Local teen killed last night in new SRT-10...

Hello;

A tragic accident in Van Meter, Iowa last night killed the passenger in a brand new SRT-10.

The Viper, bought new yesterday, was being driven by the owner's teen son who took a teen friend along for a joy-ride. Judging by the TV News pictures, the driver experienced the classic "Snake Bite" that all adult Viper owners are aware of.

A sudden blast of power in a low gear, sand from the winter still everywhere, cold tires, 500 horsepower and 525 lbs of Torque. Add a teen-aged boy who's never driven a Viper to the ingredients, and you've got a recipe for disaster. Add an ADULT to the recipe, and you can get the same tragic results.

So, for all of you new owners of Viper's out there (and new owners of ANY high-performance cars) be VERY AWARE of the power on tap. Realize that sand on the roads= poor traction. NEVER let your teen-aged child drive your Viper without some good instruction (hopefully by a Pro, on a track!).

Chalk this accident up on the record books for another Viper lost on the FIRST DAY of owning it. Some of these wrecks even happen on the way home from the dealership!

Sorry there aren't any pic's. The new SRT-10 was Red. When the "News Flash" came on the TV I knew it was a Viper before any details were given. I have the ONLY Viper I know of in this immediate area (rural school district) so this was quite shocking to see. The wreck occured near the local high school where the speed limit changes from 25mph to 45mph. I'm sure you can all visualize what the driver did...FLOOR IT!

We were crazy teens once. Most of us have probably said more than once, "I can't believe I am still alive". My kid's will definitely be going to Skip Barber before they get there license's. Especially after this.

I am posting this to just remind all folks in the Viper Nation to be carefull and respect their Snakes!

Jim

We were crazy teens once. Most of us have probably said more than once, "I can't believe I am still alive". My kid's will definitely be going to Skip Barber before they get there license's. Especially after this.

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So true. If a kid shows signs of being a race idiot (like most of us are/were), get him to a track where they can crash "safely" and learn, ASAP.

High school driver's ed is a joke.

Found a short story in the Des Moines newspaper web page

One-car accident fatal to student

By THE REGISTER'S IOWA NEWS SERVICE

March 13, 2005
A one-vehicle accident Saturday evening left one Van Meter High School student dead and a second student injured.

Police had not released the names of the two male students late Saturday.

A Casey's General Store employee said a Dodge Viper was headed north out of town, right in front of Casey's, when the driver lost control and ran into a telephone pole. The passenger died at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle came into the store to call 911. He had a swollen lip and a bloody nose, the employee said.



Now who would give the keys to a spanking new SRT-10 to a teenager, without some level of driving experience with a Viper? Not me!

Now who would give the keys to a spanking new SRT-10 to a teenager, without some level of driving experience with a Viper? Not me!

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Dunno. But I took my brother's car without permission and totalled it first time out.

That truly *****!!

Now the driver has to live with that the rest of his life! What might have been one of the Highlights of his young life, Driving his Dad's Viper with a friend! Is now the worst moment in his life!

Send him some prayers!

Yikes I won't be letting my brother drive my beast hes always flooring the vette (thank god for active handling and traction control!)

If an adult gave the keys to that car to a teenager......

horrible news, now that kid has to live with themselves knowing they killed a friend and the parent has to live w/ the fact that they lent a car to their own kid who then killed a friend in thier car. Very sad!! People would never give a teenager a gun to play with and should not hand over a car, much less a land rocket w/out knowing the responsiblity level and that the driver was capable and responsible.

When I grew up, we had teens with BOSS302, SS 396, a chevy II with a blown small block, Mach 1 428SCJ, etc..
It was how the teen was raised.
One person I went to school with had a scooter, would do stupid things on it, and killed himself while driving his mom's car. I wasn't surprised. He was a junior in h/s when he died(1987).
My friend with the blown Chevy II would not have done stupid things. He is still alive today.

So terribly sad ! Condolences to ALL involved.

This tragic occasion is a sobering reminder to us ALL.

Refer to my

"Would you let a 16 year old drive your Viper?" thread...


Damn it, he's ruining it for me!!!

It's always awful to see these kinds of incidents.

Assuming the driver's father gave his kid the keys, I would hold him responsible for the passenger's death if I were the (now deceased) boy's father.

Most teenagers without sufficient maturity and training should not be expected to be able to handle a car like this.

No different than letting them drink alcohol in your home and then letting them leave in a car IMO.

In both cases, you are increasing their likelihood of having a bad outcome like this.

Very stupid...now the dead boy's parents pay the price.
JMO

I feel bad for all the people impacted by the accident, but I can't see blaming the kid's parents. The fact that they (dad or mom) trusted the kid enough to let him borrow the car, shows that they believed he was responsible enough to drive cautiously.

In today's world of everyone is a victim of the big companies (i.e. tobbaco, gun-makers, etc), I'm surprised that someone hasn't tried to sue dodge for making a car that can get you in trouble so quickly.

