Kids Driving Cars & Taking Cars On Joy Rides

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Kids drive cars for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes little kids get it in their mind to go on a joy ride. Sometimes they take it upon themselves to drive to the store or a friend’s house. Other times it’s out of necessity – they drive because a parent is incapacitated or drunk. Often times these stories end with an amusing anecdote. Other times, however, when kids get behind the wheel, things end in tragedy. Here are some of the stories behind the statistics:

Young Kids Joy Rides

8-year-old takes her parent’s SUV to mall
In September 2024, an 8-year-old girl in Ohio took her family’s SUV out for a joy ride, driving to the local Target. Police located the vehicle and found the girl safe inside the store, going on a shopping spree. “We did let her finish her Frappuccino” before putting an end to her fun, the officers said. “We’re not mean.” (The Week, 9-27-2024, p.6)

High speed joy ride
n December of 2020, a 12-year-old boy in New York stole his parents’ Range Rover and took his 7-year-old cousin on a 5 hour joy ride, with speeds that reached 100 miles per hour. When they were finally caught by police, the little girl said, “Yeah, it was good.” Her only complaint: “I wish I was driving.” (The Week, 12-25-2020, p. 6)

Nine-year-old steals parent’s car to get to school
A 9-year-old boy driving his parent’s car briefly led the California Highway Patrol on a chase. When he was pulled over, the boy explained his reasoning for why he was behind the wheel: “I’m trying to get to school. (The Week, 4-12-2024, p. 6)

Boy & his cousin lead police on high-speed chase
In December of 2020, a 12-year-old boy in New York stole his parents range rover and took his 7-year-old cousin on a 5 hour joyride, with speeds that reached 100 miles per hour. When they were caught by police, the little girl was none too rattled. “Yeah, it was good,” she said. Her only complaint: “I wish I was driving.” (The Week, 12-25-2020, p. 6)

Stealing Grandma’s Car
In Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, police say an 8-year-old boy took the keys to his grandmother’s 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier from her coat and proceeded to drive the car down an embankment and into a creek. He was able to crawl out a window to safety and escaped without injury. (USA Today, 1-28-2010, 7A)

Catch me if you can – the elementary school version
In Tacoma, Washington, prosecutors were trying to get a judge to revoke a deferred prosecution agreement against a 10-year-old boy who stole a car and was then able to talk his way onto two separate flights before being caught in Texas. The boy apparently broke the agreement last week when he snuck out of his house and was caught trying to board a plane at Sea-Tac Airport. (USA Today, 6-6-2008, p. 8A)

Midnight Trips to the Store
In Ogden, Utah, an 8-year-old boy took his 5-year-old sister on a joy ride in the middle of the night and ended up crashing the family minivan. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. An officer noticed a vehicle that had run into a tree at around 2 a.m. and stopped to investigate. The young driver said that he needed to take his sister to the store. The kids were returned to their sleeping parents, according to Ogden police Lt. Danielle Croyle. (USA Today, 3-16-2012)

7-Year-Old Speedster
In Caseville, Michigan, a 7-year-old boy was charged with unlawful use of a vehicle after taking a car out for a joy ride and driving 20 miles, sometimes at speeds of up to 50 m.p.h. (USA Today, 6-23-2011, p. 3A)

Parents Letting Kids Drive

Nine killed when 13-year-old driver crashes
A 13-year-old boy was behind the wheel driving a pickup truck, an adult male in the passenger seat. A group of University student athletes and their coach were returning from a tournament driving in the opposite lane. That’s when the truck crossed the center lane of the 2 lane road, crashing into the van head on and killing everyone inside both vehicles.

Investigators say the truck was driving with a spare on the front left tire, which blew out before the impact. This would certainly explain the cause of the crash, especially with a 13-year-old behind the wheel, who may not have had the muscle strength to control it. Although police were mum on why a 13-year-old was driving, when you have cases like this with a 38-year-old adult in the passenger seat, it usually means the adult was drunk and needed the child to drive them home. (Fernando, 2022)

– Car Safety for Kids

See also…

References:
Fernando, C. (2022, March 18) “NTSB: 13-year-old driver in Texas crash,” USA Today, p. 7A


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