Dad ‘Afraid’ to Drive Car Over State Daughter Left It in After Borrowing It

One horrified parent shared their experience of what happened once they returned to the driver’s seat after their teenage daughter on the popular Reddit channel “r/mildlyinfuriating.”

Using the handle u/speedweaver, the Redditor titled their post, “This is how my daughter left the car for me today,” and included a photo of the dashboard with a glaring warning: “Fuel level low. 1 mile to empty.”

Speedweaver wrote in the caption: “I was afraid to even drive it to the nearby gas station!”

The post has quickly gained traction. At the time of writing, it had received 76,000 upvotes, along with thousands of comments from other Redditors.

One parent, who goes by the handle u/RaelaltRael, shared that their son had done the same thing to them once: “Since I biked more than drive I just left it parked until he needed it again. Never had an fuel empty car since,” they commented.

“Kid gives my car back like that, they’re gonna develop a new talent: reading bus schedules,” another Redditor wrote.

The post also resonated with other drivers who have faced similar situations. The display, showing just one mile left before running out of gas, captured the panic many feel when the realization of having no fuel sets in.

One user explained their logic for always filling up their car when it reaches ¼ empty.

“It’s not as expensive as fully empty, so psychologically it’s less of a sudden drain on the bank account. Since there still is 1/4 left you also can wait until the weekly fuel price drops from any peak, and you will always have enough in the car to get to any appointment without having to plan a fuel stop before,” they explained.

Newsweek spoke to conflict resolution specialist Amy Armstrong, who said this scenario is an excellent opportunity for the teenager and parent to start creating boundaries together.

“Teens don’t do well with ‘top-down’ authoritarian rules, yet this parent has every right to have ample gas in [his] car after [his] daughter’s use,” she told Newsweek.

Armstrong, a co-parent coach at The Center for Family Resolution, acknowledged that boundaries work well when the teen communicates what would be doable and motivating for them.

“The parent’s job is to be thoughtful, clear, and reliable on where the line is and communicate with respect and warmth—even when times are tough,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong also noted that the almost-empty fuel tank “isn’t all on the teen” and said teamwork is essential as they grow up.

“Parents can have high expectations (for a fueling up or anything else) as long as they take the lead on creating expectations that are mutually satisfying,” she added.

One Redditor shared a matter-of-fact solution for the parent: “Top off the car or you don’t get to drive it anymore.”

Newsweek could not verify details of the case.