Don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, BUT------------ whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'; or even "by a preponderance of the evidence"?
So far, this thread has blamed and found fault. Why not wait to find blame?
Who says the driver HASN'T received instruction? And who says the passenger used the installed restraints?
How would you like to be blamed for killing your friend on this or any other www. site without knowing more that the instant news brief?
dec

The Viper truly is a dangerous car in certain situations. I can't imagine letting my teenage son drive this car on his own, especially without strict training.

Skip White

Don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, BUT------------ whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'; or even "by a preponderance of the evidence"?
So far, this thread has blamed and found fault. Why not wait to find blame?
Who says the driver HASN'T received instruction? And who says the passenger used the installed restraints?
How would you like to be blamed for killing your friend on this or any other www. site without knowing more that the instant news brief?
dec

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I agree with you 100%.

What we know, quote :
1-"The Viper, bought new yesterday"
2-"teen son who took a teen friend along for a joy-ride"

Two teens out for a joy ride in a Viper....Instructions or not, restraints or not..the outcome would be scary.
The only question I would ask of his father is : Did he know his son is taking the car ?...Any way you look at it it's very sad...I can't even imagine the pain everyone involved is going through...

Pretty cool of the pops to hand over the keys (thats if he knew) and its unfortunate that the accident happened. Does show the importance though of knowing how to drive the car your in, especially when its high proformance.

In my past profession, it was gut wrenching to respond to fatal accidents, and to say the least how stressfull it was to tell the parents or family members of there loss...it is enough to just rip your heart out over the pain and suffering experienced...all other matters are null and void at that point..

I did some pretty stupid stuff when I was young also, yes, young, dumb and full of you know what, I am thankfull daily that I did not have to answere like these young men did.

My thoughts and prayers go out to both familys.....

Age has little to do with driver skill IMO. There are a bunch of young teens who race various vehicles professionally who I would trust in my viper more than someone who has been driving recreationally for years. I know lots of younger drivers who are more responsible, and have far more skill that lots of other, older, more experianced drivers. You could hand the keys over to a 40 year old and have the exact same result, all it takes is a bad driver.

I've hung out at the street races for years, and one thing I've noticed, is they hardly ever wreck their cars, or bikes. Only when taking things to the limit do they have problems. I never see drunkeness at these events. Most of them are between 18-30 They didn't start out in very fast cars, they work their way up, and I suppose this gave them a chance to learn good driving skills, not to mention most of them seem have a natural skill for fast cars, and they know if they wreck that car, their next car will be a Ford ******, as they will be nearly uninsurable. Street racing events go on thousands of times per week across the US, and seldom do they have a problem. They do go to far sometimes, and they are not very organized, but they really don't seem to ever wreck their cars.

Some teens that are not into spirited driving, and could care less about it, or just have a great fear of it, would be ok in a Viper, especially with a little training from dad. Those that are full of foolesness, and have no experiance, they are an accident waiting to happen, no matter what dad says. I have a son like this. I know he will never get his hands on my Viper. It would be suicide.

Skip White

Hello;

Thank you for the comments. This tragedy could happen to any of us who have kids at or near the driving age. My children, ages 12 and 8, WILL go to a driving school before they get their drivers license's as long as they would be accepted to a school at legal age.

I am going to offer to the parents at our school in Van Meter, the opportunity for 5 kids to attend class at Viper Days at the Mid-America Motorplex this spring if there is an event, at my cost as a donation.

I do not know if there is a Viper Days scheduled there yet, but I think it would be a tremendous experience for some potentially wild drivers. I will ask the appropriate questions to the teachers and try to find some needy candidates... (although, every young driver is a candidate!). If there is anyone in my area who would like to take part in this effort, please let me know.

I will let the chosen kids drive my Viper with an instructor. Jon B.; do you want to donate a fresh set of tires?

Thanks everyone.

Jim

"Some teens that are not into spirited driving, and could care less about it, or just have a great fear of it, would be ok in a Viper, especially with a little training from dad. Those that are full of foolesness, and have no experiance, they are an accident waiting to happen..."

Agreed 100%. One of the most important things to learn is to respect your car. If you are not aware of its powers, then you shouldnt be driving it.

Age has little to do with driver skill IMO. There are a bunch of young teens who race various vehicles professionally who I would trust in my viper more than someone who has been driving recreationally for years. I know lots of younger drivers who are more responsible, and have far more skill that lots of other, older, more experianced drivers. You could hand the keys over to a 40 year old and have the exact same result, all it takes is a bad driver.

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After having a Viper for 8 months, and being a lawyer, I might say that letting a non-professional level driver without a responsible personality drive your Viper might just be negligent entrustment per se. "Normal" people just do not understand a car stepping out when shifting to second gear etc. They have no reference points in their heads for harsh things a Viper will do at the limit. I mean get someone who has tens of thousands of miles in a Corvette in a Viper, let them use the same throttle input they are used to in the Vette and watch for gnarly loops, tank slappers and all sorts of shenanigans that could kill people. My Dad has not even driven my Viper.

