These kids today......

[Dale]

Police: 4-year-old drives mom's car to video store (CNN.COM)


SAND LAKE, Michigan (AP) -- A boy drove his mother's car to a video store in the middle of the night, police said -- and he's all of 4 years old.

Although unable to reach the accelerator, the boy managed to put the car in gear and make his way to the store, a quarter-mile from his home, about 1:30 a.m. Friday, Sand Lake Police Chief Doug Heugel said. Finding the store closed, the youngster began a slow trip home.

Weaving and with its headlights off, the car got the attention of Officer Jay Osga, who first thought he was following a car that had been left running at a gas pump.

He flipped on his lights when the car turned into the apartment complex and struck two parked cars. The boy put the car in reverse and struck Osga's cruiser.

The mother told police her son tried to drive the car earlier after she let him steer from her lap.

"He's 4 years old. His mom didn't even know he was up," Heugel told The Grand Rapids Press. "I don't think he even realizes what he did."

No charges will be filed against the boy or his mother, Heugel said.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

[Jack]

Awwww.

Dangerous, but awwww.

[emmline]

can this be true? I'm checking Snopes.

[susnfx]

It's true. It was on CNN.com this morning.

[emmline]

wow. my kids weren't that smart at 4.

[lixnaw]

He flipped on his lights when the car turned into the apartment complex and struck two parked cars. The boy put the car in reverse and struck Osga's cruiser.

it's a wonder he didn't get hurt!??

[Jerry Freeman]

Arleen tells the story about the day she dropped by her friend's house just as the friend was getting ready to go on an errand.

The friend was buckling her two year-old into the carseat, and the child was screaming at the top of his lungs. As the mother walked around to the driver's side with the toddler still screaming from the back seat, Arleen asked, "What's his problem?" The mother said, "He wants to drive."

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Flyingcursor]

I'll bet that kid drives her crazy.

[IRTradRU?]

It's true. It was on CNN.com this morning.

[Dale]

I pride myself on being able to recognize an urban legend when I hear one, so I wondered if this might be an example of one. Urban legends are often reported by the press as if true. This story is so incredible that it's understandable why people would wonder. But, I don't think it has the feel of an urban legend.

We'll see. Maybe we'll learn that an adult drove and bailed at the last minute...or something.


Dale

[susnfx]

It's true. It was on CNN.com this morning.

Give it a week, Irtradru. The National Enquirer will have it out by then and you'll know for sure.
Susan

[Entropy]

can this be true? I'm checking Snopes.

ABC's Good Morning America had an interview with the officer who stopped the kid and the local police chief this morning. If it's a hoax, it's a pretty elaborate one.

[Jayhawk]

My nephew, when 3 years old, drove the family minivan part way through the garage door. He grabbed the keys, started the car, and put it in gear. Like the child in the story, he had been allowed to sit in mom's lap while driving - although I don't recall if he was allowed to steer along with mom. Had the garage door been open, I wouldn't have been surprised to find out he drove down the street, but as the door was closed the van was stuck halfway in and out of the garage.

No injuries, the cost of the van repairs & garage damage must have been high, but as a family anecdote...priceless.

Eric

[izzarina]

It's true. It was on CNN.com this morning.

Perhaps this suits you better, irtrad...after all, it IS Fair and Balanced

<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146577,00.html"> FOX News Story</a>

[Darwin]

The mother told police her son tried to drive the car earlier after she let him steer from her lap.

[...]

No charges will be filed against the boy or his mother, Heugel said.

So, is driving with a child in your lap legal in Michigan?

I know that seat belt laws and child restraint laws are terrible infringements on personal liberty, but I also recall the toothmarks that my niece left on the dashboard of our car when my father had to make a sudden stop. Fifteen miles per hour isn't very fast for an automobile, but it's a pretty good speed for a flying child. (She survived that, only to be killed by a drunken driver 14 years later.)