lilfeat

This is why cops give speeding tickets....

From The Chicago Trib

3 die as car slams into tree
Teens were doing 100, witness says

By Kevin Lynch and Mickey Ciokajlo
Tribune staff reporters
May 29, 2001

Crosses and flowers were laid in front of a large elm tree Monday on a rural stretch of road in southeastern Wisconsin where three Lake County men died in a high-speed car wreck over the holiday weekend.

One witness told police that their 1992 Pontiac Grand Am was going 100 m.p.h. when it smashed into the tree shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday.

"The car basically disintegrated when it hit the tree," said Sgt. Ed Ide of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department.

Killed in the crash were the driver, Matthew Elliot of Mundelein, and two passengers, Alex Britt of Mundelein and Douglas Sparks, all 19 years old. Police said Sparks was from Lake County, and friends said he lived in Antioch.

Nancy Crawford, Britt's mother, said her oldest child was not employed and that he enjoyed riding around on rural roads with friends.

"He is good, but joyriding was too important to him," Crawford said. "I'm a mother in mourning of a kid who ... flirted with [death]."

According to Ide, the car was traveling south on 224th Avenue just south of 116th Street in Salem. Elliot apparently lost control of the car, over-corrected and drove off the left side of the road, smashing into the tree, Ide said.

A motorist driving in the opposite direction estimated the car's speed at 100 m.p.h. shortly before it crashed, Ide said.

Michelle Jones, 31, heard the commotion and looked out her front window in time to see the car hit the tree in her yard.

"It was horrific," Jones said. "It was like nothing I've ever seen."

Jones said motorists frequently speed on the road in front of her house, which is about 1 mile north of Illinois. Jones said she plans to address the issue with the town board.

Crawford said Britt dropped out of school in Mundelein but later earned his GED. In recent months he had been living with Sparks in a converted garage behind Sparks' father's house.

Stephanie Schmidt, 18, of Antioch, had known Sparks for years and had met Britt and Elliot.

"They were all really nice," Schmidt said.


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lilfeat
01 CLS Red No Spoiler, No
Nav, No Payments

monkeymato

Holy Sh!t. Got 0wned. that sux alot. damn american cars...hah. but sorry to hear that they died.

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I love the CL

Scorpius

Ouch... 100mph? That's just sad.
One prayer for tonight... I'll never understand it. If you're going to go 100, find a safe place to do it... I imagine it was s small dangerous road.

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Red 3.2 CL-S.
"Life is too short not to be Italian." -Paul Sorvino
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Proud member of "I didn't hit the curb like a dope and scratch my rims" club.

kensteele

I'm sorry to read about their deaths and I don't hate teenagers, but I believe that the penalty for inexperienced drivers should be more severe. I would really be tough during those formative years by saying "Anyone under 21 caught driving in excess of 85mph will lose their license [in this state] permanently." Drinking and driving would result in a permanent revocation after the second incident, this would be with any amount of alcohol. Finally running from the cops would be mandatory jail time and of course a lifetime ban on driving in that State, the very first time. And I mean forever.

Over 100mph with other kids in the car is inexcusable.

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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor * V1 *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
* Road Warrior *

[This message has been edited by kensteele (edited 05-29-2001).]

Iridium130

And this is coming from a non-"teenager".

I'm sure if you were say 20 years old you'd be singing a different tune.

I'm not saying driving 100 mph is acceptable though...and definetly not condoning speeding.

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someguy

This is very sad. Wrecks like this usually have to due with the poor judgement of the driver, not speed. Better driver training would solve this problem.

kensteele

When I was a teenager, the State wouldn't have to revoke my license, my parents would. It's a different world today.....

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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor * V1 *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
* Road Warrior *

JRock

No, this is why morons who drive too fast for the conditions (road/weather/car) don't live too long.

-J

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Stock for now.
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Shawn S

Sad story indeed, but it doesn’t explain why a ticket needs to be issued to a car doing 70MPH or so when he is all alone on a major interstate.
Many of the roads in Pa are STILL zoned 55MPH and they are safer at FAR higher then that.

It sounds like this accident happened in town where an “out of control” driver can be deadly at even 30MPH.

Shawn S


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kensteele

But Shawn is it true that some of the worst interstate highways in the country are in the Keystone State?

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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor * V1 *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
* Road Warrior *

X3.2CLSX

Man that sure is terrible. My heart and prayers goes out to the family.

I just turned 21 in march. I remember getting my car(Explorer) at 16 yrs old. Man, I would just go nuts driving everywhere joyriding just because I was 16 and had a truck. Everyone thought i was cool and a pimp. Yea, I'm not gonna lie it sure was the good ol days. I would speed like crazy beating civics in my explorer, no lie, and just went about nuts in every possible way u could think of.

Now, I believe that there should be a judicial system for the teenagers driver.

Should a teenager receive a speeding ticket, the license should be revoked for some time, preferably 3 months, for a first time offender, with taking a course in driving class to learn abt the terrible death in reckless driving just as mentioned above of the tragedy of the teenagers. This should reinforce some critical thinking into the teenagers to think once about how important their life is, and if its worth to be speeding in excess of 100 mph. Should a teenager to want to speed, they should lie to their parents to receive couple money and hit the tracks where its safe. I understand that it does take some rush away from that, because racing in a street add more fuel to the adrenaline because u want to be a winner.

