BANGOR, Maine — Holding an 8-by-10 photograph of the son she lost in November, Karen Kinney of Newport struggled to contain her emotions Tuesday night as she offered suggestions she hoped might save the lives of others.
Richard Picken Jr. was only 14 years old when he died in a Nov. 7 car crash in Carmel. Picken was a passenger in a car driven by his future stepbrother, 16-year-old James MacPhearson III of Levant, when the car left the roadway and struck a utility pole.
A state police accident reconstruction specialist estimated that the car was traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph just before the crash.
“It never should have happened,” she said of the accident, in which both teenagers were killed instantly.
Tuesday’s brief address marked the first time Kinney has spoken publicly about the accident that claimed the life of her son. She later acknowledged it was difficult.
Her father, Keith Kinney of Glenburn, agreed.
“It’s been three months and I still can’t sleep,” he said.
On Tuesday, Kinney said the accident might not have happened if the state had tougher rules for its newest — and least experienced — drivers and had mechanisms for making sure that they don’t violate provisions aimed at protecting them and others, including a curfew and limitations on who they can carry as passengers.
Other suggestions that came forth during the Bangor session included more practice time for future drivers and more parent involvement, tougher penalties for driving violations, classroom speakers who have first-hand experience in the consequences of poor decision-making, increasing the learners permit length to one year and requiring defensive driving instruction.
Tuesday’s forum at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office at the Airport Mall was the third of six that Secretary of State Charles Summers is conducting in the next few weeks as part of Conversations With the Communities, a public discussion regarding ways to improve the safety of Maine’s young drivers.
Summers said Tuesday that the issue is one of top concern for him, both as a state official and as a father. In a message on the state’s website, Summers noted that in the past year alone, there were around 50 fatal crashes in Maine in which a young driver — someone between the ages of 16 and 24 — was involved.
To that end, Summers has initiated the first overhaul of Maine’s driver education requirements since the mid-1990s. A technical committee will review suggestions the state receives and turn some of them into requirements now and put others on a “bucket list” of improvements that can be made in the future.
Bangor’s gathering was the third held so far. Similar sessions were held earlier this month in Lewiston and Kennebunk. All sessions are being conducted at Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices. The remaining sessions will be held Wednesday, Jan. 18, in Caribou; Thursday, Jan. 19, in Calais; and Monday, Jan. 23, in Portland.
The State is at fault? The State made the car go over 100pmh?
I think the grieving parents and community can suggest new safe guards and changes in the law without saying the state is at fault. In fact I don’t hear anyone saying its the states fault at all. At least not in this article.
In a round about way I took the Grandfathers comments as “blaming the state”. I could be wrong though.
I think this constitutes blame in the article: Quoting from the article – “On Tuesday, Kinney said the accident might not have happened if the state had tougher rules for its newest — and least experienced — drivers and had mechanisms for making sure that they don’t violate provisions aimed at protecting them and others, including a curfew and limitations on who they can carry as passengers.”
Right. Why didn’t she institute tougher rules and curfews for her son? Not that she should have, but certainly before the state does.
Unfortunately, you all don’t know the entire situation so I can’t even be angry at the comment you made. The 14 year old boys father and the drivers mother gave them permission to be in that car when Ms. Kinney was not there. She was very good about rules for her son. Unfortunately she has paid the ultimate price as a parent in losing her son due to poor judgement on the other parents side and on the driver. And being a parent myself I wish the laws were tougher. This is one of the saddest situations I have ever heard. Nothing can bring her son back but altleast she is being pro active with her time and trying her best to do something.
“Poor judgment on the other parents side”? Not sure how you can make that judgment. I can’t imagine either of these parents would condone the choice made by the boys that lead to their death. Perhaps your taking your advocacy for the Kinneys a bit far.
The pain for all involved must be overwhelming.
I personally think it’s too late for her to try and do something. She did use poor judgement and even if her child wasn’t in her care at the time, it was still her responsibility to make sure that his father tried to provide safe care for his son in her absence. Rules and laws aren’t going to change anything. Delinquents will still disobey them if they think they are above all the rules and laws.
The state does have limitations on who they are supposed to carry as passengers, immediate family only, and it looks like they stretched the rules to “future family”
“It shouldn’t have happened ” is followed by, “If the state had tougher laws”.
Sounds like blame to me.
As someone else stated, by all means toughen the laws but don’t say it’s the state’s fault if your child is out of control. One hundred ????
If the facts are correct, the 16-year-old driver had already violated his restrictive license requirements set by the State; therefore, the State has a responsibility here to have enforced the laws in place but because his license was not taken away and the mother of the driver allowed him to be behind the wheel with a passenger not related, perhaps that is who is charged for breaking the law?
Or maybe the reporter did not interpret the comments made during the interview in the best light.
Look at how easy many of you throw blame.
The State has never touched the vechicles it is the Automobile Companys that decide how fast Automobiles go.
Driver is at fault……..period.
Nobody should ever have to bury a child. Sorry mom and dad.
It’s the drivers fault for doing 100.
Yes it is. I keep trying to rationalize why these kids have no respect for the machinery (car, motorcycle, snowmobile etc) they drive and what can happen to you if you don’t. Drinking, texting, speeding (especially with poor road conditions) while driving is just brushed aside. We weren’t angels when we were kids but we weren’t foolish either.
Could it be that the parents aren’t instilling enough responsibility and accountability in their kids? Do they feel that mom and dad can get them out of everything? All I know is drivers ed isn’t connecting with some of these teens and there needs to be changes to get these kids attention, Somehow.
What connected me was attending a high school assembly in which a mother showed the audience the bloodied, torn-apart shirt her son spent the last few moments of his life wearing after a horrific accident. To see something like that first hand made it real. 15 years later I can’t remember the name of the boy that had died, nor his mother – but the image of that shirt and the reactions of my peers is burned into my memory. I wish all teens had the opportunity I had to attend that assembly.
“We weren’t angels when we were kids but we weren’t foolish either.”
