01SSM6

EVERYONE thinks they're a good driver...I think i'm an awesome driver..but i dont get in over my head....when your 16 you think you're invinsible.....thing is your not...cripes i thought i was...amazing what 3 years will do to wisen you up...i know just driven on the road everyday for my dad's business..seeing accidents...freinds dying in accidents...can wake a person right the f!ck up...just sayin all you younger guys...be careful...dont drive outa your limits...i had a freind roll over a 305 powere 2wd 86 GMC C-20...and brake his back..thats a 180hp truck...just be careful and dont get cocky..cause thats when you get hurt

TransAmMan

I am a responsible driver... one of the few exceptions... word to all of you starting drivers... even if you drive safley two years later... me myself being 18 realize how unintentionally wreckless i was ... and a year ago i was involved in car wreck... one of the scariest things in my life... and if it wasnt for Gods nice little interevention and two inchs forward i would of been dead.

So word of advice and a word of thanks to the Man up stairs... keep it safe man.

ChillnV

damn...that looks like a grand am! not to lighten all this seriousness, but I think that plastic body cladding helped coushin the impact

glad to hear you made it out ok...even w/ more knowledge.

Swifster

Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily the case. Many companies are hampered because they have accepted a premium and the insurance follows the car, not the driver. Most if not all will cover the initial loss, but the result will be an "adjustment" to the premiums. Many courts consider the acceptance of the premium as binding and will side with the insured as far as covering the loss. Some may require the insured to pay the premium difference either upfront before repairs/settlements are completed, or as an actual part of the settlement. Most will just raise the rates of the parents to adjust for the young driver.

As you also mentioned, driver exclusions will vary by state. States without exclusions will typically allow for cancellations, while those with exclusions won't allow them. Where policies can't be cancelled (like Michigan), surcharges and exclusions are used to adjust the cost vs. the risk.

I see this happening from the claims side which is a little different perspective than the sales side.

Rogue Leader

Youre right I am on the sales perspective... Denying a claim for that is very extreme. Theoretically its possible, but usually the insurance company will still cover the victim. Ive seen cases where companies pay the victims claim, and deny the insured. Its rare but can happen depending on the company, their underwriting, and the case...

Rogue Leader

Now this is the smartest thing Ive heard in this thread. Ive spent 5+ years autocrossing, went to a performance driving school, went to racing school to get a competition license and have raced Formula Dodge cars on tracks like Limerock and the Daytona 24 hr course. Im a novice driving instructor in my autox region, And I STILL learn every time I race a car.

If you can afford it a performance driving school will help you immensely, autocrossing helps you learn your limits too. Plus hopefully it will teach you discipline that theres a time and a place to do that.

Incidentally when I went to the initial racing school to get my license there were 2 parents that brought their 16 yr old son there, they said hes not allowed to even touch a car on the street until he completes the course successfully. Cool parents and very smart too, I bet that kid can outdrive any 16 yr old out there, and understands the limits too.

TransAmMan

I am curious to what driving school costs... where would one be located near me... colorado... and how long it takes? Id be really interested in going to it.

From above... car wrecks give oyu a whole new perspective into how you are NOT invincible.

wicked 98z

Damn I was paying 350 for my camaro when I got it when I was 16. I got a Corvette also its 200 bux. BTW not every 16 year old is a dumb ***. I had a mid 10sec car on gas when I was 16. To bad it hasnt got any faster since then

ALbert

DeepBlueZ

once again, not to stoke the flames here but you're over-generalizing too. i do not believe for 1 second that 100% of teenage drivers are "bad". Just remember age means you gain experience, it doesnt mean you use it. Just because you may be driving for years and years doesnt mean you'll react in a better way when a situation comes up that requires skill and attention to avoid an accident.