For a 2nd time offender of reckless driving (2nd speeding ticket), 6 or months of having ur license revoked. With taking the class over again and taking a trip to the morgue in the hospital if they have victims from the death of racing on the streets.

All this is My OPINION, and I am currently trying to do something about this since my brother has died from DUI.

Thanks.

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tw1112

Sigh..I am not saying that being young and inexperienced was the thing that caused this accident..Adults of any age get into accidents. Whenever you drive at 100 or anything above or near that, you are putting you self in danger. Frankly, we don't have race cars and I dont think our cars are designed for speeds like that and then losing control and correcting it.

I dont know....I just know that if I were going to drive like that, I would do it alone..it was just sad to take two of his friends down with him.

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Tw1112

VXCL

hahah PA with their 55mph highway. i hate driven to pennstate. and i really hate PA. and screw READING, PA. damn damn damn all i know is that in Pa when im doin 80 in the fast lane i got assholes an my ass doin 95+.

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Bravo1

Honestly I think the problem is the lack of experience of these drivers more than anything.

I am from Venezuela and there are really no enforced speed limits on the roads. I learned about being defensive but also driving fast while doing it. I have never been in an accident that was my fault but I honestly say that I drive very fast.

Yes driving fast is more dangerous overall, but I rather the driver be actively involved in the driving rather than going 70 and falling asleep at the wheel.

The accident that was posted I believe was caused by distracted driving. That is why I am a firm believer that people shouldn't drive and use cell phones and things like that. I am sure the guy was talking it up with his friends and got distracted and the next thing you know he is humping a tree.

Also I believe that the car inspections should be done every 6 months and be alot stricter with safety aspects of the vehicle.

Many of yall might think differently about this topic... but this is just my opinion... I could be wrong.



[This message has been edited by Bravo1 (edited 05-30-2001).]

kensteele

Ok about the car inspections. Strict inspections. If you don't pass, you get flagged and you must repair within a certain time period. No repair, impound. Plain and simple. I'm sick of seeing cars with recent/current license plate tabs/registration/inspections stickers:

1)blowing blue smoke from the tailpipe, completely engulfing the intersection in a thick cloud of fog,
2)no hood, engine whirling in the open air, getting a sun tan
3)shattered windshield, looks like a brick dropped on it from an overpass,
4)or a bright white light shining right in your face at night from a broken tail lamp, looks like a motorcycle headlight coming at you,


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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor * V1 *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
* Road Warrior *

hatemystocks

No degree of law enforcement will keep these tragedies from happening. People will always speed, especially kids. They just dont seem to have a fear of loss. The fault is with the lack of control or lack of caring of the parents. If my parents new that I liked "joyriding with my friends" or if they ever heard that I was driving 100 mph, I would have never driven.
I got a ticket doing 80 when I was 16 and, not only did I not get to drive for 3 months, my parents wouldnt even take me anywhere I wanted to go. For three months I walked anywhere I wanted to go. Didnt get another speeding ticket while under their roof....

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StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Chill out old man not all lil kids drive fast

Scorpius

I'm 22 and I agree with Ken. Maybe something similar to the current point system but on a national level. We have the internet... Use it for something other than porn. Link up each state's DOT and suspend licenses and give points at the Federal level. Less severs offenses should be kept at the state level. Duh! Why am I the only one who think of these things...

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Red 3.2 CL-S.
"Life is too short not to be Italian." -Paul Sorvino
"How do you expect your date to turn over if your engine doesn't?" -Original
Proud member of "I didn't hit the curb like a dope and scratch my rims" club.

lilfeat

Being young didn't cause this wreck.
Not using the brain caused this accident. Not understanding consequences caused it.

Since we can all safely assume that they did not intend to hit a tree when they left the road, we can probably assume that they could have hit anything that was there when they lost it. Like a kid, or another car, how about a daycare? Whatever.
The point is that simply going 100mph on a surface that is not intended for that speed, like a public road, shows a lack of judgement and a selfish disregard for ones own life and any poor SOB that crosses your path. If you like to take risks for all of us of that nature, who here can stop you.
Just realize what you are, and it ain't no race car driver.
Don't act like it is OK because you have such a great car, or you are so scary talented. What kind of talent does it really take to mash down on an gas pedal anyway?

This was not posted to slam people speeding 15 to 20mph over the limit on the highway. Lots of people do it safely everyday. But you can be reckless at that same speed when traffic doesn't really allow.
It is about taking stupid risks. And going 100mph in a Grand Spam is pretty stupid.


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lilfeat
01 CLS Red No Spoiler, No
Nav, No Payments

kensteele

Young people=most likely not to use the brain. Young people=most likely don't understand the consequences. It is a young person thing in my book. Rarely do you hear about a 45-year old who lost control of his car driving recklessly in the backcountry on twisty two-lane roads.

We are talking studies here, not my opinions -> http://www.insure.com/auto/teencosts.html

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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor * V1 *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
* Road Warrior *