Re: Rebirth of old law

[SOP8920@Siena.edu]

>In order to be really good, one has to get behind the wheel when he/she 
>is eight or ten. Sure, one usually starts with a slight hit of the garage 
>wall, or just sitting on the driver's lap and while going cross country 
>and almost putting the car into the ditch. 
> [snip]

For the record.. I had my first experience driving, on a public road anyway,
when I was 10. Big sis and I were fighting about who got the front seat.. so
dad, in his infinite wisdom, asks if I wanted to drive. I said.. SURE! And
believe it or not.. he let me. HE sat in back and I piloted the car home.
Granted that it was only maybe 3/4 mile.. but what I recall from the event was
that the oncoming traffic scared me severely. Still.. I drove the thing home..
It was the *only* time I ever got to drive the car (300D) before we traded it
in on the Audi.

First encounter with the LAW: I was maybe 8 or nine.. Mom would let me start up
her VW Rabbitt, and while she was in the house, drive it back and forth in the
driveway. The driveway was pretty short too. Anyway.. a cop is driving by, and
he sees this VW moving around the driveway... with NO DRIVER! SO.. he pulls in
the driveway.. sees me.. gets me out of the car.. and takes me to MOM.. who, 
much to his surprise, acknowledges that she knows "what I was up to." 
Gotta love my crazy parents, huh? 

I have dozens of these stories of illegal driving activity from my youth.. but
i won't waste any more bandwith with this stuff. Have to drop this though: The
fun really started at 13, with me and a buddy of mine "stealing" his parent's
Volvo 240 wagon and taking it for Joy-rides around the hills of upstate NY. 
I had to drive b/c he couldn't drive stick! I was a ba-a-a-d in my kiddie days.
:)

                               -Osman Parvez
                                89 200q
                                Siena College
                                Albany NY


P.S. For those of you who have kids who have recently become liberated.. I
think track school is a wonderful idea. It might save their life someday.. 
I would wait until they get a little experience with a car before you send them
out there though.. Definately do the frozen parking lot at 5am lesson a few
times before you send them out in the snow this year, at the very least.