Car + credit card = danger!

Was just thinking what you people out there think of this article...

Homelife by JUNE CHAN
THERE are college kids who want a car. They also want a credit card. But some parents think that a car plus a credit card equals disaster, especially for a student living away from home.

I can’t agree more. When my son was studying in a college out of town two years back, he made a trip home weekly using public transport. He spent hours (which he said could have been used for studying) on the road, especially when the traffic was bad. On top of that, he arrived home looking all done in. Naturally, I felt I should do something to help. Hence, I offered him a car.

By George! His life immediately shifted gear. He seemed to be on the go all the time. If he was not fetching someone somewhere, he would be running errands for others. His reason was that they had no car.

Recently, I met two parents from Ipoh who related how a car and a credit card became the prime reasons behind their son’s dropping out of college in Kuala Lumpur.

“Our son enrolled to study mechanical engineering after his SPM. Soon he was writing back to say how difficult it was to rely on public transport to get to college. So we got him a car. Then he said he needed a credit card as the money we sent him normally arrived late.”

This proved to be the beginning of the downward spiral of his marks. He managed to complete his foundation year but failed all his papers the following year. His stunned parents concluded that he was distracted

after getting the car and credit card.

“We were told he became very popular with his friends. They frequently asked him out, probably because he could give them a ride. Naturally, he began to get more and more involved in social activities. Perhaps that distracted him from his studies.”

A lecturer from a KL college shared the same view about this dangerous mix. She had seen too many outstation students getting caught up in the materialism of city life. Having a car and a credit card aggravated the situation.

“Students often cannot resist the temptations of city life,” she said. “As a result, their studies suffer and they end up paying a very high price for their folly.”

A college student noted that girls liked boys with cars. “If you have a car, girls tend to come flocking to you and this can be very distracting to your studies.”

He confessed that he made the mistake of spending too much time with his friends after enrolling for an A-level programme. “During my first year, I spent too much time with my house mates. When my marks began to deteriorate, I thought I would have time to do something about them later. But I was wrong. Soon the final exam was upon me and I was thoroughly unprepared. It was all so frighteningly unreal.”

This student failed to gain entry into a university and was forced to repeat his exam.

College life, as most students find out soon enough, is very different from secondary school. For many, it is also the first time they are staying away from home.

If they happen to have private accommodation, where the responsibility of discipline falls squarely on their shoulders, it can be very challenging. This is particularly so when the social scene at college hots up. Many kids find themselves caught up with too much going out and the pursuit of leisure activities. And without their parents or a guardian nearby, many of them just fall by the way side.

Another downside to kids having their own cars is they have absolute freedom over their movements and time. This is compounded by the fact that most young people seem to like hanging out until the wee hours of the morning. Even having a teh tarik at the mamak stall round the corner can keep them up till 3am. If they don’t have a car, they probably won’t be able to take such liberties. Or, if they are staying at home, their parents can lay down some rules about going out late.

Another downside of kids having their own cars and credit cards is the many accidents involving young people. Recently, a relative’s son wrecked his new car early one morning. The vehicle was in the workshop for two months. Six months later, he was involved in another accident in which his car turned turtle. On both occasions, he was having a late night out with some friends.

Kids who crave for a car and a credit card should be ready to meet the responsibilities that come with the privilege.