Keys and Common Sense

Common sense suggests you keep your car keys close at hand (and certainly out of the hands of young children. However, sometimes a child's will is stronger than any dad's common sense.

The strength of children's will has recently been displayed by a Utah 7-year-old who nicked his dad's car keys and took off — at up to 40 mph — to avoid spending a hot day in church. Similarly (but with a much sadder ending), a 13-year-old near Philadelphia threw something of a trantrum and got the keys to his father's Durango, which he then drove from the fourth floor parking area onto the street below, rolling dad's tank over on a Toyota and sending himself to the hosptical in critical condition.

Sadly, it is not just kids who have to accept some common sense. There are fathers wandering about who could use another couple CS classes, including Louisiana's Matty Dewitt, 32, who correctly figured that since he was too drunk to drive he should hand his keys to a designated driver. So far so good. However, he designated his driver after getting drunk and police pulled over his white van with his nine-year-old daughter in tears and behind the wheel: they were not much impressed with his explanation that he just wanted to teach his daughter to drive.