Boy, 8, drives sister, 4, to mcdonald's for a cheeseburger

[Calvin]

Boy, 8, drives sister, 4, to McDonald's for a cheeseburger, doesn't hit anything on the way

Eight p.m. Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio. Dad is in bed after working all day. Mom, also exhausted, falls asleep on the couch. Even though they've had dinner earlier, the 8-year-old son and his 4-year-old sister are hungry — for McDonald's.

But instead of the waking up his parents, the boy decides this is a problem he can handle by himself.

East Palestine Police Officer Jacob Koehler told FOX 8 News what happened next:

The boy seated his sister in the back of the father's work van before he got behind the wheel. He drove about a mile from his house, through four intersections and over railroad tracks. The trip required several right-hand turns and one left-hand turn.

Witnesses in other vehicles spotted the underage driver and called police. They reported he obeyed traffic rules, stopped at red lights, adhered to the speed limit and didn't sideswipe a single garbage can.


After reaching the drive-thru at the fast-food restaurant, the boy paid for the cheeseburgers with money from his piggy bank. The McDonald's workers thought the kid's parents were pranking them.

"The workers thought that the parents were in the back, but obviously they weren't," Koehler told the Weirton Daily Times.

Police arrived, but not before the children got to eat a cheeseburger and chicken nuggets. Meanwhile, the kids were spotted by a family friend who notified their grandparents, who drove to the restaurant to take them home.

How did an 8-year-old learn to drive?, Officer Koehler wanted to know. YouTube videos, the boy responded.

Apparently he was tall enough to reach the pedals.

http://www.sfgate.com/national/article/Boy-8-drives-sister-4-to-McDonald-s-for-a-11068868.php

 

[rockin'robin]

And an article I read stated that "no charges" would ensue....Some people may find this "cute"...If it were my son, I'd be horrified, all keys would be confiscated....and of course, ground him for a month.
Perhaps they lived in a rural area?...kids who do learn to drive at an earlier age.

Plus...leaving an 8 year old to supervise a 4 year old while the parents are sleeping?...Child neglect, no doubt about it.

 

[AlleyCat]

Grounding probably doesn't help an 8 year old? But yes, how did this happen in the first place ???

 

[seb]

Perhaps the driving programs we have all gone through where the wrong approach; this kid learned to drive watching Youtube videos and from all reports did a great job! His only mistake was using the drive thru, had he gone into the store he might of gotten away with it and nobody would of been the wiser. As to no charges being filed, I heard that the cops said the kid deserved a break today!

 

[rockin'robin]

The parents were sleeping...that's how it happened (as per the article)...Grounding might not "help" all 8 year olds...but if I were the boys parents, I would make damn sure that every key was hidden...even the lawn mower (LOL)...keeping the car doors locked also...some kids even steal Tractors and joy-ride...

 

[Jane B.]

The town where I live isn't that much bigger than it was when I was growing up in the 1940's & 50's but there has been sprawl and construction outside the city limits. This has led to much busier roads and closer in than back then. So that combined with today's rules, etc. what my dad wouldn't work now. He had me steering sitting on his lap before I was tall enough to reach the pedals! As back then selling cars often also meant teaching someone in the family that was buying the car to drive he was used to that part.

I don't remember ever having the urge to take off on my own at that age though. And the car often was not home early in the evening because people wanted to look at cars after they go off work.

 

[Jane B.]

And an article I read stated that "no charges" would ensue....Some people may find this "cute"...If it were my son, I'd be horrified, all keys would be confiscated....and of course, ground him for a month.
Perhaps they lived in a rural area?...kids who do learn to drive at an earlier age.

Plus...leaving an 8 year old to supervise a 4 year old while the parents are sleeping?...Child neglect, no doubt about it.

I don't think he was left to supervise the 4 year old on purpose. I get the impression that mom did not go to sleep on purpose but just happen to while on the couch. It doesn't say what she was doing in the couch in the first place. If it was watching TV, I can understand falling asleep. I have enough problem with doing that that I got an additional TV for my bedroom and go to watch in there in the evening so I don't wake up in the middle of the night and have to get up and get ready for bed then.

 

[Calvin]

I looked up Palestine, Ohio.. It's a village with a population of 200 at the 2010 census. Makes sense for a very small town for the boy to make it a mile with little traffic. If it's a bigger town/city may be different thing.

The boy sure did his homework on driving 101... Hopefully the parents hide their keys next time.

 

[rockin'robin]

I don't think he was left to supervise the 4 year old on purpose. I get the impression that mom did not go to sleep on purpose but just happen to while on the couch. It doesn't say what she was doing in the couch in the first place. If it was watching TV, I can understand falling asleep. I have enough problem with doing that that I got an additional TV for my bedroom and go to watch in there in the evening so I don't wake up in the middle of the night and have to get up and get ready for bed then.

