Most six year olds in America are probably not too excited about attending school. Many parents have to drag their children out of bed in the morning in order to make their scheduled school bus pick up times. However, one diligent six year old from Wicomico Church, Virginia, wanted to be on time for school so badly, he borrowed the family car after missing the school bus.
According to the Associated Press, the six year old boy missed his school bus last week and tried to drive the family’s 2005 Ford Taurus to school which was over seven miles away. The child was able to drive the car six miles before crashing into a utility pole planted about a mile and a half away from his destination. Police said that during his drive, the child must have navigated “at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times."
When the boy was questioned by the police as to where he obtained the necessary skills to drive a Ford Taurus, he responded by saying he learned to drive by playing video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam. The county sheriff also mentioned that the boy was so intent on going to school that after the crash, he proceeded to walk the rest of the way because he did not want to miss breakfast and PE class. The boy was found to have had only minor injuries and was released from hospital the same day.
At the time of the incident, the 26 year old mother was asleep upstairs. Both her and the 40 year old father are in police custody, charged with child endangerment. In the meantime, both the six year old boy and his four year old brother remain placed in protective custody.
Besides the obvious blessing that there were no serious injuries, this incident also provides more fuel for those advocating against video game violence. But let’s not forget that it was bad parenting that allowed a six year old child to play mature rated video games. However, the bright side of the story is that this six year old had the reflexes and coordination to navigate a 2005 Ford Taurus... all thanks to the advances of video games.