Yes you were. We all were. We just were lucky enough not to pay for our mistakes.
You have a point. To a degree. I never went 100 mph on a country road though. I also (obviously) never texted while driving, nor do I now. At the time, most of us at an early age had snowmobiles and boats. We essentially learned to drive those and it made you a more experienced “driver” when the time came to get your license. Of course the snowmobiles of the time didn’t go 110 mph like they do now. Every once in a while though, you’d do something stupid enough to scare the daylights out of you. You’re right though, we WERE lucky.
I agree BUT…I see plenty of people who are not in this age group who drive way too fast, ride on the bumper of the car in front of them, and who text. I travel 30 miles one way to work every day and you would not believe some of the scarey things that I see and experience all because someone is in a hurry (leave your house a little sooner) or not paying attention to the road (pull over when you need to text).
To the writer, proofreader, editor, or whoever cares about accuracy: Was the Bangor forum the second of six (as stated in the 10th paragraph) or the third forum (as stated in the last paragraph?
Thank you, AdamWorld. It was the third of six and that error has been corrected.
But then you guys made that point redundant. In the 10th paragraph, you have “Tuesday’s forum at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office at the Airport Mall was the third of six …” In the last paragraph, you say the same thing: “Bangor’s gathering was the third held so far.”
It’s too bad the paper doesn’t consider copy editing to be that important anymore.
I am normally a less government the better kind of guy. Not in this case. Kids are dying at an alarming rate and I hate the gut-wrenching feeling I get when I read about these tragedies. It must be a million times worse for the parents and family members. I’ve been almost preaching to my kids lately. More requirements need to be added for young drivers.
Don’t drive at 100 MPH and don’t allow a 16 year old driver to have anyone under the age of 18 riding with them unless they’re a family member would both be good requirements. Oh, wait….they already are. What makes you think the driver would have abided by any more requirements?
What happened was terrible, no kids should die, no parent should have to watch their child’s funeral. But they were goofing off and going over 100mph. there is no one to blame but the boys. If she thought the kid was a bad driver she should have never allowed them to ride together, that night or ever before then. It was just a bad choice they made that ended awful. You cannot blame the state for not baby sitting the boys. I hope the family heals.
If the speed limit is 65 cars should never be able to go over 80. Definately a program where kids that have commited crimes and are doing time should be taken into classrooms in shackles and prison garb to teach children where they will be if they commit a crime with their vehicle. Those that are paroled also need to teach. This will teach teens more. I don’t care how long you prolong their license, some will be wreckless at any age. Education will be key.
Maine doesn’t have parole.
The young man driving in the Carmel crash was in at least two other crashes before taking his friend’s and his own life. At just 16, why was he still able to drive legally?
Granted, you’re right, that kid was in other crashes and shouldn’t have been driving, but I got my license when I was 15. That was nearly 30 years ago and I haven’t had one accident.
I had it pounded into my head that I could kill someone very easily with my actions in a vehicle and how would I feel about that if it were to happen? Could I live with myself every day?
Accidents do happen, and I’m not going to sit here and judge another family’s raising of their children, but I don’t think we as parents talk nearly enough about the “Yes, it CAN happen to you.” factor.
OMG…yes, why was he still driving? When I was that age…my father would have made sure I didn’t drive again for a long time if I was responsible for two other accidents. What a shame.
While I hope I never know the pain that his family went through, I find it weird that the parents/relatives with all their concerns couldn’t set rules of their own to protect their children and others on the road. If it is so obvious that something needs to be done (which I don’t neccesarily disagree with), then it should have been obvious that they as parents/relatives could have set rules such as curfew, passenger numbers, etc.
The parents that gave the permission for this joy ride should be punishable by law. The parents allowed this driver to disobey the law. He did not have his license long enough to legally have passengers. That is why they kept saying almost stepbrothers. They didn’t even live in the same house. The father of the passenger and the mother of the driver didn’t move in together until after the accident.
I was under the impression that you could have a family member as a passenger. Evidently, I’m wrong. But anyone who knows teenagers these days knows that they all pick up their friends when they know they shouldn’t.
They were not related so he should not be in the car. I don’t think step-siblings count either. Immedate family is what I believe the hand book says.
The only reason a teen should be allowed to drive is to go to work!
Also the state minimums should require the teen to be an upstanding citizen, perhaps honor roll students or those who have earned the right & they should only be able to drive to and from Work….Teens should NOT have a license to joyride or run errands for their parents, It is proven that most are not responsible enough citizens.~~my regards to the parents involved in this tragedy, who felt it necessary to allow their child to acquire a license at a young age, as did I, with tragic consequences as well.
I’m not sure what the state can do to slow people down. More patrols and higher fines? Too many people drive too fast, endangering the rest of us.
The solution to alot of the problems lately, i.e way to many kids dying in crashes, drug and alcohol use, etc, begins with the parents taking responsibility. If the parents take responibility for their own actions, they have a better chance of teaching their kids to take responsibility. Parents also need to discipline their children AND stick to it. That doesn’t mean to threaten to take the car away if they miss their curfew and then let have it back early because you feel sorry for them.
It’s the old saying….let’s not blame the 16 year old driver for driving over 100 miles an hour and losing control of the vehicle. Let’s blame everone else, family, friends etc…. Cars and guns don’t kill people. People kill people and themselves. It is called the rule of common sense….When you pick up a firearm or get into a vehicle and turn the key, the responsiblity for yourself and others is yours and yours alone. What a person does from that point on dictates reality later….My prayers go out to all families involved. No parent should have to bury their child as I have had to do.
But tradic events take place everyday….we as young and old need to take responsiblity for our lack of judgement and actions that cause these tragic events. May the families involved find peace in their hearts. My son died as a young man of drugs and alcohol. His Mother and I tried everything we could to get him to stop, but it was all about choices and he kept making the wrong ones until his liver and kidneys shut down. My wife has never gotten over his passing….she grieves everyday….burying your first born is such a tragedy for any Mother. As a father and husband, I just try to be there when her heart is full of saddness at times. In our hearts I know we ask ourselves could we of done more to prevent this….still searching for those heartfelt answers….
