Web Hosting Talk : Other Forums : Web Hosting Lounge : Legal Driving Age: SHOULD INCREASE IT

[Mekhu]

Hello everyone,

I just got back from the bank and on my way home during my short 15 minute drive, I was almost hit twice. In both occurances, the occupants of the cars were teenage students (likely getting out of school).

Now I know not all teenage drivers are bad, etc and there are as many middle age drivers who are bad or worse... but do you guys think 16 is too young for someone to begin driving?

If you would have asked me this 6 years ago when I got my license, I would have said no, but seeing how some of these youngens drive these days, it makes you think...

So what does everyone think?

[N9ne]

I have a 15 year old Cousin in USA that drives or something, that's ridiculous.

It's 17 here in England, and while I want to drive as soon as possible, I think that even 18 would be more reasonable, so I agree with you.

[Mekhu]

Yeah, I was thinking more along the lines of 18 also.

I just find that most of the laws here in Ontario are a little out of whack... consider this.

You get your license at 16. You're now considered responsible enough to drive yourself, your friends 24/7 with no restrictions.

You turn 18 and decide that you want to get married. You're now responsible enough to drive, marry and start a family.

BUT, you cannot legally drink or buy cigarettes until you're 19!

I just find things a little messed up

[mantra]

yes, now that i'm well above the legal driving age, I think the age should increase to 18 .. in NJ it's 17 right now ..

[oonth]

Heck I say make the driving age 14, decrease it. But surely the current process in general for teenagers in US has loopholes and should be more strict.

Here, to get a permit you just have to be 15, take 30 hours of DAMN BORING book work and then 6 hours of behind the wheels training. That gives you permit to drive with a parent next to you. While in 99% of the case that much training suffices, IMO the risk posed by that 1% is simply too huge.

I'm for stricter and more effective method that will issue drivers license to those qualified rather than via age(judging driving by age is simply too vague).

[gilbert]

look at the problem from the 4 corners of society
-kids are currently crammed to learn billions of crap in school due to corperate america companies pressure for quotas etc.
-hopefully teens arent driving the big suvs and hummers cause those are the people that really scare me on the road but i still think they shoudnt have the smallest crap car and break down
-oil prices anyone?
-what age is good then? got me clueless cause most people drive the same, just newbies are a little sassy for a week until they figure out they gotta couch up mulla to fill the gas tank

[SarcasticDwarf]

No. The problem isn't young drivers, the problem is inexperienced drivers. causation v. correlation

[rrdega]

Personally, I feel the Graduated Driver License Law here in Missouri, USA is a good first step. But improvements could certainly be made.,,

[ambirex]

This is an old problem that goes back to when most people in the US made their living on farms. They would need someone to run to the general store and pick up more feed, run a tractor down the road, etc. In fact in some states the age is lower if you work on a farm, you can get a farm license at 14-15. I think the real problem comes when well-to-do parents buy their kid a car right after they get their license, then six months later they wrap it around a telephone pole.

A car is a lot of responsibility, you aren't just taking your own life in your hands but the life of everyone around you.

I don't have a solution to this problem, but I do agree with the inexperience argument. So how would people gain driving experience without endangering other drivers?

[RossH]

I say we keep the age limit the same. While we are at it lower the drinking age to 18.

[rrdega]

If you checked out that link I provided above, I think that is a great start! But what I do not believe it covers is kids in the car with kid drivers...

My personal observations tell me that the kid drivers lose all sense (assuming they have 'em to start with) when driving unsupervised with a carload of other kids. They get distracted, and bang! Into a telephone pole, or worse, head-on into another car...

So, I feel kid drivers (Intermidiate by Missouri's terminology) should never be permitted to drive with passengers other than adults. And preferrably only parents, and grand-parents; Not siblings... And never friends!

In just the last several months here locally, there have been multiple accidents where kid drivers and deaths were involved where there was a boat load of people in the cars... Very sad!

[RossH]

Originally posted by rrdega
If you checked out that link I provided above, I think that is a great start! But what I do not believe it covers is kids in the car with kid drivers...

My personal observations tell me that the kid drivers lose all sense (assuming they have 'em to start with) when driving unsupervised with a carload of other kids. They get distracted, and bang! Into a telephone pole, or worse, head-on into another car...

So, I feel kid drivers (Intermidiate by Missouri's terminology) should never be permitted to drive with passengers other than adults. And preferrably only parents, and grand-parents; Not siblings... And never friends!

In just the last several months here locally, there have been multiple accidents where kid drivers and deaths were involved where there was a boat load of people in the cars... Very sad!

I'm really tired of this protectionist attitude people. WE CANNOT CURE STUPIDITY. A lot of kids don't gie in crashes because they are bad drivers, but because they are stupid drivers. If they didn't go down the road at 90 mph then they wouldn't die!!!

[Mekhu]

stupid driver = bad driver in my books.

[rrdega]

Originally posted by dk2
I'm really tired of this protectionist attitude people. WE CANNOT CURE STUPIDITY. A lot of kids don't gie in crashes because they are bad drivers, but because they are stupid drivers. If they didn't go down the road at 90 mph then they wouldn't die!!!

So, what would you suggest, a "STUPIDITY" test and those that fail (or would it be pass?) never get a license? Or just not permit them to drive at all until a certain age, and then just give 'em a license to kill?

It is not stupidity that's killing them... It is inexperience, and ignorance... That latter, unlike stupidity, can be fixed.

[Bully]

keep it as it is,
wow u may get a young wreckless driver,
But maybe your 30/ 40? ALof off people your age are the same, Drink driving, Speeding, Etc ETc, I sell insurance, and alot more adults have had Points / claims than the younger ones,
the older ones are just too stubborn to admit its there fault