Boy, 6, tries to drive family car to school--uninjured in crash

[underpants]

A 6-year-old Northern Neck boy was so upset at missing the bus that he took the family's car and tried to drive to school on the other end of Northumberland County before crashing.

The 2005 Ford Taurus ended up with extensive damage, the parents were arrested, and the boy was taken to the hospital to be checked over -- before authorities drove him to school.

The child was not injured beyond "a goose egg on his forehead," Northumberland Sheriff Chuck Wilkins said.

Lewis said the boy was unable to wake up his mother, so he took the keys to the Taurus and began driving toward Northumberland Elementary School.

After negotiating one red light and one stop sign, the child was westbound on U.S. 360 at 7:40 a.m. when he lost control of the car, ran off the right side of the road, then the left side, then the right again before striking an embankment and a utility pole near state Route 636 and the community of Avalon, Lewis said.

Wilkins said the child, who was not wearing a seat belt, drove 10.4 miles and was within 1.2 miles of the school in Heathsville before wrecking on one of the Northern Neck's main arteries. At the time of the crash, the boy was passing several cars and a tractor-trailer, Wilkins said.

Wilkins said the boy told authorities he was especially eager to get to school because he wanted to eat breakfast and attend gym class.

"I think he really loves school," Wilkins said.

The boy told authorities he was able to drive the Taurus by moving its electric driver's seat all the way to the forward position.
"He said he had learned how to drive by playing video games such as 'Grand Theft Auto,'" said Wilkins, who added that county social-services workers "were well aware of the young man. They had some prior contact with the family."

The boy and his 4-year-old sibling were in the custody of Northumberland social-services officials.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/WREK07_20090106-222145/170787/