So sorry for your loss. Choices made by some young ones are often tragic. I’m sorry your son made such a choice.
Do you really think her son made the choice , he wasnt really friends with this kids…His dad and the mother of the driver more than likely made the choice for this irresponsible 16 year old to drive the boy to the other house to get his homework…..maybe an adult should have taken him..had he called his mother in newport to drive him she would have and ‘this accident would not have happened”.
how about you be a parent, and not give your kid keys to a car that can do 100MPH!!!! my first car was a POS mercury tracer (call it a re-badged ford escort), had 85HP, and could attain 85 MPH if you kept your foot on the floor.. it was a great safe car… I think you should play the role of parent, and put the fear of death in your kids eyes… scare the hell out of them.. have them watch cop chases, have them see pictures of auto accidents… let them see for themselves what an accident victim looks like.. safety precautions sure… but you can only do so much.. installing a speed limiter in your car… go ahead, they do it for big rig semi’s. but I suggest you try the simple tried, and true method..
I believe random drug testing should be performed while in Driver’s Ed classes, and a follow-up period while driving on a permit. It would also be beneficial to continue random drug testing while on a probationary license. If parents are not willing to treat the permit/license as a priviledge rather than a right, the State should intsill that in new drivers. I don’t know how many students showed up high when my teens were in Driver’s Ed, but there were many and the instructor said his hands were tied…he knew they were high and would not let them drive, but he couldn’t kick them out of class or hold them accountable any other way. Oh…and the cost for those random tests should be passed on to the new driver/parents to help them learn responsibility. Test positive…lose the right to drive for a period of time…say three months or so. Test negative, cheaper insurance rates for doing the right thing. Just a thought….
really? now you are saying that the kid was on drugs? how about we test anyone over the age of 40 for eyesight every year to make sure they can still drive? how about we test iq for a license, since it does involve performing multiple functions at the same time that can not be performed by everyone. handicap plates, you are coming in every 6 months to ensure that your handicap does not impede your driving ability (or parking accuracy, oh the pictures i have taken of handicap parking jobs).
drug tests should also be performed for people with valid drivers licenses, regardless of age. not just recreational since a lot of prescription drugs are a lot worse. if you are on a drug, you can not drive. period. Also, if you are under the age of 18, your legal guardians must be tested for drugs as well. If they are to make the right decisions about our youngsters being on the road, we need to make sure that they are of clear mind.
and sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads, because that would be pretty cool too.
Wow…someone went off the deep end! Nowhere did I mention that I thought this kid was on drugs. I believe that ALL teens should have random drug testing during driver’s ed and while on a probationary license. THAT is all I was saying.
Absolutely this is the fault of the state. Car Accident Report Form
Oh yeah, sure. It’s the States fault. Give me a break. I’m sorry the kid is dead but all the rules in the world can’t prevent youthful stupidity. Lets show a little courage and place the blame where it belongs.
with the parents!!!!!!!
You can have every law in the state for teen driving but if that teen is bent on driving a 100mph then there isn’t anything that you can do. Most teens drive too fast. When my daughter was a teenager she drove too fast so I told her you have an accident in this car, there will be no more car. That stopped her in her tracks. She knew I meant what I said.
If these kids(adults of age) can go to war holding a gun they sure as hick know how to drive…nobodies fault but their own.
This is our fault as parents. We don’t want to be like our own parents, always setting rules and busting our kids chops. Well guess what, AS A PARENT YOU HAVE TO! You can’t always be the bestie. You have to take responsibility for what your kids are learning and doing. I got my license at 16, and my Mom pulled it 3 months later when I got home late and got a speeding ticket because I was running late. The State took my license for 1 month. MOM took it for another 2. It is the Parents option to take away the privileges given to a minor. Don’t forget…YOU have to sign for that license. The kids don’t get them without a parent signing off.
The family is in mourning and is not saying this is the fault of the state, but they are suggesting that teen driving laws be updated. The facts —The young man driving in the Carmel crash was in at least two other crashes before taking his friend’s and his own life. At just 16, why was he still able to drive legally? true statement…..He was driving over 100 MPH, he did go through a stop sign, he had been warned by friends earlier in the day to slow down, he didn’t have his license long enough to have passangers….RJ should have never been in the vehicle….who alllowed it? The mom of the driver–the dad of the passanger knew where they were going and what they were doing(going to get papers for school–why didn’t a responsible adult drive the child?)….Parent need to take accountability for thier actions and thier kids actions–why was this child still driving when he has already been so wreckless–let alone to have passangers? Now the life of another is gone and can never be given back. This was a preventable accident.
With respect to a grieving mother, placing blame helps no one. A poor choice was to blame here. Even good kids make bad decisions from time to time. It was a horrible tragedy, but I doubt changes in the driver’s ed/licensing program would have prevented it.
As awful as losing her child is, maybe the mother should have imposed ‘a curfew and limitations’ on her son, especially if she knew her son’s friend was irresponsible. The state can’t legislate righteousness. It’s up to the parents, not the state, to make their children responsible. As some other posters have said, it seems as if she’s deflecting the blame from herself.
The mother did NOT give permission for her son to be in this car with this irresponsible driver. The father of the passenger did and the mother of the driver. And they both knew that the driver had already caused other accidents.
The father is going to have to live with that for the rest of his life, as well the other mother. That’s my point. The father, and mother of the driver, knowing full well the danger, let the kids go anyway. No amount of legislation is going to change that.
Lash out at the state because you can’t accept what happened…nice. You can’t legislate frontal lobe development. Add more laws and then parents will complain about the fines their kids rack up when they break them.
“On Tuesday, Kinney said the accident might not have happened if the state had tougher rules for its newest — and least experienced — drivers and had mechanisms for making sure that they don’t violate provisions aimed at protecting them and others, including a curfew and limitations on who they can carry as passengers.”
