Only in Michigan?

[MJC]

4-year-old Mich. boy drives mother's car

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAND LAKE, Mich. -- A boy drove his mother's car to a video store in the middle of the night, police said - and he's all of 4 years old.

Even though he was unable to reach the accelerator, the boy managed to put the car in gear and the idling engine provided enough power to take him slowly to the store, a quarter-mile from his home, about 1:30 a.m. Friday, Police Chief Doug Heugel said. Finding the store closed, the youngster began a slow trip home.

Weaving and with its headlights off, the car got the attention of police Sgt. Jay Osga, who initially thought he was following a driverless car that had taken off after being left running at a gas pump.

The car turned into the boy's apartment complex and struck two parked cars, then backed up and struck Osga's police car.

That's when Osga discovered the boy inside.

"He knew how to go from forward to reverse," Osga said Monday. "The mother said she taught him how to drive by letting him sit on her lap and steer."

[carioca1232001]

Surprising, although not surprising at the same time.

Automatics are terribly easy to drive, as you do not need all the mind-body motor coordination ( coordenação motora ?) that stick-shifts require. Some auto-drivers are unable to drive stick-shift vehicles - my daughter for one !

And Michigan is after all Motown country smile.gif

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

MORAL: drive a stick shift!

[rbgarr]

Moral: Don't put a four year old in your lap and let him steer! He belongs in the back seat... buckled up!

[Katherine]

My parents house is about 10 miles south of Sand Lake and I was there this past week end. I heard about this story soon after it happened and I think the real moral is that some people are just to stupid to raise children.

[km gresham]

All sorts of things here.

1. Children will manage to do some dangerous things regardless how diligent their parents are about watching over them. This boy got out in the middle of the night, which is enough to turn your hair gray! This is a determined and resourceful boy who will require more effort and clear rules and discipline in order to avoid disaster.

2. Although it's common, it is dumb to put your child on your lap to "drive". Children have no judgement and what is accepted in one instance they believe is just fine anytime. The same applies to letting underage children drink alcohol at home. It's the judgement thing - they don't have it. That's why they get parents who are supposed to have good judgement.

3. It takes good parenting and a some good fortune to get children raised with relatively little in the way of accidents or mistakes - yours and theirs.

[Katherine]

This kids parents should be so grateful that all he hit were two parked cars and the patrol car. I know the area, I've driven through it many times myself. It pretty rural. Sand Lake is little more then a one stop sign town. He's lucky he didn't make a wrong turn and end up IN Sand Lake.

[Beowolf]

Having also grown up near Sand Lake, (About 10 SouthEast...) I'm pretty sure that I know where the only video store is and even though he would have had to drive through a cottage or two to get there, I agree. The boy's damn lucky that he didn't drive it into a lake.

Katherine...where's your folks?

Jeff

[km gresham]

When my brother was 3 he got into the family car - broad daylight (the family was in the house with visiting grandparents). Our driveway was on a slight incline and he put the car in gear and proceeded to roll back down the driveway and across the fairly busy street we lived on, just missing a passing car.

The man in the car was scared out of his wits and he stopped and got my brother and hauled him up to the front door. You can imagine my parent's shock - they thought he was in the fenced back yard. The young driver was beaming "I droove the car!" were his words.

Children will manage to find mischief. He was an adventurer. He "snow skied" off a neighbors low roof when he was about 8. Didn't break his neck, but he had the wind knocked out of him!

My nephew at 10 decided he could roller blade and read at the same time. That got him a broken arm.

When we were little we found a parachute in my grandparent's house and were discovered making plans to use it to sky dive off the roof. My sister at about 4 decided to use our rope swing by wrapping it around her neck. My grandfather nearly had a heart attack when he saw her swinging by her neck. She had pretty bad rope burns.

My other sister had a habit of sticking things into outlets (before outlet covers). Tweezers, hairpins, keys. The tweezers were the last because it sent her flying across the room. :eek:

I bet everybody has these stories. smile.gif

[Katherine]

Beowolf,

My parents are about half way between Sparta and Rockford, on Grange Ave. between 13 & 14 mile. You can't miss their house. It's the only one with a great big wooden boat in the yard!

[StevenBauer]

Uh oh, now Al knows where to find you! :eek:

Steven

[Katherine]

He still owes me a picture. ;)

[alteran]

If I don't hear from Luddy today Katherine I'll call him tommorrow. He should have the portrait done.

[Beowolf]

Oops, I thought it was the other Sand Lake (On the east side) I grew up in Tawas.
Jeff