It's true that everyone believes they're great drivers. me...i believe im a very solid driver for my age...i do the speed limit or a couple MPH above. i DO NOT weave or take ANY chances when it comes to cutting something close. I don't drive aggressively. I have enough experience to understand the properties of skid control. Do i make mistakes? YES. who doesnt. have i ever hammered my car on an empty road? YES. honestly what is the point to onwing an LS1 if you NEVER have a little fun with it.

I'm just kind of tired of being told im just a flat-out bad driver with no room for discussion. Then, i drive down the road and get repeatedly cutoff by the 40 year old woman in her SUV or i get passed by the middle age business man who cant leave his house on time and has to do 80+ mph to get to work on time.

RJF

dang guys if a kids parents wants to pay for it and no matter if hes a good driver or not its there choice.My parents wanted me to get an old truck but I said no way I want something nice so I bought myself my Z28 was 17 when I bought had 64 thousand miles even.now has 64 thousand 500.I paid cash for it and pay my own insurance.If you dont like bad drivers then you shouldnt own a car at all cause everyone is a bad driver.Insurance is high but if you got the cash or your parents want to help out go for it

BIGBOS

Insurance for me is pennys, its secondary and under my dads name, who is pretty old.....its under a grand a year currently, when it gets switched to my name its going to be 225 a month, less if I'm B average.........

I got my car when I was 16, not problems so far except for spending all of the money I earn at my job on it......modding the car is a serious addiction..........I could of invested my money better, had cash in savings, but instead I choose to put it towards the money pit........

I've had no accidents, the car only has 16,500 miles on it, but I do a lot of driving otherwise........

I'm 18 now..........

I was also told by many and older adults that I would kill myself and its stupid to get a 16 year old "firebird" a car like that, yada yada yada, but I'm responsible and still here.....

jay's99transam

Well im 17 years of age, and i have a 1999 trans am, im paying about 220 a month under my dads policy. i've been driving it since nov. i haven't had any accidents or tickets. I had one ticket for parking illegally in front of a strip club.

darrensls1formula

Your one of the lucky ones. At least so far. But explain to the parents of the kid that was killed in a street race how thier son was responsible and could handle it, yada, yada, yada.

He's not still here. Point is your parents didn't lose you either because you really don't drive aggressivly/race or because you were lucky. But that doesn't take away the point that they took a big risk when you got that car. Every kid will tell thier parents when they want a puppy that they will feed it, walk it and play with it every day. Every teenager that wants a LS1 will tell his parents he won't speed in it, race it or drive it aggressively. Some will be responsible, some will just be flat out lucky that the stupid stuff they do didn't kill them and some will be killed or seriously injured.

As a parent it's an unecassary risk I won't take with my kids. I'll let them drive something they won't be tempted to race first and a few years down the road they can get what ever they like. I'm not saying every teenager would or does street race but enough of them would do sometng stupid in a LS1 that It's not worth the risk.

Your parents were lucky as were you. But the next kids parents might not be so lucky. BTW I'm not saying this stuff to try and convince any young people here that they can't handle a fast car or can't drive. I'm not that nieve to think I could talk a teenager into accepting my point of view on this. But if one parent who has kids about fifteen or sixteen reads this and my posts here makes them think twice about getting thier child a LS1 for thier first car then all the arguing back and forth will have been worth it.

Stay safe out there guys,

Rogue Leader

You guys missed what I said... There ARE exceptions to the rule, maybe you are deepbluez, I dont know I havent seen you drive. My point was most people think they are more skilled than they are, and it especially happens with younger drivers. Doesnt mean everyone, but you cant change the fact that 9 times out of 10 the guy driving like a maniac in a camaro, is a young guy.

Dont even get me started on women in SUVs LOL.....