Yeah, it is the state’s fault. I mean, it couldn’t be the fault of the kids. That would be too hard to handle. The kids screwed up. Unfortunately, they paid the ultimate price. The mom embarrasses herself with her comments. The car was going over 100 mph. Is that the state’s fault? Maybe the car manufacturers are at fault for making a car that would go that fast.
I agree
Maybe the parent should be at fault for letting her son ride with a driver 16 years old. But she has to blame someone so I guess the state police the way to go. Pass a law that kid have to be 17 before they aloud to drive and 19 before they can have someone under the age of 18 with for the first two yrs. But please blame your son for going 100 plus because the state trooper did not make him drive that fast. They had to clean up the mess. Very sad for the police that where involed having to live with what they saw that night.
the accident might not have happened if the Parents had tougher rules for
their newest — and least experienced — drivers and had mechanisms for
making sure that they don’t violate provisions aimed at protecting them
and others, including a curfew and limitations on who they can carry as
passengers.
the State has put such provisions in place. You cant expect the State to raise your children.
So instead of blaming her soon to of been stepson she would rather blame the state?? Seriously? I understand how hard it must be for her and her family but I think since the reports came out and that he was going 100MPH shed get it. She allowed her son to go with the other boy I’d assume so blame inexperiencce on the boy not the state. That said I do think that kids doing drivers ed need to see some trainings showing what can happen and mayb e change driving age..
He was not Ms. Kinneys soon to be step son. Ms. Kinney did not give permission to any one. She has every right to cast blame.
She could have been the very mechanism she suggested…it’s nearly 9PM and you are still working on a school project. It’s too late to be out! What if someone else had drove into them and killed them? She still blame the state? You can give a “child” or “teenager” all the driver experience in the world and all the courses in the world and some are STILL going to go speeding, drive drunk, etc. Then again people in their 40’s do it. It is a matter of learning to respect the machine. It might sound a little harsh, but you can be surprised at how many crashes are the result of no respect to a vehicle.
Agreed
agreed. the hardest part is learning to respect the machine though. you do not get that until you push it at least a little to far. one of the first times I drove on a permit, the unnamed person with me took me down a snow/ice covered road and kept on pulling the e-brake on me. was only a couple of years older then me and just trying to be a d***, but it did teach me a lot in the long run.
I have a 16yr old son who has been driving since November of this year. He completed drivers ed and the required amount of driving time and then some before submitting for his license. We spent that time pointing out other drivers (usually adults) doing things that were unsafe and irresponsible and what can happen when a vehicle is treated as a toy. I remember discussing this accident with him (I also have a 14 yr old son). Having not lost one of my boys, I cannot even begin to imagine what this mother is experiencing. I understand the need to blame someone. But tougher laws for new drivers would not have stopped this teen from going 100 MPH. Teens & young adults tend to think they are invinsible, that nothing will ever happen to them. But it does and it is tragic when a life is lost at such a young age. The laws that are in place are only as good as those willing to obey them regardless of the age of the offender. More laws & regulations are not going to change this.
Good comment. I agree also about not necessarily adding new laws. I do feel that more requirements should be added to drivers ed. Maybe these kids need to be subjected to the horrific scenes of accidents that we were in drivers ed. Maybe longer periods of not being allowed to carry non-family passengers. My daughters are the same age as your sons. I wish you all well, this is a difficult time to be a parent when they are trying to gain their independence.
It would be nice to see some reporting in articles from the BDN so there have been 50 tragedies invoving young people. How many drivers are between 16 and 24 right now? I bet the percentage is low when you look at fifty out of thousand. How many deaths have there been in drivers between the ages of 60 and 90 and how many of them hold licenses. This is a case of a few bad decisions causing the NANNY state to ruin it for the responible majority.
Maine had 136 traffic fatalities last year and there were 50 fatal accidents involving drivers between the age of 16-24. I think the statistics speak for themselves.
This is not about creating a nanny state. It’s about discussing and coming up with some sensible solutions to what is a big problem. Speed and inexperience remain an overwhelming factor in most of the 16-24 age accidents. While senior drivers may get in more “fender benders”, they are less likely to be fatal.
Letting the young get their experience through curfews and graduated licenses is not ruining it for the responsible majority. It’s protecting them from being a victim of someone who thinks that just because he drives great in video games he is also great behind the wheel.
They didn’t tell us how ma ny were between 16 to 17 having their licence 1 year. They are pushing for 18 to be the legal age to obtain license. I bet most of the accidents were between 18 and 24.
….
“Kinney said the accident might not have happened if the state had tougher rules for its newest — and least experienced — drivers and had mechanisms for making sure that they don’t violate provisions aimed at protecting them and others, including a curfew and limitations on who they can carry as passengers.”
These are all rules that they could have imposed and enforced more effectively as parents than any cop. Also, I believe there are already rules about going 100mph.
Ultimately, the only person at fault was the driver and possibly the passenger if he was encouraging it. It says nothing about these young men as people, just that youth breeds bad choices. Everybody who has a teen close to them in their lives tries to send the message to make right choices and prays that they will never have to pay in this way for their mistakes.
Legislation is not the answer. A strong, community wide message against this type of behavior will minimize these instances, but never get rid of them.
exactly, there are rules against going 100mph that werent followed. What makes anyone think they would have followed any other rules.
Even if the state did have tougher laws, I am guessing teenagers would not always follow them. Teenagers think they are invincible.
Adults don’t always follow them
OMG why is it the states fault. My children get drivers ed and then I make them have their permits for the full 18 months. When does it become the parents responsibility? I know they are suffering and redirecting their grief but it isn’t anyone’s fault except the boy who did 100 mph and the parents who didnt put tougher restrictions on his driving.
Exactly –the parent of the driver should have put restrictions on this boy’s driving…..The mom of RJ is not part of the whole “step family” if that is what you want to call it….she had no idea that the dad was allowing her 14 year old son to get in the car with an irresponsible driver..the drivers mom and the dad of the passenger had been dating for a month or so…know the facts folks
I am so scared when my own children drive and I gave them rules and pulled their license for every infraction including: not letting me know they wee stopping at McDonalds, driving in flip flops, answering their phone while driving (even though they pulled over on the side of the road to do it) and, even with my rules, they are still teens and they still could make bad choices but it isnt anyone elses fault if they do.
