While I think that saying the title of the thread is misleading would be the understatement of the year, I do think there is some fault in the OP's family as well as others that mindlessly let their children drive high hp/SUV's etc. without careful consideration. The parents need to be knowledgeable enough to know cars, how to handle high hp cars and also have a firm grasp on their child's demeanor, so as to make a reasonable decision if Johnny or Jane can handle a fast car. The rest of the responsibility falls onto the child, for them to actually spend the time and effort to learn how to drive properly, and then possibly learn how to handle a high hp car.
My situation was probably different than most, in that my family, starting with my great-grandfather, were heavily involved with automobiles and were avid, legal, racers. While I find my father and my grandfather's driving skills to be abysmal (and their driving records prove it) I have never had a driving violation, and I too was raised as a racer, driving in drag racing, oval track and autocross. I also paid to go to several driving schools to learn how to deal with hydroplaning, high speed maneuvering, etc. The only real difference between me, and my paternal line is that I chose to be a good driver, to only answer my phone while driving in cases of emergency, etc.
As to the ones that say that "high hp + teenage driver = bad", I would have to disagree. While for most teens the high hp=bad statement may be true, it is not true for all teen drivers. My first street car had around 425hp, and on the street the fastest it ever went was 5mph over the speed limit. IMO, we should further specify our license restrictions here in the US, so that high hp vehicles, large non-commercial vehicles/SUV's, would require special license certifications. While the above change in license restrictions would not be a perfect solution, it would be a start.