Rogue Leader

The first school I did is the Evolution Performance Driving School http://www.autocross.com/evolution/ and thats a more autocross related school, one day, use your own car, its a lot of info stuffed into a short time but it WORKS... My Autox times a few years ago dropped significantly after taking it with no changes to my car. But Im also associated with the Skip Barber series, and they have a Dodge High Performance driving school where you learn car contol in Dodge Neons, Pickups, and a Viper! Its a bit pricey (from about $795- $1295 depending which program you do) but the instruction is great, the Coaches are all pro and semi pro racers, its worth every penny... Check out www.skipbarber.com and click on driving school and you can see the different programs there. I did their race school (which is a LOT more $) and I run in some of their eastern region races (assuming I can get sponsor funding this year!)

CamaroSS

iTrader: (2)

I agree 100% these cars are not for kids!!! I had to learn the hard way to fully respect the car. Some have had the experience to know, and others have it already. I kinda took the car for granted, and needed a group of people to tell me what I was doing wrong. I stand here admiting that I once drove stupid, I once took un needed risks, because I did. After you more fully explained yourself, I take back the Jackass comment. You seem to sound like a father that will be in the situationin a few years, and you are just being a good parent. Sorry.

I being in High School can say, not many kids think the way I do, they mostly think the way I did. I was just lucky to have people tell me what I was doing and thinking wrong before I got injured.

Racing on the street comes with judgement. In the city I live in, we have a few streets that are similar to tracks. Two wide lanes heading in the same direction, with no oncomming traffic, do intersections, and no cross walks. The only place a car can come is from behind you, the street is well lit, and you can see miles in front of you. I don't race anywhere else than these few areas because putting other drivers in danger is just wrong. I could not see anyone racing through a street with a chance of a car pulling out, and in my city, this is common. Racing on the street in general is bad, but on the streets I do it, other people are not involved. I would never race at such high speeds!! So don't pin that on me. If my car can't go 110, 120, 130, or 140 in the quarter, I don't reach it. Speed racing makes no sense to me. Feel free to comment on what I wrote, I would like to hear your opinions.

ChillnV

great ticket man!!

Debian Dog

I am just glad to see "kids" (no insult intended) actually WANT an F-body. I am so sick of all these guy putting a downpipe, muffer, and rims on their Honda and thinking they have something.

Good job fellas!

darrensls1formula

I see what you are saying but ask yourself this. Would you be able to tell your parents about these races you do in safer streets in your city? Could you honestly sit down and tell your mother and or father about how you met up with some friends at one of these few places and beat a mustang from a dig getting up to 105 mph? Would they congratulate you or take your keys away? If the cops catch you guys do you think they will let you go because it's not held near other motorists?

The only place a drag race should take place is a track. It's perfectly legal and it's a little safer then any place else because they have emergency staff on hand in case of an accident and god forbid injuries. I'm not talking about street light racing where your going from 0-50 to get to the next light. I'm talking about a full 1/4 mile drag race where you will hit anywhere from 100 on up. It's too bad there is not a local track in every large town where anyone can go and race legally for a reasonable price but unfortunately there isn't.

If you get caught by the cops the penalties I hear are very severe nowadays. They are really cracking down on street racing. You could lose your license and in some sever cases your car. Not worth it IMO. Take it to the track, pay the fee and hope like heck nothing happens because your insurance carrier won't touch a claim for any accident that occurs at a track.

I get on my car. That's normal IMO to go from a stop to say 50 mph as quick as you can just to hear your wot sound or to fly on the expressway and do a 30-75 ish wot run as you get on. But that's just a little spirited driving not excessive speeding or racing another car to triple digits.

I just don't see whats so bad about getting a V6 for the looks when you start out and upgrading to a V8 when your in college. HS kids are a bit young IMO to have such power at thier foot. Some may use it wisely but most will not. There is a difference between being a good driver and one who just hasn't been caught.

But I will give all you young LT1/LS1 drivers credit for one thing. You got good taste. That Honda Civic with fart can and sticker garbage that a lot of kids your age are into now looks and sounds like

IMO

ChillnV

my father would probably congradualate me..my mother would throw a fit...and the cops..well I hate them anyways, so it doesn't matter.