[jtr]

This is a tough one. When you were the age or the kid driving the car, what would have made you do the responsible thing here? I'm guessing that your friend berating them is possibly not the best strategy.

I don't think your issue is really with the mother, is it, because you have no idea what the kid said to her.



[ QUOTE ]
No joke, if my kid happened to be in the middle of the cul de sac when he took that corner, there's about a 95% chance that she'd be dead.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not making a joke here, but at 25 mph it's more like 20%.



Source: U.K. Department of Transportation, Killing Speed and Saving Lives, London, 1987.

Speeding

Speeding is a major contributing factor in crashes of all types. In 2003, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes. Speeding has serious consequences when a pedestrian is involved. A pedestrian hit at 64.4 km/h (40 mi/h) has an 85 percent chance of being killed; at 48.3 km/h (30 mi/h), the likelihood goes down to 45 percent, while at 32.2 km/h (20 mi/h), the fatality rate is only 5 percent. Faster speeds increase the likelihood of a pedestrian being hit. At higher speeds, motorists are less likely to see a pedestrian, and are even less likely to be able to stop in time to avoid hitting one.