If the mother bought the car, and if the rule was no booze, and if she found booze which means the rule was broken, then she can decide what to do about the broken rule. She chose to sell the car. BFD. Yeah, she could have picked another way to get her point across. And yeah, she could have punished him in another way. And yeah, it might have been overreaction. And yeah, it might have been wasted money. But so what? It was her car. It's her kid. The story was a report on what is probably a refreshing change in how a parent handles a kid's problem. Most parents would not have done it that way. That's why it made the news. You won't find any articles entitled, "Mother Finds Booze in Teenager's Car and Takes Away His Keys". The good thing is no one is hurt. Whether or not the kid was actually drinking and driving is moot. A rule was broken; she reacted. Props. IMO, a parent that actually parents is much better than one who ignores everything their kid does.