The article said the Mom was exhausted and fell asleep on the couch... (after dinner)...You can't fall asleep with a 4 year old...feel she thought the 8 year old would watch her....??...Soooo..the 4 year old didn't get into any trouble...but the 8 year old did...LOL....

 

[Jane B.]

I looked up Palestine, Ohio.. It's a village with a population of 200 at the 2010 census. Makes sense for a very small town for the boy to make it a mile with little traffic. If it's a bigger town/city may be different thing.

The boy sure did his homework on driving 101... Hopefully the parents hide their keys next time.

And hopefully he is still that careful when he starts driving legally!

 

[Tetracyclone]

The town where I live isn't that much bigger than it was when I was growing up in the 1940's & 50's but there has been sprawl and construction outside the city limits. This has led to much busier roads and closer in than back then. So that combined with today's rules, etc. what my dad wouldn't work now. He had me steering sitting on his lap before I was tall enough to reach the pedals!

I don't remember ever having the urge to take off on my own at that age though. And the car often was not home early in the evening because people wanted to look at cars after they go off work.

My experience was the same. We learned to steer sitting on pop's lap, then standard shift once our legs were long enough to reach a pedal with a block of wood tied to it. These were the cultural habits of rural areas and small towns.

The child in this news bit had real initiative. I object to people getting rattled about 'child neglect'. Clearly life is pretty tough for these parents and once you start thinking 'neglect' you endanger the child with being taken from his family. Without a long pattern of neglect I see this as "just one of those things."

 

[rockin'robin]

My experience was the same. We learned to steer sitting on pop's lap, then standard shift once our legs were long enough to reach a pedal with a block of wood tied to it. These were the cultural habits of rural areas and small towns.

The child in this news bit had real initiative. I object to people getting rattled about 'child neglect'. Clearly life is pretty tough for these parents and once you start thinking 'neglect' you endanger the child with being taken from his family. Without a long pattern of neglect I see this as "just one of those things."

"just one of those things"?...Well. now that we know the family lives in a rural area (not too populated)...the kid & his parents did get a break...If they lived in the City where there was a lot of traffic?...Not too sure what would have happened...most likely, the parents would have went to jail...
I can't imagine the parents reaction when they woke up and got a phone call saying their 8 yr old and 4 yr old were at McDonalds and the 8 yr old was behind the wheel....

 

[seb]

"just one of those things"?...Well. now that we know the family lives in a rural area (not too populated)...the kid & his parents did get a break...If they lived in the City where there was a lot of traffic?...Not too sure what would have happened...most likely, the parents would have went to jail...
I can't imagine the parents reaction when they woke up and got a phone call saying their 8 yr old and 4 yr old were at McDonalds and the 8 yr old was behind the wheel....

Thank God he got caught driving in a rural community and didn't get caught driving in a city, the police in some city's probably would of shot him or at least shot at the van and then gone to the kids house and arrested the parents for neglect.

 

[Jane B.]

My experience was the same. We learned to steer sitting on pop's lap, then standard shift once our legs were long enough to reach a pedal with a block of wood tied to it. These were the cultural habits of rural areas and small towns.

I did not get to even try driving a stick shift until I was in my upper teens. My dad sold Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac cars and GMC trucks. They had no trucks as demonstrators and we had 88 Oldsmobiles (a new one each model year and sometimes as many as 3 when people wanted to buy his demonstrator) as demonstrators that we got to use as the family car. Naturally people buying those brands did not get standard transmissions. I can remember only one when there had been a fire at the plant and one guy I knew of got a standard transmission rather than wait. So they were not getting used cars with them either. Finally a Corvair came in as a trade-in and I got Dad to take me out one Sunday afternoon to learn the basics. I wanted to know enough to get us home if I was with someone that had one and got sick or hurt. As it turned out several years later I bought my first car — with a standard transmission in the middle of December in Southern Illinois (60-80 east of St. Louis, Missouri).

 

[Tetracyclone]

"just one of those things"?...Well. now that we know the family lives in a rural area (not too populated)...the kid & his parents did get a break...If they lived in the City where there was a lot of traffic?...Not too sure what would have happened...most likely, the parents would have went to jail...
I can't imagine the parents reaction when they woke up and got a phone call saying their 8 yr old and 4 yr old were at McDonalds and the 8 yr old was behind the wheel....

Definitely a panic attack moment!

 

[seb]

I remember my wife and I waking up one morning and finding our 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter sitting at the table eating breakfast, because we had overslept. We never left the car keys out in the open or where the kids could get to them, if we did perhaps our son would of taken matters into his own hands. Lucky for us when he was 5, Youtube didn't exist!