Poll: In the States you can have a drivers license at 16. That is much too young.

[Robert Ewing]

I went to America once, and one of the major things I realized is that the roads there are extremely simple compared to European roads. I'm British, and the drivers licence age is 17. I'm fine with that, I believe it fits perfectly. And although the crash rate for 17 year old new drivers is high, it's not high enough to warrant a reason to increase the age limit.

American roads are big, simple, and fairly high quality. For this, it requires a lot less skill in driving. The fact that most American cars are automatic helps as well. 16 is fine for American roads. If America had the same sort of roads with have in Europe, ie pot holes, massive bends, hills with a 9001% gradient, crazy narrow country roads, always some form of wildlife giving birth on the roads, crazy motorways, highways, autobahns. The list goes on

Bottom line is, European drivers have a lot more to deal with. American roads are easier to drive on, so why should the age be lower?

 

[TehCookie]

However learning to drive is not easy and is best attempted young. I think the law should be changed so 17/16 years old can drive but only as provisional drivers, so they have a fully qualified person in the passenger seat to make sure they don't stop concentrating. Perhaps allow a full drivers licence once they've clocked a certain number of hours behind the wheel. This would be almost impossible to enforce, but in an ideal world would be nice.

In Canada we have graduated licensing, with three classes. First there is the G1 license, which you get after passing the written test above a certain percentage. If you have a G1, you must have a class G driver (the highest license) in the front passenger seat with you, neither of you may drink, cannot drive between midnight and 5:00 AM, and cannot drive on freeways. After a year with the G1 you can take the G2 written test. With a G2 all the restrictions of a G1 apply but you get to drive unsupervised. A year after that you can get the full G after passing its written test, where no restrictions apply (but you can't drink).

I think America should have some form of graduated licensing. You can't just put a teenager behind the wheel and say "Drive this."

It depends on the state, I live in Michigan and we have something that's extremely similar.

Just wondering if you say 16 year olds shouldn't drive, do you have public transportation in your area? Where I live it's necessary to drive. I can't say for other people but at 16 I was getting myself to school and had my min wage part time job and often ran errands for my parents so I needed a car.

 

[UNHchabo]

Enforcement does not work if you drove yourself and your mates to death.

I don't believe in punishing those who have not committed a crime. Why should a responsible 16-year-old be punished simply because some of their peers are hooligans?

 

[LITE992]

However learning to drive is not easy and is best attempted young. I think the law should be changed so 17/16 years old can drive but only as provisional drivers, so they have a fully qualified person in the passenger seat to make sure they don't stop concentrating. Perhaps allow a full drivers licence once they've clocked a certain number of hours behind the wheel. This would be almost impossible to enforce, but in an ideal world would be nice.

In Canada we have graduated licensing, with three classes. First there is the G1 license, which you get after passing the written test above a certain percentage. If you have a G1, you must have a class G driver (the highest license) in the front passenger seat with you, neither of you may drink, cannot drive between midnight and 5:00 AM, and cannot drive on freeways. After a year with the G1 you can take the G2 written test. With a G2 all the restrictions of a G1 apply but you get to drive unsupervised. A year after that you can get the full G after passing its written test, where no restrictions apply (but you can't drink).

I think America should have some form of graduated licensing. You can't just put a teenager behind the wheel and say "Drive this."

It depends on the state, I live in Michigan and we have something that's extremely similar.

Just wondering if you say 16 year olds shouldn't drive, do you have public transportation in your area? Where I live it's necessary to drive. I can't say for other people but at 16 I was getting myself to school and had my min wage part time job and often ran errands for my parents so I needed a car.

I live in a small town outside of a city, so transportation isn't an issue unless you want to get to said city, in which case you there's two busses that will take you there. That, or you can walk along a winding forest road followed by a busy highway.

As for the 16 year olds driving which I should have mentioned earlier, they should only drive if they have somebody teach them how, not read a handbook and pass a test. I don't know how licenses work in America, but graduated licensing works for us in Canada.

 

[Peter Donaldson]

its a necessity in america, as kids at that age have after school activities, social lives that getting driven around by parents would be a pain for everyone. Our public transportation system is bad to nonexistant outside of major cities.

 

[RamirezDoEverything]

No, I'm 16 and I'm a responsible driver.
I keep my cell phone in my center console, until I turn my engine off.
My music is at an appropriate level at all times.
I keep my hands at 10 and 2 at all times.
I have to drive to a different school every day so I can earn a high school degree that will allow me to attend colleges around the world.
In order to keep up on upkeep of said driving, I have a part time job I need to drive to every day or so.