Im sorry for your lost.
If you don’t know the circumstances surrounding the incident, don’t be so quick to judge! Furthermore, nobody is blaming the State??! other then for not enforcing the laws already established!! Rather then trash-talk someone you don’t even know, stick to the issue at hand and that is what laws are in place and are they being effective; if not, what new ones can be implemented to hopefully cut down the fatalities.
Kinney said the accident might not have happened if the state had tougher rules for its newest — and least experienced — drivers and had mechanisms for making sure that they don’t violate provisions aimed at protecting them and others, including a curfew and limitations on who they can carry as passengers. I am sorry for your lost but to say the State should do something isn’t a good argument. The State has placed Rules but it is up to the Parents or Guardians of the Minor Children to help impose those rules. So are you asking the State of maine to revoke all Minor licenses, if it was up to the State Minors wouldn’t have licenses but it is against our rights so the State has imposed rules as the 16 yr old was in violation as he had a person under 18 riding with him which wasn’t a family member.
insurance com ranked Bangor Maine one of the top 10 most dangerous cities to drive in the USA in 2010. So it doesn’t surprise me that there are a lot of fatal vehicle accidents all over Maine. This excluded Boston and NYC however Bangor ranked #7 and that would only bump Bangor up to #9th place if they did include Boston and NY.
If parents are supose to be responsible, perhaps there should be a law that makes in mandatory parents pay for fire, ambulance, and police services if their child causes an accident or commits a crime.
There is. It’s called insurance.
This probably will cause some grief among the comments here, but I’ve read all the comments here and I can honestly say that it doesn’t matter what laws are in effect. What matters is the parents should have made a conscience decision not allowing such a teenager (who from what I’ve read had other instances where he was speeding recklessly) to get behind the wheel much less allowing her son to be a passenger with that said teenager. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t feel for the parents. They just need to realize that they are to blame too. I don’t have a child but if I did, I would be paying more attention to their welfare and not letting them get into such tragic conditions. Seems to me she should have been paying more attention to her child.
how unfortunate you sit there and ridicule this woman who lost her son. Have you not once considered the fact the family is divorced and that her son was not in her care at that time. Do you not think “she” wants the adults involved to step up and take responsiblity?!? Again, asking the State to enforce laws is not blaming them..tisk tisk on you.
The government can set laws, regulations and restrictions- but a young driver will always find a way to break them. The simple fact of the matter is that young drivers, specifically young males, love speed and adrenaline. That’s not up to the State to control, however parents have plenty of ways to do so (don’t pay for drivers ed until a certain age, don’t buy them a car or hand out the keys so often, etc.) Some people blame every problem on the State, yet call upon the State to fix every problem.
I’m sorry but the parents should be held accountable too as they should have not let him in the vehicle alone with a young, inexperienced and apparently reckless teenager. But considering the parent, I don’t believe she knows the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong.
This probably will cause some grief among the comments here, but I’ve read all the comments here and I can honestly say that it doesn’t matter what laws are in effect. What matters is the parents should have made a conscience decision not allowing such a teenager (who from what I’ve read had other instances where he was speeding recklessly) to get behind the wheel much less allowing her son to be a passenger with that said teenager. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t feel for the parents. They just need to realize that they are to blame too. I don’t have a child but if I did, I would be paying more attention to their welfare and not letting them get into such tragic conditions. Seems to me she should have been paying more attention to her child.
When I was a new driver, I was not allowed to drive my younger sister around. My parents voiced their concern that they couldn’t deal with an accident that involved both of their children. It seemed negative and macabre to me, but over a decade later, I see their point. I practiced driving with my parents as much as possible and learned to be a safe and cautious driver. I also followed their rules about who was and was not allowed to be in the car I was allowed to drive and who’s car I was allowed to ride in. It does seem like something that comes down to parental responsibility and children being willing to listen to their parents and trust that they know what is right.
I am sorry for your loss parents. With that being said it was your responsibility to know your teenager and his maturity level and whether or not he was responsible enough to drive . You as a parent control the level of responsibility by what your teenager has shown he or she can handle. I simply don’t think that this particular teenager was concerned about his safety or the safety of others. At 100 MPH he is thinking about nothing more than being the cool kid and this action in itself shows he wasn’t ready to have the responsibility of being behind the wheel. Its very unfortunate that two young teenagers had to loose their life because of irresponsibility regardless if this was a one time incident or he had an established pattern of immaturity behind the wheel. I don’t need to see my teenager (15) behind a wheel to know he is not ready to drive yet. I can gauge his maturity level and responsibility in everything he does. I would rather he wait a year and continue to develop than I just give in to his “well all my friends are driving” BS . He may be mad and upset with me but it is my call as a PARENT and I can sleep at night knowing that he maybe mad at me and can scream and yell all he wants. But the fact is because of MY PARENTING and taking an active role in his life I can walk to the end of hall at night and see him fast asleep and safe. Parents it wasn’t the states fault it was you and you alone who let that minor get his license.
It wasn’t an “accident”. It was an “on purpose”.
It is unfortunate that these young people lost thier lives. However, the mother is blaming the state. Could not have the mother provided for stricter rules/curfews etc. for driving? Parents: stop trying to be friends with your teenagers.
Perfect response.
I am sorry her children are dead but parents need to step up and impose some rules. When my kids got their permits they had to wait a year and log at least 100 hours of driving under our supervision before they could go for drivers licence then to start with they only got to drive to and from school for about 3 months and no one else in the car(that is now a law), then we slowly expanded when and where they could drive. They did not have full unrestricted driving until they had their licence for a full year. It was also firmly understood ONE driving infraction would suspend their driving until they were 18. I now have a grandson who will be taking drivers ed this summer and his mother intends to impliment to same rules. (When she was a teen she thought the rules were most unfair. Now has a parent she completely agrees with the way we did things.) Just because a teen has his/her drivers licence given by the state doesn’t mean mom or dad can’t impose their own rules.
