Holy crap! Do you ever stop and think that every time you get in the car you are putting your life in the hands of every driver you pass on the road? Think of all the tired, drunk, OTC or otherwise drugged, aged, pissed, phone-calling, senile, iPod-listening, inexperienced or unlicensed people on the road. It’s terrifying, isn’t it.

It makes me think there should be some higher qualification for getting a license than a 10 minute driving test and a multiple choice quiz. Maybe auto insurance quotes should take into account some new factors. Maybe there should be an anger evaluation portion of the insurance exam. Maybe there should be some updated risk assessment. Are they basing things on 1950s data? I remember hearing a statistic back in the 90s that young males have the highest insurance rates because it is the population that accounts for the most speeding tickets, but not necessarily the most accidents or fatalities. I don’t know if that was true then or if it is true now, but it makes me think it might be time to rethink the system.

When I was 16, I would have driven anything with wheels. Most of my friends with cars had Chevettes. These things could barely do 35 miles per hour and required massive arm strength to make a soft left turn. Parallel parking required a forklift. If I knew a kid with a shiny new sports car, even a domestic make, I was inclined to spit on the windshield and key the doors. Now, I see teenagers in BMWs regularly.

I kid you not. TEENAGERS IN BMWs. This has got to stop. Inexperienced and spoiled little pickle smokers should not be driving performance sports cars. They should be driving Chevettes. It is a right of passage…the way things should be.

Yours faithfully,
The Crusty Old Curmudgeon.