Okay, I'll jump in as I sit in my backyard puffing on a nice cigar. I think there are good points being made all around. SANguru and others have a good point that in general, and yes we can speak in generalities, younger inexperienced drivers tend to be more dangerous behind the wheel. It's like anything else that requires skill and experience whether it's driving or bowling; the more you do, the longer you do it, the better you get at it. Add massive horsepower and the equation becomes more volatile. My dealer has had it's share of M3's get totalled by fortunate sons of rich parents. I'm sure the Subaru, Mistu, and Honda dealers have too. The point is, there are many factors that come into play with young drivers, including lack of experience, lack of discretion, lack of appreciation for the machine, excess of testosterone, etc. Have you ever been in a carload of 17 year olds when another car challenges? 'Nuff said. I will however agree that plenty of 30+ year old drivers can and do stack their sports cars in stupid ways. (See www.wreckedexotics.com.) Speaking for myself, I know that I am a much better driver today than at 17. I did my fair share of dumb stuff behind the wheel when I was that age. My first accident was because I was trying to act cool and did not pay attention to something that I subsequently bumped into. I also spun a 911 because I was too inexperienced to understand and handle a rear engine car like that. Fortunately nothing was harmed including me but that might have been different if my father had found out I took his car out without his knowledge. I have driven many superfast cars and have owned some nice sports cars. I have had BMWCCA driver education, autocross, and some track time. With that experience and most importantly, maturity, I am a better driver than the average 17 year old. (Excluding a 17 year old Schumacher or Senna.)

Having said that, I'm sure our younger members here aren't of that ilk and have more brains than that but you can't ignore the point that time and age give experience and experience is what helps us be better at whatever the task at hand is. I tip my hat to Amit for his maturity in his responses. I think he knows he's lucky to have an X5.

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