I can’t even begin to imagine the grief this family is going through. Nothing is worse than the loss of a child. I do know, however, that when such sudden and tragic deaths happen part of the grieving process is anger, blame and lack of understanding. Although I might not agree with where the blame is put, I will not judge her for her blame as she is likely still in that phase of the process. My heart goes out to the entire family.
My heart goes out to this family for their loss, but I don’t believe the State’s law is to blame. What I always wonder though….Why can’t a governer be installed that limits speed to say…65 mph ? Commercial trucks have them. Fast cars are cool, and they sell…but at this cost ? I would say that teenagers should have this but I won’t stop there….they could save lives in ALL age ranges….
“shouldve never happened”
maybe not put 16 year olds behind the wheel who can’t act responsibly?
I know that this comment, to some, will sound heartless but the Mother is absolutely right, “It never should have happened” …………….. Why did she allow it.
The State didn’t give the vehicle to use or the keys, The State didn’t put both into the vehicle, The State didn’t drive down the road at that speed ………………..
It is time that parents take responsibility for their Children’s actions and stop trying to blame others for theirs or their Children’s mistakes.
what makes you assume SHE did allow it? This mother had the courage to speak out on behalf of her son whose life was taken far too soon. She does not care what YOU think or anyone else. For your information, SHE shares custody, so her son was not in her care. She would like nothing more then parents to be responsible.
Also people, Charlie Summers, Secretary of State, had already been addressing this problem and formed a task force to look at the statistics, long before you keep accusing this woman of involving the State..
The mother had much more control over this situation then the state would. already broke speed limit and limitations on permit driving since the passenger was not a relative (state laws). want more rules to break?
If we were referring to the mother of the driver, you would be correct Michael but this article is the mother of the passenger. I agree with you, the mother of the driver did not take responsibility allowing her son behind the wheel.
it just goes to show that teens should be on a tighter restriction and may be not allowed to drive at all. I am a mother of two teens and I am not going to let my son drive until he can show some maturity. I mean if he cant even do chores around the house with out throwing a “tantrum” than he sure the heck isnt going to get behind the wheel. Takes way to much concentration, and no matter what people think, when you are in a car you are not invinceable. So this is how I feel and for anyone who has something negative to say than oh well.
Charlie Summers made a remark on a radio show last week indicating that the Maine Drivers Education program has not been overhauled since 1996. In the last 16 years, the world has changed. Computers were still mostly used for business at that time. Since young people are fond of video games and computers in general, it only makes sense to bring drivers education into the current century with various forms of technology. At the very least, supplemental driver education materials including videos, practice tests, statistics and real life accounts of the dangers of inexperienced driving should be developed.
The loss of RJ and his soon to be step brother was a tragedy we will all struggle to come to terms with. I knew him and his family. He wasn’t a bad kid, simply disconnected from the reality of how dangerous driving can be. After a number of youth driving fatalities occurred in a short period of time this past year, we should be thankful that the Secretary of State has taken notice and decided to seize the opportunity to re-evaluate the program.
Being a young driver in Maine has significant challenges. Weather, rural terrain, dense fog, unpaved roadways and roaming wildlife all present challenges that are obvious to the experienced driver. For the younger driver, these are all of the lessons that need to be learned to safely operate a motor vehicle. We must strive to improve, to the best of our ability, the quality and appropriateness of our drivers ed. What works for Virginia or New Mexico might be different than what we need to emphasize here. Sure the basics are the basics, but the regional differences need to be considered as well.
I wish Secretary Summer the best in this critically important endeavor. I hope we bring the best ideas forward and develop the most effective program in the country. Perhaps, we need to revisit offering drivers education as a part of the high school curriculum.
Even with these measures, regardless of how successful they are, we will see have similar tragedies. Let us all hope that they happen less frequently. Each of us can do our part by instilling good driving habits and appropriate fear of the dangers in our children when we drive with them. They learn from our examples first.
If only there were speed limits… The state really needs to set sped limits on these roads so people won’t drive over 100 mph… oh wait..
There are 3 things that the state, counties and municipalities need. Enforcement, Enforcement, Enforcement.
It is a shame the 16 year old took the 14year old on such a wild ride, the 16 year old clearly wasnt ready to be driving at all let alone with a passenger, and he clearly wasnt a responsible young man
We all make bad decisions. Kids, adults…all of us. Sadly these families paid the ultimate price for whatever their missteps in judgement might have been. The pain and heartbreak of losing a child can only be compounded by bearing the brunt of the judgement handed down in forums like this. Deciding who to blame is not going to bring these kids back. I think that anyone that has the time and the energy to sit and respond and comment to this situation over and over again (like that is really going to matter to anyone) would be better off using thier time volunteering at a school to help develop programs for kids that will help them understand that dangers that they face everyday. On the road and otherwise.
So in other words he shouldnt have been driving in the firse place. Whom ever let him drive is at least 1/2 responsible for this,his accidents must not have been reported!
Something that wasn’t mentioned is that on that road, kids would turn off their headlights at night and fly through the stop sign. Where the accident happen, you wonder how he could of gone that fast without stopping. We will never know the real story of what happened. Speed did play a huge factor; inexperience- hell yes. If you knew the driver, he already had several tickets against him for speeding. Stupidity played a huge cause in this tragic accident.
He didn’t stop at the stop sign you are correct that was also in the police reports–if people knew this was happening already why wasnt there more patrol in that area to stop these local teens from this foolishness…
I think the stricter rules and curfew should have been instituted by the parents. I do not think it is the states responsibility to mandate everything in our lives. Very sad outcome…very sad indeed.
