive it. My mom's a badass behind the wheel.

Nibbles > CalzoneGolem 05/29/2014 at 10:37

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I learned to drive at 8 in a Datsun 620

Team6.1 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:39

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I was with a guy when he let his 11 year old nephew rock crawl his unimog. The kid couldn't reach the pedals, but in low 1st the thing barely moved and would just climb anything. Walking right beside him, I didn't feel like anyone was in danger. And the kid was having the time of his life. Growing up I learned how to dive the family pickup in a field and up/down the long driveway before I had a license

GhostZ > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 10:43

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I've met 9 year olds who were safer and more respectful than most adults. Hell, I still think that most people become progressively worse at life after 16, they just have more experience to avoid naive mistakes.

CalzoneGolem > Nibbles 05/29/2014 at 10:44

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Winning

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Team6.1 05/29/2014 at 10:49

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About 5 years ago I was in Michigan visiting some family, and a few of us were out for a drive in my cousin's B5 S4. He had been letting me drive the car off an on for the entire summer, I was 20 (just a month from 21) at the time and was their DD for the summer lol; but during this particular drive he had me pull over and let my little cousin Mark (13 at the time) drive on a relatively deserted road and learn to drive stick. This was in a performance car with a fair number of upgrades, including larger turbos, and the little guy did just fine; and he loved it! Which I certainly understand, that was one very fun and fast car. That summer and car were also the fastest I have ever driven, on a completely deserted freeway in the middle of the night. The speed was very excessive, and in hindsight not the best idea, but it was fun; and when my older cousin (older sister of the cousin who owns the S4) found out how fast I'd driven she gave me a good beating with a pillow. lol

Moral of the story: cars are awesome, find ways to start teaching your kids proper control young, and help them to develop a passion and respect for cars.

MPA > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 11:07

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When I was 13 my dad took me and his '85 mustang (2.3/Auto) to the parking lot of Shea Stadium and let me drive. Before we left, he had me turn on to a straight and said "Punch it!" and I took that 88hp rocket to a mind bending 35mph.

The next time he took me I hit 50mph.

The Compromiser > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 11:32

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I got a motorcycle when I was 4. I was amateur racing when I was 5. My Wife used to walk my 10 and 7 year old (At the time) to school. I let them fight (Making sure nobody gets severely damaged) when they get into it. I will not allow my children to grow up to be victims.

HammerheadFistpunch > 505Turbeaux 05/29/2014 at 11:46

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I approve of this picture. My 3 year old and I hang out in my fzj80 a lot and talk and eat crackers. She helps me steer into the garage or assist in backing up to a trailer (from inside with the splitgate closed.

thebigbossyboss > RazoE 05/29/2014 at 11:54

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Same.

LazyLemming > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 05/29/2014 at 17:04

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Buddy of mine has a crazy off-road bronco that he lets the kids (10,12) drive a lot off road. When we stop for lunch he usually gathers up all the other kids and lets them take turns driving it around while the adults cook and eat.

Never seen anyone even remotely in danger because of it and by the time they are sixteen I imagine they'll pass their driving tests flawlessly. That's how I learned, on Dad's knee when I was a wee one.