" Ryan Walker was my very close cousin. He was practiculy my brother. We will miss him very much. He always was there for me if i needed him. I love him and will never forget him. "

" first of all id like to say ryan was like family to me..he always had the best advice he was soooo smart and he always said he wanted to grow up to be something of importance , but because kids are to immature to realize the dangers of driving to fast or driving under the influence Ryan will never get the chance to do just that.. we'll all remember Ryan for the great things he did and was destined to do...we loved him and still do and i can just hope that someday somehow someone can make a difference in the way people drive today!! "

" I would like to know why our car makes are producing cars that go that f ast ??? I cannot think of anyplace in NY that you can go more than 70 without breaking the law. I feel they should take the cars these kids are being killed in and place them in front of the high schools, it would be a big eye opener to classmates. Taking teens driving rights away will just make them drive with out being licensed at all, everyone needs to work together with our teens not just take their rights away. Raising the age to drive would be inpossable. My daughter wll be attending college at 17 yrs old. Raising the age would make impossalbe for teens to get jobs or go to school. "

" I dont see how changing the driving age to 21 would help at all. my brother died this year in a car accident...he was 21. So if he had just learned to drive when he turned 21, would he have lived? you can't blame the driving age on this accident, the lack of training may have been a factor..and unfortunately some people (not just teenagers) dont live and learn from their mistakes. But hopefully others take those mistakes for what it's worth and protect thier own lives while driving. "

" I know two parents in Auburn that think that they and their son are invincible and it "can't happen to them/him". What is wrong with these parents? Don't they read the news? And these two also think it's okay for teenagers to hang out in their homes while they are gone! How about some classes in for educating naive parents - it'll be you're son having a party or driving a car that will kill someone else's child! Wake up! Are you two for real? (By the way, you're son IS out drinking on weekends!) "

" I have to agree with some of the kids posting here -- raising the driving age isn't going to be any help. It IS outrageous that a young man can be drafted and sent to war at 18 but he can't legally drink, and more absurd to suggest he shouldn't be allowed to drive. Instead, young men shouldn't have to register for the draft until 21 -- never would be even better. But for the driving -- education is a good idea and I am shocked Auburn doesn't have drivers ed. What are they thinking?!?!??? Many teens need to be able to drive to get to a job or other responsible activities. They don't need to be out driving to parties, late night dates, etc. But that's where it is a parent's responsibility to say NO. You live in my house, you follow MY rules, no matter if you are 14 or 40. One other comment that rings true -- young people do think they are immortal. I work on a college campus and students will walk right in front of moving traffic as if the world were going to stop for them and they couldn't possibly get hit by a car. Wake up kids! You can die just as easily as anyone else and especially if you walk in front of a moving vehicle just assuming it can and will stop. We need more defensive driving courses as well as basic drivers ed and a lot of hours behind the wheel with an instructor before our young people are ready -- or our middle-aged people who think they don't need a refresher.... "

" What ever happened to parents teaching their children rather than putting the blame on someone else. Parents have alot more time educate their children about driving and being mature than they would get in the 45 minute drivers ed class. Slow down parents and wake up for the sake (LIFE) of your children. "

" I have a 17 year old son (as many of you know) who got his permit on his 16th birthday and his license 6 months later. My husband and I have attempted to teach him the "rules of the road", but as Hilary Clinton wrote in her book: "It Takes A Village". Please give us back Driver Education, please help us as parents to know how to teach right from wrong, and please if you are getting behind the wheel of a car--whether you are 17 or 57 or 107--please remember you are responsible for anyone you come into contact with while you are on the road. Through my own teenagers--I come in contact with many teens during the course of a week. Tell me what we can do to help. What can we, as adults, do to help prevent any further tragedies? In six months I will have a second child behind the wheel of a car. It Takes A Village!!!!!!!!!! "

" This has nothing to do with the school district.The kids that have died made there OWN choices, to drive drunk, to speed, they choose to do that. We knew them. Everything that has been happening has made ALL of us rethink everything, we "dont lack maturity and responsibility" we are kids, we make mistakes, it may be not studying for our test, driving drunk, or speeding. what happened to ryan, is not auburns teenage society's fault, stop steriotyping us.Dont make it sound like its everyones fault, we've lost people in the last few weeks that has hurt us tremendesly, we dont need your comments to make us feel worse for what happened. "

" Driving age to 21? I can go to war,fight for America and only be 18 and your telling me that I cant drive a car? Our drinking age went from 18 to 21 and boy that has really worked! "

" This mornings comments were more accurate. Driving age should be changed to 21. These kids lack maturity and responsibility. A lot of them also think they are immortal. You might as well hand them a gun. A car is a weapon too. "

" Auburn school district has its head in the sand about everything. They don't believe in drivers ed so our children learn to be responsible drivers and they don't offer sex ed because they don't think our teenagers are having sex. The lack of both of these classes are killing our kids. "

" When will the Auburn school district get the message that all youngsters should have have driver training during school, or a summer class. Some of our recent chldren's accidental deaths may have been avoided. "