It’s been a while since I received my license, but I was ONLY allowed to drive with immediate family members. Any infractions within a year and your license would be revoked. On top of any rules the state has, it is also parents discretion. Even though I was technically allowed to drive with my siblings, I wasn’t allowed to drive with them after dark, in bad weather etc. I can understand that the parents are grieving but i’m pretty sure there are speed limit signs everywhere that tell you how fast you are allowed to go…he made the decision to drive excessive speeds that he couldn’t handle. The responsibility lays on the driver, not the state.
This article talks about “more things” that can be done to prevent this from happening again…Well the thing is nothing will prevent anybody from speeding. The article states the reconstruction of the site shows he was driving roughly 100 miles an hour (give or take I imagine) so how is it that your going to teach young drivers anything more. They know what SPEED LIMITS are before they even go into drivers ed and yet they don’t follow them. Maybe the age of getting a drivers permit needs to change instead!
I believe 16 is too young for having passengers younger than at least 18. The tendency to make the error in judgement (judgement: at 16???) of ‘showing off’ coupled with inexperience in handling a motor vehicle makes for a dangerous situation.
How ironic. People in this state complain about the nanny state until they have problems that affect them. Then they complain to the nanny state to do something.
I have sat and read through your comments, I would like to comment now myself. As if the loss of her child was not enough, some of you people have the audacity to sit on your all knowing thrones and say what you would do and how you would have handled it better… and it’s not the fault of this or that- its the fault of the parent. I actually read a comment where someone posted and then said… I don’t have a child but if I did….. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Let me introduce you to a teenager people- they don’t always listen… I know… I know- new to you, but it’s true! The mother in this case knew her son was with his father. How many of you have left you child alone with their other parent? Shame on you! You werent there to watch them every second! When your child skipped school, touched the burner on the stove- told a lie, it was because your parenting skills were wrong??? Do I believe parental involvement is needed to change these statistics? YES. Do I think that people should be held accountable for their actions? YES. If this child had LOST his license in one of the other incidents- since he was a new driver….. this crash would not have happened! I don’t care who you Olympic parents are, your kids WILL do things you tell them not to, you just have to hope the outcome isnt as tragic as this one. NO ONE at the forum was looking to place blame- they were looking to find ways to DETER this kind of behavior. These Mothers stood up, on TV, faced a crowd of strangers all to save YOU PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN from ever going through what they have gone through!!!! Consider that before pointing your all knowing fingers!
I have sat and read through your comments, I would like to comment now myself. As if the loss of her child was not enough, some of you people have the audacity to sit on your all knowing thrones and say what you would do and how you would have handled it better… and it’s not the fault of this or that- its the fault of the parent. I actually read a comment where someone posted and then said… I don’t have a child but if I did….. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Let me introduce you to a teenager people- they don’t always listen… I know… I know- new to you, but it’s true! The mother in this case knew her son was with his father. How many of you have left you child alone with their other parent? Shame on you! You werent there to watch them every second! When your child skipped school, touched the burner on the stove- told a lie, it was because your parenting skills were wrong??? Do I believe parental involvement is needed to change these statistics? YES. Do I think that people should be held accountable for their actions? YES. If this child had LOST his license in one of the other incidents- since he was a new driver….. this crash would not have happened! I don’t care who you Olympic parents are, your kids WILL do things you tell them not to, you just have to hope the outcome isnt as tragic as this one. NO ONE at the forum was looking to place blame- they were looking to find ways to DETER this kind of behavior. These Mothers stood up, on TV, faced a crowd of strangers all to save YOU PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN from ever going through what they have gone through!!!! Consider that before pointing your all knowing fingers!
I have sat and read through your comments, I would like to comment now myself. As if the loss of her child was not enough, some of you people have the audacity to sit on your all knowing thrones and say what you would do and how you would have handled it better… and it’s not the fault of this or that- its the fault of the parent. I actually read a comment where someone posted and then said… I don’t have a child but if I did….. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Let me introduce you to a teenager people- they don’t always listen… I know… I know- new to you, but it’s true! The mother in this case knew her son was with his father. How many of you have left you child alone with their other parent? Shame on you! You werent there to watch them every second! When your child skipped school, touched the burner on the stove- told a lie, it was because your parenting skills were wrong??? Do I believe parental involvement is needed to change these statistics? YES. Do I think that people should be held accountable for their actions? YES. If this child had LOST his license in one of the other incidents- since he was a new driver….. this crash would not have happened! I don’t care who you Olympic parents are, your kids WILL do things you tell them not to, you just have to hope the outcome isnt as tragic as this one. NO ONE at the forum was looking to place blame- they were looking to find ways to DETER this kind of behavior. These Mothers stood up, on TV, faced a crowd of strangers all to save YOU PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN from ever going through what they have gone through!!!! Consider that before pointing your all knowing fingers!
I have two kids ,now adults that live out of state and have happy careers. They dont drink and want nothing to do with booze,they dont smoke and want nothing to do with butts or POT,they dont swear,they dont have tattoos,they dont drive wild
When they lived at home and though their teen years, til this day..they never saw me drink an ounce of booze…never…..
they never saw a alcohol can in the house
they never saw me smoke a cigarette or POT…never
they never heard me swear regularly….maybe once or twice or three times
they never saw me with tattoos and listened to me when i told them the truth about tattoos….they are a temporary fad
they never saw me idolizing nascar or atv or any type of racing
i kept them away from anyone their age who drank booze,pot
lastly…..as teenagers they never went out after 8pm at night without me with them
Parent[s] CAN keep their kids on the right track in this day and age
Your kids may have boring teen years but when they become productive adults later on in life….it becomes worth it
“If this child had LOST his license in one of the other incidents- since
he was a new driver….. this crash would not have happened! ”
How about the parent step in and forbid the child to drive since this was not the first or second incident? HELLO!