I'll take those other jackasses on the road my age over the elderly.

 

[Instinct Blues]

Its not like its that simple to get your license at least not where I live(Massachusetts). You have to spend a certain number of hours in Driver's Ed before you can even get behind the wheel with an instructor at the school. Then what follows is you have to do 6 observation hours where you watch another student drive with the instructor. As well as completing 12 hours driving with the instructor before you can make a trip to the DMV to take the driving test to get your license. I will admit its one of the easiest tests you'll ever encounter in your life, but still you've just spent god knows how many hours driving with "experienced" drivers, watching others drive with "experienced" drivers, and sitting in a classroom learning about driving and the horrors of accidents. I'd say thats plenty of learning put in and worthy of a drivers license.


Although if you have your permit you can get in the car with a licensed driver most likely one of your parents where it is assumed they teach how to not act like a dipshit behind the wheel. My parents only let me drive around the neighborhood at about 15 mph until I got a hang of the car and then they let me drive with them out on some of the main streets.

Also stupidity doesn't have an age limit as many people in this topic have said. I've seen plenty of adult drivers who were being worse than their teenage counterparts. I'm also guilty of eating while driving and talking on the phone while driving too, but its never caused any accidents or near accidents for that matter. I'm not endorsing either, but they don't cause as much as a distraction as some people think at least not to me. Driving is a big deal to teenagers and contrary to popular belief they do actually care about keeping that privilege because more likely then not that car they're driving isn't theirs, but most likely an old family car that now since mom has a new one Timmy can use it. I can tell you now Timmy doesn't want to fuck up in anyway driving to make sure he doesn't lose his car privileges.

 

[Jacco]

I went to America once, and one of the major things I realized is that the roads there are extremely simple compared to European roads. I'm British, and the drivers licence age is 17. I'm fine with that, I believe it fits perfectly. And although the crash rate for 17 year old new drivers is high, it's not high enough to warrant a reason to increase the age limit.

American roads are big, simple, and fairly high quality. For this, it requires a lot less skill in driving. The fact that most American cars are automatic helps as well. 16 is fine for American roads. If America had the same sort of roads with have in Europe, ie pot holes, massive bends, hills with a 9001% gradient, crazy narrow country roads, always some form of wildlife giving birth on the roads, crazy motorways, highways, autobahns. The list goes on

Bottom line is, European drivers have a lot more to deal with. American roads are easier to drive on, so why should the age be lower?

How are things more complicated in Europe? I don't imagine driving is that different no matter where you go. Aside from driving in opposite lanes, of course.

 

[DustyDrB]

Eh...I think older people are more of a danger. Seriously, going 45 on the freeway is stupid.

Actually, we just have bad drivers here period. The kids don't even stand out.

There's the older people, and well...I can't really get too mad at them, even though I see more of them who are threat on the road than anyone.

Then there's the alpha-male rednecks in their ridiculously large trucks who decide they own the road.

Then there's everyone else.

 

[DustyDrB]

well in my expirence age doesnt seem to matter. people are retarded at all ages. i have a 56 year old aunt and she turns to talk to the person in the back seat while driving. 16 is not too early aslong as you teach them to drive responsibly and know the consequences. here you have to do like 120 hours os supervised driving before you get your provisional license, most people i know do like 5 hours and then forge the rest.

Yes, 16 may be too young to drive, but there are really no other options for students.

Taxi, busses, trains, walking, bikes.

Not everyone lives in a city. When I was in high school, my school was 30 miles away from my house. And I was sometimes making that trip three times a day.

 

[Merkavar]

well in my expirence age doesnt seem to matter. people are retarded at all ages. i have a 56 year old aunt and she turns to talk to the person in the back seat while driving. 16 is not too early aslong as you teach them to drive responsibly and know the consequences. here you have to do like 120 hours os supervised driving before you get your provisional license, most people i know do like 5 hours and then forge the rest.

Yes, 16 may be too young to drive, but there are really no other options for students.

Taxi, busses, trains, walking, bikes.

Not everyone lives in a city. When I was in high school, my school was 30 miles away from my house. And I was sometimes making that trip three times a day.

i dont live in a city either. i guess australia just has a better public transport system.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?pq=nowra+maps&hl=en&cp=10&gs_id=m&xhr=t&q=nowra+maps&client=firefox-a&hs=lRJ&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=822&bih=814&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x6b148003b0002137:0x5017d681632e520,Nowra+NSW&gl=au&ei=wOkwTuK7EoSGmQXO6_HnCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA

would you call that a city?

