My Boy has just turned 17,

and still he's not allowed to ride in a car driven by another teenager.

Why not? Three reasons: The number one way teenagers are injured is by

motor vehicles, and the number one way teenagers are killed is by motor

vehicles. And he has a responsible parent to tell him not to!

You 16-year-old drivers out

there, are you getting the picture yet? With freedom comes a bunch of

responsibility!

You're not wrapped in

a blanket of invincibility when you jump behind the wheel of a vehicle;

you're wrapped in metal and glass. And if you speed and don't

wear a seat belt, you'll be in a lethal weapon one second and possibly

your coffin the next.

Was the young driver showing

off or just trying to look cool? I don't know, but I do know ya don't

look so cool after you fly through the windshield.

Age. The law states that a

16-year-old could only have family members the age of 18 or older in their

cars for the first six months after they receive a driver's license.

So why was a 14-year-old even in the car?

I'm fully aware there're

good teenage drivers out there who obey the traffic laws. Side note to

all teenagers: Traffic laws are in place to not only keep you safe, but

to keep us safe too.

It's my opinion that the

majority of teenagers don't have the maturity to be behind the wheel

of a lethal weapon at age 16. Trust me; I've seen the results. Especially

when irresponsible parents buy them high-performance vehicles!

When you give your teenager

a high-end sports car, make sure you take lots of pictures on that happy

day. Your child won't ever look the same after it's wrapped

around a tree. Hopefully, you'll be going to the hospital rather

than a funeral. Increase the driving age to 18, and you'll see a

lot less carnage on our streets.

Growing up, I heard my father

say many times, "Son, don't worry about it. Everyone makes a

mistake or two. That's why they put erasers on the end of pencils.

But there're some mistakes you'll make even I won't be

able to help you fix." I passed this gem of knowledge on to the Boy

years ago, and reminded him of it again just last week. Everyone makes

mistakes.

In writing, dramatic irony

arises when you see an oncoming disaster, but the main character does

not and a tragedy happens that could have been avoided. When you see your

son or daughter start to drive off without wearing a seat belt and you

do nothing, isn't that dramatic irony?

Dad was right; some mistakes

can't be fixed, but not wearing a seat belt isn't one of them.

Some mistakes you can only make once.

The little boy wiped his tears

from his face, put the broken toy in the closet, closed the door, went

outside and played with his brothers in hopes that when he returned, the

toy would be well again. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, when someone

we loved became broken from being in a high-speed car crash, all we had

to do was to put them in a closet, close the door, go out and play, and

when we got back they too would be all well again?

Teenagers, please slow down

and wear your seat-belts. You are not invincible. We have already lost

too many of you.

[Rick Ryckeley, a regular columnist

in The Citizen every Friday, works for Fayette County's Emergency

Services.]