"Car in the House!"

Mercury News photo

Another teenager drives his car into a house.

A quiet South San Jose neighborhood Friday night became the scene of a sudden inferno that consumed two homes when a stolen car slammed into one of the homes, rupturing a gas line. The car, carrying four juveniles, spun out of control just before midnight when the driver tried to evade police.

Luckily, no one was hurt seriously.

In 2004 a teen crashed into a Foster City house a block away.

Perhaps the reckless behavior is the result of watching too many movie car chases, which show people walking away from horrific accidents. Another reason could be the influence of video games, which resurrect the player with a push of the button.

Older drivers, of course, have been known to crash into buildings, but very few of them do so at high speed and with such disregard for the wellbeing of bystanders. The age of the driverless car cannot come soon enough. © 2013 Stephen Yuen
[Update - 6/23/13: the driver was 12 years old.]