 

[DustyDrB]

well in my expirence age doesnt seem to matter. people are retarded at all ages. i have a 56 year old aunt and she turns to talk to the person in the back seat while driving. 16 is not too early aslong as you teach them to drive responsibly and know the consequences. here you have to do like 120 hours os supervised driving before you get your provisional license, most people i know do like 5 hours and then forge the rest.

Yes, 16 may be too young to drive, but there are really no other options for students.

Taxi, busses, trains, walking, bikes.

Not everyone lives in a city. When I was in high school, my school was 30 miles away from my house. And I was sometimes making that trip three times a day.

i dont live in a city either. i guess australia just has a better public transport system.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?pq=nowra+maps&hl=en&cp=10&gs_id=m&xhr=t&q=nowra+maps&client=firefox-a&hs=lRJ&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=822&bih=814&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x6b148003b0002137:0x5017d681632e520,Nowra+NSW&gl=au&ei=wOkwTuK7EoSGmQXO6_HnCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA

would you call that a city?

Compared to where I grew up? Yes. Last time I checked, my hometown had a population of 214. Neighboring towns are just around 1,000.
Yeah, just look up "Vance, South Carolina" on Google Maps (how do you link to the map? The url still just says "maps.google.com/" for me after I looked up the location). Behold the endless fields...

Looking at that...no wonder I hated my childhood and adolescence so much. There was never a god damned thing to do.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

Well, you're going to do stupid stuff when you first start driving regardless of your age, and this is coming from an American who didn't get his license until he was 20. But I still have to agree that the age requirement should be a bit higher, like 18 or so. While every age group has its stupid people, it's always teenagers doing the really, REALLY stupid shit. Like going 80mph in a residential area and then trying to outrun the cops, for example. (Seriously) Teens in general tend to be irresponsible, so I think it would be better to wait until a more naturally mature age.

 

[samsonguy920]

The hard fact is it really takes experience to learn how to drive, and less just reading a manual and passing a test. Totaling a car or two isn't an unexpected thing when you are a driver. Those that don't, I am jealous of your luck. That thought aside, I see more people 30's and older driving worse than most teens in my area. There are a significant number of people who drive with suspended licenses or no license at all. Usually the suspended ones are because the person has multiple DUI's on their record.
There are a fair amount of teens who actually drive quite carefully, and that is mostly due to them having someone who took the time to show them the rules of the road. Whether it be a parent, friend, or older sibling, these people are to be commended for sharing their knowledge so those teens can enjoy the fun of driving while also being safe doing it. Unfortunately there are those teens who were just handed their license and then they do whatever they want. These circumstances are a sad state of affairs and are present with more fields than just driving.
But in the end, changing the minimum age requirement to 18 or 21 won't change the safety of the roads. It may even make it worse as those people will be behind the wheel with less likelihood of parental assistance. By the time one makes 18, they will be under such a perceived pressure of being independent they will be less likely to seek guidance to learn the rules and will therefore be more likely to get into accidents and worse.

Then I thought of something that happened to me the other day in which I was driving merrily along, minding my own business (as best you can when you are driving) and this little Sedan was ahead of me in the lane to the left. We were coming to a red light and I started to put on my breaks when it suddenly lurched to the side and swerved into my lane. Had I not already had my foot on the break pedal and applying them, I would have mulched the back of that little car and more than likely neither of us would have walked away from it. The car missed me by literally about 2 feet and then swerved back into its own lane and straightened out before coming to a stop. As I pulled up next to it, I couldn't help but look to see who was driving.

It was a 16 or 17 year old girl and, I shit you not, she had her phone to one ear, a tube of mascara or something in the other and was looking in the rearview mirror as she was applying it. One knee was resting on the bottom of the steering wheel and the other leg looked like it was operating the pedals. I was so shocked and stunned that all I could do was stare at her until the car behind me beeped his horn because the light was green. Then off she was again, driving with her knee.

The kicker is that this isn't just a one time thing. I see teenagers do stupid things behind the wheel all the damn time, whether its showing off for their friends or just being an idiot. They don't seem to realize that more often than not, if they cause an accident, it will be the other person who pays a bigger price. I did my fair share of stupid things behind the wheel when I was in high school and looking back now (I'm 21) I will be the first to tell you none of us were ready for that responsibility.

