Zombyboy links to this story about two parents who've been arrested for letting their son and a friend ride a short distance in their car's trunk and expresses his disapproval. Excerpt:
"Obviously, there was a lot of danger there," Jordan said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "They're supposed to be in seat belts. If there would have been a rear-end collision, they could have been seriously injured. So we feel that it was reckless to put the kids in the trunk," Jordan said.
Back in the day, when I was in college, a group of us rented a car for a winter night's excursion from Boston to New Hampshire. The trip was, as they tended to be back then, oversubscribed. Rather than leaving a buddy behind ("leave no child..."), one brave soul offered to make the trip in the trunk of the rental car.
The trip itself, if memory serves, was a moderate success. The trunk-rider so enjoyed the ride that another friend sought to gain the experience on the return trip (the car was very crowded). He, too, seemed to enjoy it.
The Duthoys are charged with two counts each of child abuse, an offense that carries a sentence of 15 years. Mary Duthoy is also charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, and James Duthoy, who was driving, is charged with a count of second-degree assault and one count of reckless endangerment.The charges have stunned those who know the family. Mary Elizabeth Duthoy is a former teacher who volunteers as a den mother. James John Duthoy, a superintendent for a roofing company, is known as a model father.
I'm sure glad we didn't get caught. Bad friends. Bad. Bad.
Posted by oscarjr at July 23, 2003 09:09 PM | TrackBackWho hasn't had an experience of either going in the trunk or getting someone to go in there? Back in high school, I remember a friend offered to ride in the trunk for a short trip. I being a mischiefous (sp) one took a bump at a high rate of speed. Oh, did I have a big grin on my face.
Posted by: Sean Hackbarth at 11:24 PMI used to work in a garage for a auto dealership. We had this kid who worked there in the afternoons. When a car came in with the "mysterious rattle in the back" we would throw this kid in the trunk and intentionaly drive fast over the worst roads we could find. He loved it. And usually found the rattle. We even opened the trunk a couple of times and found him asleep.
Posted by: Grant at 08:39 AMZombyboy:
I suspected as much.
Sean and Grant:
Thanks for the funny stories. You guys are so mean...
OJr.
Posted by: Oscar Jr. at 07:50 PMDude, I didn't go away for college, but I had friends who did. Particularly my best friend who was a pre-Med student in upstate NY, over by Albany. I used to go up there almost every weekend.... whenever we headed "into the city" at least one or three people were in the trunk... it was better to stuff people in the trunk than take a second car into Albany.
I've also volunteered to hop into the trunk for the ride to breakfast after a night of drinking... just a few times though... heh!
I'm pretty sure I'd never stash my daughters there, though... huge difference between college students being drunken clowns and stuffing your kid in the trunk...
but it IS an example of the nanny-state. ridiculous.
Posted by: Jim S at 09:41 AMI once rode in the hatchback of a Dodge Daytona from Appleton to Madison. I was actually a lot more comfortable than the folks in the back seat. However, upon examination of the vehicle a few weeks later, we noticed that just about the only thing between me and the road was a piece of plywood.
Oh, and it may interest you to know that the lovely Bernadette rode in the trunk of a taxi during the course of Kristin’s Bachelorette party. : )
And you think noone reads this site!
Posted by: maureen at 02:34 PM