apparently you STILL didn’t read the article… the Mother who lost her son WAS NOT THE MOTHER OF THE DRIVER…. she was also NOT at her ex-husband’s home to have a say! Let me see if I can simplify this for you Amazing Parents who taught your children how to grow up and be the best children on the face of the earth….. How about this? Your perfect child who is obeying the speed limit and not texting and following your no smoking, swearing, smoking pot, no- NASCAR idolozing way of life is traveling northbound on a road where a teenager who’s parents arent as Amazing as you are is coming southbound and is traveling over the posted speed limit because their parents are the bad people they are…. crests a hill… hits a bump loses control and slams head on into the vehicle your child is riding in. Is that YOUR fault? Can I sit here and say that you should have had your child home with you. Can I say it’s because you didn’t teach your child what to do in that situation? How about I wait until you summon up the courage to attend a forum and tell your story because you don’t want my family to go through the horrific pain you are going through? GOOD kids die in crashes everyday. Your kid doesnt have to be a bad kid to be in these situations. The state opened up a forum for people to HELP curtail a problem that is growing in the state of Maine. Young people dying ~ no matter how you feel about her particular case she is stepping up to do something to help. So instead of finding fault with what she says and how she says it; step out from behind your computer screens, stop typing out of your perfect world and attend a forum. Give them YOUR ideas. Listen to their reasonings. Don’t armchair quarterback the problem- help solve it!
and how does a stricter law stop a kid CHOOSING to go 100mph?
How do stricter laws stop a 14 yr old getting in the car with a 16 yr old when thats also illegal?
Or do you propose every teenager get their own personal police officer to make sure they are abiding by the laws of the state?
The scenario you gave is very different from what transpired with these 2 kids. Driving at 100mph, failing to stop at a stop sign. He CHOSE to do those things, no one forced him to, and no law change would have made a difference. Sad but true.
Good kids do die in crashes every day, and so do kids who decide to drive 100mph and not stop at stop signs when they know they are breaking the law. It really is THAT simple!
They say you can’t fix stupid…. but I guess Ill try AGAIN! But last time…. I will break down your reply so that we can see that you are not HEARING what is being said.
and how does a stricter law stop a kid CHOOSING to go 100mph? – stricter laws would have made it so that this child did not have a license – therefore he would not have been on the road, therefore………. HE COULDNT CHOOSE TO GO 100 MPH. We are talking about that most case in vehicular deaths are caused by REPEAT offenders!!! Get them off the street…. make the penalties stiffer- they may think twice before they CHOOSE to be this dangerous.How do stricter laws stop a 14 yr old getting in the car with a 16 yr old when thats also illegal? – I agree! But this was NOT the mother’s doing…. HELLO?!?Or do you propose every teenager get their own personal police officer to make sure they are abiding by the laws of the state? No I do not- but I do propose that when a police officer stops my kid, your kid, or a repeat offender- they have the judicial system behind them to enforce the laws so that my kid, your kid and the repeat offender do not end up dead!The scenario you gave is very different from what transpired with these 2 kids. Driving at 100mph, failing to stop at a stop sign. He CHOSE to do those things, no one forced him to, and no law change would have made a difference. Sad but true. — the scenario I gave was to show that blaming the MOTHER of the 14 year old is saying the same thing as blaming the innocent bystander. The 14 year old was a passenger- NO CONTROL. His MOTHER did not say it was ok to get into the car. A law change preventing him from having his licene WOULD have….. Sad but true!Good kids do die in crashes every day, and so do kids who decide to drive 100mph and not stop at stop signs when they know they are breaking the law. It really is THAT simple! Since it really is that simple… why are deaths among young kids rising? What do you propose? You have been able to point out the obvious in all of this- he chose to do 100, thats been your answer to all of it. Good observation- now tell me how to decrease (and we all know it wont stop completely) but DECREASE our young people dying. If not- stop wasting my time.
maybe take control away form the kids and not enable them to travel in excess of x MPH and this can be done with most computer controlled cars made through rev limiters ect. this is hard i feel for the families involved as no parent should have to bury there child. in the end responsibility lies with the driver to do what they feel is right. if they are not mature enough to make those choices the right way then they should not have a license or access to the car.
there are things that can help prevent this educationally speaking. teach new drivers to deal with issues such as a a tire going off the edge of the road or fishtailing… not reading about it but actually having it happen. i practiced back when i was young by having my father pull the ebrake in an empty snowy parking lot it taught me to control the vehicle. i still ocassionally search out empty parking lots to do it just to keep it fresh… dont let the police see you though cause its illeagal accoarding to PIPD
In the end, we are all responsible for our choices. I am so sorry for this family, however. If you are mature enough to drive you are mature enough to make the choice of how fast you go. Maybe it would not hurt for budding drivers to spend a night in a busy ER, or ride with a police or ambulance crew….so they can realize that what they see happening to others, can happen to them.,
Cars need govoners. Engines should shut down when they reach 75 mph.
apparently you STILL didn’t read the article… the Mother who lost her son WAS NOT THE MOTHER OF THE DRIVER…. she was also NOT at her ex-husband’s home to have a say! Let me see if I can simplify this for you Amazing Parents who taught your children how to grow up and be the best children on the face of the earth….. How about this? Your perfect child who is obeying the speed limit and not texting and following your no smoking, swearing, smoking pot, no- NASCAR idolozing way of life is traveling northbound on a road where a teenager who’s parents arent as Amazing as you are is coming southbound and is traveling over the posted speed limit because their parents are the bad people they are…. crests a hill… hits a bump loses control and slams head on into the vehicle your child is riding in. Is that YOUR fault? Can I sit here and say that you should have had your child home with you. Can I say it’s because you didn’t teach your child what to do in that situation? How about I wait until you summon up the courage to attend a forum and tell your story because you don’t want my family to go through the horrific pain you are going through? GOOD kids die in crashes everyday. Your kid doesnt have to be a bad kid to be in these situations. The state opened up a forum for people to HELP curtail a problem that is growing in the state of Maine. Young people dying ~ no matter how you feel about her particular case she is stepping up to do something to help. So instead of finding fault with what she says and how she says it; step out from behind your computer screens, stop typing out of your perfect world and attend a forum. Give them YOUR ideas. Listen to their reasonings. Don’t armchair quarterback the problem- help solve it!
So we need more laws to keep kids from driving at speeds over 100mph? Give me a break.