Like something you'd expect to see after that super sweet 16 program on mtv

 

http://www.ocala.com/article/20080126/BREA...3/BREAKING_NEWS

 

200ft in the air and into a tree......not nice..........some car for a b-day Prezzy,shoulda got some traning to go with it.

 

wtf is with an 18 year old be allowed drive a 500bhp V10 powered car?!?!

 

flippin hell Ted

 

I've always said it's like giving a kid a loaded gun.

 

Wow, see loads of vids of 18-22 year olds in america with cars like these and they own them

I will never get it with the law over there at 18 your allowed own a gun but not till 21 to drink and then be that sort of age to drive high powered cars.

 

QUOTE(americanpaddy @ Jan 28 2008, 04:52 PM) [snapback]104903[/snapback]

Apparently the M5 was the driver's recent birthday present, test are being run to see if alcohol was a factor.

Addendum: first reports from the Florida Highway Patrol confirm the presence of alcohol in the driver. Go figure!

Well if his parents bought him an M5 for his birthday does that tell you a lot about their parenting - and they should bear some responsibility for the death of their son and his 4 friends - I am not saying it was all their fault but would YOU buy your 18 year old kid a M5 and expect him to be able to handle it or act responsible in it

And as for drink being envoled - would it matter - even schumacher would struggle to control the m5 at top speed

 

According to 2005 statistics - the leading cause of death in the USA for 15 - 20 yr olds is car crashes. 21 - 28 years old rank second and the other statistics are like a traditional bell curve lowering to 44-55 year group then rising again after 70 years. In the 15-20 group the cars average 2.3 occupants at the time of the crash.

New licencing methods are expected to eventually lower some of those statistics. These include, progressive licences with time curfews, no additional passengers (except family) for the 1st 12 months. Eight states are requiring colour coded stripes be put on the front and rear bumper areas to alert police for driver's curfews.

 

mother of GOD the state of that ......

 

i suppose sooner or later that accident was bound to happen ,just go;s to show to much money and no brains
ovet the pond

paul

 

So do the American M5's have the 155MPH speed limiter?

 

Even if they didn't, no 18 year old is mature enough/experienced enough to be doing 155! I've only ever seen old lads driving M5s really and it should probably stay that way. I have an 18 year old brother and the idea of him even trying to start an M5 makes me laugh here.

I heard on another news site that he had been on M5 forums asking how to take all the traction gadgets off etc etc they published his posts. Link is on boards.ie

 

Here is an editorial comment on the crash from the Editor of Autoweek Magazine:
On the last weekend in January, Josh Ammirato, 18, slammed into a tree near Ocala, Florida. He killed himself and four others in his car.

I don't know Josh, but I know a lot of 18-year-olds, so this story hits hard for a few reasons--not the least of which is the dearth of effective driver training in this country.

It also hits because of respect and accountability--respect for the cars we drive and holding kids and parents accountable for their actions.

Hours before piloting his 500-hp '08 BMW M5 off the end of the Greystone airstrip in Anthony, Florida, and into a tree at triple-digit speeds, Josh was surfing the web for information on how to go faster. In posts to www.M5board.com, he sought ways to shift the sequential manual gearbox more quickly and smoothly.

He'd had his M5 for three weeks; the car was registered to his father, Santo.

"Let me say I am [a] beginner when it comes to high performance cars as I am only 18 so take it easy on me," he wrote.

Members of the site suggested he start slowly, that this was not a car to be trifled with. Time would earn him needed experience. Others expressed skepticism that he could have a V10 M5 at his young age; still, they warned him to be cool until he got more seat time.

"[The] fact that I never drove a manual car before may be true, but I've been driving for a lot longer than two years buddy," he wrote.

The tragic results speak for themselves.

Could advanced driver training have saved Josh and his four friends? It's tough to say. Could respect for his car's abilities have altered his behavior that night? Absolutely.

Here's a bigger question: How could a father arm a child with such a machine, particularly without skills to control it?

I know that 18-year-olds are adults. I know a few who can handle such a ride, such as pro race driver Graham Rahal.

But this is one situation where parents must be accountable and just say no.

We want our kids to have it better than we did. It's natural. But we must balance that want with tough love and sensibility.

If we are unwilling to do that, more children like Josh will kill themselves and their friends.