6-year-old steals family vehicle

[Neverender]

WICOMICO CHURCH, Va. - Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family's sedan — and crashed.

State police say the boy suffered only minor injuries and eventually arrived at school after being evaluated at a local hospital. Police did not immediately return a call Tuesday asking who brought him there.

It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360, about 61 miles east of Richmond.

Police say the boy, who wasn't identified, missed the bus, took the keys to his family's 2005 Ford Taurus and started toward school while his mother was asleep.

He ran off the road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole. Police say he wasn't wearing a safety belt.

The incident remains under investigation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28524924/?gt1=43001

[Techno Monster]

Wow!
That is insane!
What kind of parent sleeps without making sure their own kid gets out of the house safely?

[Sugaree]

He's lucky that he wasn't on the beltway in Washington D.C. That place is HELL when it comes to morning drivers. If they don't get their coffee, they'll let you know about it. That kid was lucky he didn't get hurt.

It's pretty amazing on how he could have reached the pedals.

[Kaleidoscope Eyes]

What kind of parent sleeps without making sure their own kid gets out of the house safely?

It happens. Maybe she's a nurse, or a fire fighter, or some other job where you have to work night shifts some night. I realize the kid is only 6, but for some families that sort of plan works. Especially if the bus stop is just down the street and there are other parents who could see him wandering off. Regardless of the cause, a lot of kids are latchkey these days. I don't know if this kid lived in a relatively large town, but I know that when my mom was young and living in LA, she and her sister would walk the mile to school and back every day. My grandma was a nurse and, to be honest, didn't really want to be bothered with it all. They didn't live in the best neighborhood, either. They did that as young as 4 and 5; my aunt would walk my mom to pre-K, and then take herself to 1st grade. It's unfortunate that parents can't spend more time with their children, but it happens more often than you'd think.

What I want to know, is how is this child being raised if he thinks he can just grab the keys and drive himself to school? Every school-age child should know: their phone number, their address (including zip code), their parents' names, and common sense things like "don't drive the car" "don't open the door unless mommy or daddy say it's ok" "if someone other than mommy/daddy/usual driver-of-the-children tries to pick you up from school, ask for the password". Maybe all families don't do the password thing, but I was taught that if someone unusual picked me up from school, and I hadn't been told it was going to happen (my parents would try to phone the school and let me know if plans changed midday) that I shouldn't get in the car if they didn't know the password. My parents would tell them what it was, and if they didn't know then my parents probably didn't actually call them to come get me. Back on topic though, the average kid doesn't think they can drive the car. And the average kid could wake up mommy to ask for a ride, or even just stay home. If the kid would drive the car before talking to mommy, why is that?

[Rutherford The Brave]

I read about that, I thought it was hilarious!