You are to be commended for your quick actions in preventing the accident, but you let such a situation override your awareness of your surroundings at the detriment of other drivers. It takes one person to cause an accident, and one to avoid an accident. Cars are weapons in disguise, and should be treated with the respect of such. Even at 15-20 miles an hour, they have the kinetic mass to kill a human being instantly. Hopefully that is something the girl can learn without someone being hurt in the process, but it is also something you need to remember yourself, and be sure to keep your mind clear every second you are on the road. Road rage clouds judgement and your senses to the point where mistakes can occur at a greater likelihood.
Be safe out there, friend, and don't hesitate to tell your friends to do the same.

 

[Thamous]

well in my expirence age doesnt seem to matter. people are retarded at all ages. i have a 56 year old aunt and she turns to talk to the person in the back seat while driving. 16 is not too early aslong as you teach them to drive responsibly and know the consequences. here you have to do like 120 hours os supervised driving before you get your provisional license, most people i know do like 5 hours and then forge the rest.

Yes, 16 may be too young to drive, but there are really no other options for students.

Taxi, busses, trains, walking, bikes.

Not everyone lives in a city. When I was in high school, my school was 30 miles away from my house. And I was sometimes making that trip three times a day.

i dont live in a city either. i guess australia just has a better public transport system.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?pq=nowra+maps&hl=en&cp=10&gs_id=m&xhr=t&q=nowra+maps&client=firefox-a&hs=lRJ&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=822&bih=814&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x6b148003b0002137:0x5017d681632e520,Nowra+NSW&gl=au&ei=wOkwTuK7EoSGmQXO6_HnCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA

would you call that a city?

Compared to where I grew up? Yes. Last time I checked, my hometown had a population of 214. Neighboring towns are just around 1,000.
Yeah, just look up "Vance, South Carolina" on Google Maps (how do you link to the map? The url still just says "maps.google.com/" for me after I looked up the location). Behold the endless fields...

Looking at that...no wonder I hated my childhood and adolescence so much. There was never a god damned thing to do.

I'm willing to bet it was better than Charleston. You were damn well guaranteed to get stabbed just walking out the door.

 

[Jacco]

You are to be commended for your quick actions in preventing the accident, but you let such a situation override your awareness of your surroundings at the detriment of other drivers. It takes one person to cause an accident, and one to avoid an accident. Cars are weapons in disguise, and should be treated with the respect of such. Even at 15-20 miles an hour, they have the kinetic mass to kill a human being instantly. Hopefully that is something the girl can learn without someone being hurt in the process, but it is also something you need to remember yourself, and be sure to keep your mind clear every second you are on the road. Road rage clouds judgement and your senses to the point where mistakes can occur at a greater likelihood.
Be safe out there, friend, and don't hesitate to tell your friends to do the same.

I was no where close to angry at her, just very shocked at what I was seeing.

At 5 miles an hour you can kill someone. When I was in Drivers Ed I remember a demo the instructor showed us where a car going 7 miles an hour was driven straight at a brick wall and plowed right through it.

 

[WrcklessIntent]

No 16 is not to young at all. Unlike in other countries our public transportation is shit so if you want to get anywhere you generally have to take yourself. Walking isn't normally a viable option either cause most place of intrest are not within walking difference. We have a different culture then other places around the world and our way of living calls for us have access to cars at a younger age. As for young people driving stupid I'll admit yeah there are a lot of them but there are still a bunch of age people out there driving under the influence and doing other stupid things.

 

[MikeCrick]

The answer is really restriction is education.

I mean the test required for a licence is beyond appalling, They asses you on how well you do things like 3 point turns and parking but not on you're actual driving ability. I'm talking about Australia here, not sure how it works in the States.

We should all be receiving an advanced driving course, learning to deal with drastic situations and at the same time understanding the limits of the vehicle we drive. How often do you have to brake suddenly and come to a full stop when going 100km/h? Rarely if ever. A driving course would help people understand why there are road rules and just how long it can take for a car to stop under sudden circumstances.

I'm confused though, in Australia we are given a licence at 16 but we are most definitely NOT allowed to drive without a fully licensed driver before we are 17 and have completed a certain number of hours driving. Even then we have a fair few restrictions until we reach full licence. We can't get a full licence until we have spent a minimum of four years driving unless you're over 25 then it's shorter. I'm 23 now and I've only had a non-restricted licence for 3 years. Does America not have a 'learning' period? If not, that would explain a fair bit lol.

On the other hand, as a teacher I'm aware that some people just refuse to learn until they mess up. I was never a crazy driver, but having a minor accident has certainly made me take a lot more care than I did before.