Never let others drive your car without car insurance...


Some teenagers need a butt whipping. Take for instance my niece- everyday for about seven months she hustled to work by bus and Metro-train. Sometimes, lugging her two kids both under the age of four to babysitters and then jumping back on the Metro-link to go to work. Some super cold days some of us would pick her up at the Metro but mostly we just let her do what she had to do. In the past, we all have helped her financially, I even purchasing her a car almost 4 years ago. But she allowed her then abusive boyfriend to drive it and burn the transmission up.

Almost four years and two kids later, she still has not grown up. Since the car I bought her she has purchased three, all against our advice. She ended up giving one back because it was in such bad condition, one was repo and still another, broke down less than four months later after paying five thousands for it. Yes we tried to advise, support, and educate her about making responsible choices with cars, boyfriends, etc. Still though, she felt that she had all the answers and ignored us.

Why did this young lady….I almost said something else, buy another car less than 6 weeks ago, (probably the best purchase she’s made because it was a nice car) let her new, unemployed boyfriend drive it while she worked? Well, anyway to make a long story short, several days ago he drove into a pole and totaled the car. Where was he when she was hopping on the bus and train? Where was he when she was lugging two kids in zero below weather hustling to get to work? Now she is carless again. Ms. Smart A----canceled her car insurance five weeks later because it was too high. Every time this girl takes one step up she ends up two steps back. All because she doesn’t listen! We have advised all the teens in our family on numerous occasions; do not let anyone drive your car! She is back on the bus and I suspect boy-friendless too. Will they ever listen?

Teens and Driving

I always worry when my daughter get behind the wheel of her car. Not because I don't think she is a good driver because she is. But I worry about her being a defensive driver. You know trying to anticipate what the other drivers are doing.

Last Thursday I attended the funeral, or let me say, tried to, because I couldn't get into my own church to get a seat due to more than 700 folks attending too. I was there to support the family of 19-year-old Tramell Jackson, who died on Sept. 20, in a fatal car accident with three of his friends. They apparently were leaving the wake of another young man and the driver was driving too fast and skidded over a 100 foot over pass to their death. Tramell was not only a church family member, but he was once a member of Future Builders, a group I co-found with two other business associates to work with teens and introduce them to culture, social and other activities such as the weekly rap session group we facilitated. He really was a good teenager. He was not the driver but was a back seat rider.

Another young girl who graduated high school with my daughter died this past weekend when she and her friend left college to visit her mom for the weekend. A truck driver felled asleep and ran head on into the young college students killing them instantly. The truck driver was hired by Brett Micheals, former lead singer of the group Poison and he was driving on suspended license. The two young ladies were good students and were both 19.

One of my employee's 17 year-old grand daughter ended up hospitalized after having this accident.

She was blessed that she only had to stay in the hospital one day. I don't know what we have to do to keep our children safe. I guess we just keep praying.