I think the above statement from Phoinix is true, but wouldn't really say it was from negligence. The new owner of that car, must not have known about the unpredicable nature of the Viper when getting on it in a turn or curve under load. Do you guys remember the MXX michelin tires? I had them on my first Viper, a 95 RT/10 well on my next Viper, 50 more hp, no more MXX tires availble, I nearly lost my 96 GTS. I had no idea this car would let go so suddenly. Now my SRT with another 50 hp, and even worse tires for traction,'runflats', the car is outright dangerous under certain conditions. I really wish the dealership put new owners through a short course on this one factor. It's the one thing that gets most of us. Even a lane change during full throttle at around 4000 rpm, on the right pavement can wipe you out.

Skip White

I am going to offer to the parents at our school in Van Meter, the opportunity for 5 kids to attend class at Viper Days at the Mid-America Motorplex this spring if there is an event, at my cost as a donation.

I do not know if there is a Viper Days scheduled there yet, but I think it would be a tremendous experience for some potentially wild drivers. I will ask the appropriate questions to the teachers and try to find some needy candidates... (although, every young driver is a candidate!). If there is anyone in my area who would like to take part in this effort, please let me know.

I will let the chosen kids drive my Viper with an instructor. Jon B.; do you want to donate a fresh set of tires?

Thanks everyone.

Jim

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ViperDays at MAM May 14 and 15. www.viperdays.com
I think Skip has/is developing a teen school - Neon's available (and impressive)
dec

What a horrible incident! Kids are not supposed to go before their parents. Just hate to hear about people losing their life at any age but a teenager what a sad day.

Just returned from three days at ThunderHill with BAMF and Viper Days. Not one car damaged including the cars in the wheel to wheel race.

Driving any car is dangerous Driving a performance increases the opportunity to abuse the cars performance. The Viper has great acceleration, very responsive handling and the Viper SRT10's have the best brakes in the market. Do all owners and drivers know what happens with abrupt input of throttle, steering, brakes and how to respond the vehicles response to these inputs?

A local death in 1996 is what motivated me to take a Skip Barber Driving School. And after that I have been promoting driving schools preferably Skip Barber because they use Vipers and it is their car. I wanted Dodge to require a driving school before turning over the keys to a owner. That was many years ago in the days of Bob Champine and Bob Lutz. That idea was quickly put aside for many good reasons. Bottom line we have to take responsibility for our actions and accidents. We can help reduce tragic accidents by encouraging all new owners to take driving schools and to continue taking them to keep our eyes hands and feet working together with the most important component our Brain! But many of us are confident we already know how to drive, in truth very few of us know how to drive(I do not mean parallel park)! Go to Viper Days learn about the most important part of your cars your tires, how do they respond to water, sand, dirt, grass, oil on streets or the track, age, tire pressure. Learn your limits and learn your cars response to your instructions in a controlled atmosphere.

Remember to Look ahead, get most of your braking done in a straight line, do not stomp on the throttle be smooth and feel what the car is doing. In a spin both feet in(clutch and brake), in a slide steer into the slide and wait for the pause that happens when the car starts to follow the steering input, then correct the steering to the direction you want to travel. No throttle until control has been recovered.

My heart and prayers go to the families and friends for their loss and the guilt that will follow this tragedy.

Please drive safe!

These kind of posts are heartbreaking. As we type our invalueable input their are many who are hurting deeply. My prayers and thoughts go to both families involved. Once again we find that these vehicles are something to have a healthy fear of because they are, with certain conditions, somewhat unpredictable. Maybe an On or Off traction control and the ability to limit the horspower via the PCM would allow us to more comfortably let others experience the thrill of driving a Viper. Heffner is doing a twinturbo on my car and I have insisted that I want full control over the traction (on, off and other percentages in between) and of course the amount of boost available. I am also going to ask if there is an ability with the AEM to detune the engine so that I can control the hp for drivers that lack experience. There is always the first time for everyone that has driven a Viper and many have had close calls even though they may have great abilities in driving high powered sports cars. Again all these types of post are good warnings that these cars can bite. I also agree, as do many on this site, that a driving school is a very wise investment and will take that oppurtunity when I am back in the USA again.

Don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, BUT------------ whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'; or even "by a preponderance of the evidence"?
So far, this thread has blamed and found fault. Why not wait to find blame?
Who says the driver HASN'T received instruction? And who says the passenger used the installed restraints?
How would you like to be blamed for killing your friend on this or any other www. site without knowing more that the instant news brief?
dec

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BS - if your in a SINGLE car accident and you end up killing your passenger on what is described as a "joy ride" - I think blame is fairly placed.

For those criticizing this event need to give these people a break. We all make mistakes and these folks are paying dearly for it and criticisms don’t help.

If you think about it, surviving on this planet in many ways is a crap shoot. Every single day we unknowingly dodge hazards all around us that one second sooner, one second later, one inch closer, one inch farther and your deceased.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. We are all going to die some day and when your time is up, it’s up. Not making light of the boys death because it is very sad, but if I had to go, I can think of no better way then to go out in a Viper.