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

[Vigormortis]

Nope, and while we're at it make stricter policies on reckless driving, renewals yearly, and a test mandatory upon each renewal. Also increase the availability and scope of public transport.

I live in the US, and I think 16 is a fine age to get your license. However, I do want to see harsher enforcement for reckless driving.

This. Oh my God, SO much this.

It doesn't matter whether someone is 16, 26, 36, or even 66, if they're stupid and irresponsible they shouldn't be driving. And, an increase in age doesn't always lend itself to an increase in brains.

Like these two above, I'm all for harsher driving laws. If someone screws up behind the wheel because they did something, well, stupid or irresponsible, they should face much, much harsher penalties than what we have now. I.E. Heavier fines and more cases wherein the license is taken away for an extended period. Motor vehicles can be very dangerous to those in or out of the vehicle. Driving one should come with a very heavy requirement of responsibility. Far more than most countries imply.

At the same time, while there are financial implications involved, I agree with Navvan. Public transport needs to be more reliable and more accessible.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

It varies from person to person. I can tell you of thousands of times throughout my life where I've seen bad drivers. Most of those bad drivers tend to be in their 20-30s. Why just last week I saw a guy put a pile of cardboard boxes in the back of his truck that dwarfed the size of his cab. I spent a good 5 minutes just watching it as it swerved from one side to the other as he kept to the grooves in the road. I've seen 30 year olds swerve from lane to lane without using their signal during bumper to bumper traffic. I've even seen some older folks drive up highway exit ramps. That said, I'm not gonna lie and say I've never seen a horrible driver who was below the age of consent. I knew one kid at my school who lost his license and wrecked his Audi (Ya. Rich parents sure are awesome) 3 times.

We are already forced to pay for the largest insurance rates in the country and waste hundreds of dollars so some old fat man can take us around the back streets for "Drivers education". Its a privilege to get your license. Don't take it away from all of us just because you had one bad experience with a woman who was probably older then you mistook her for. (Come on now, for all you know she could have been 18. You really think you could tell the difference between 2-5 years?)

 

[David Bray]

Er, here in brit we get it at 17. Big difference.

 

[xXAsherahXx]

I've seen many more adults drive like blind old fucks than I have teenagers. Although, that's here. People tailgate and never use turn signals.

However, Miami drivers are the fucking worst ever. Period. End of story. I have never seen such bad driving in my entire life. I once saw a guy stop at a green light and go at a red light. No joke.

Basically, it isn't the driving age that concerns me, it's how adults get comfortable and make catastrophic mistakes.

 

[Coranico]

The main thing to remember is this; doing stupid shit isn't something exclusive to teenagers. 20 year olds do it, 30 year olds do it, hell if enough 80 year olds had the athletic bodies of their grand kids they'd do it too. It might be more common in younger age groups but the 16 year old dim wits of today are the 25 year old dim wits of tomorrow (providing they slip into a 9 year coma at the end of the day).

It's at around that age when kids might start to look for work and in most cases, they'll probably need to be able to get to where they work. One handy solution being a car.

But don't go around thinking stupidity is some disease that only affects the young.
To paraphrase a great song, Every generation... blames the one that isn't theirs.

 

[Romblen]

16 seems fine for me. Granted there are bad drivers, but you get that in any age group. It's just too difficult( at least in Wyoming) to maintain both school and a job. Are young drivers going to make mistakes. Well obviously, but that's how you learn to drive. I don't know how it works for other states, but here you need 50 hours of driving with a licensed driver. Then you get an intermediate licence, which has some restrictions, than a full license at 18. You can also get a full licence at 17 if you took and passed drivers education, which is what I did.

 

[Grospoliner]

There are 196 million drivers in the United States of America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_vehicles_in_the_United_States#Vehicle_and_population_.28millions.29_since_1960

Each year there are roughly 6 million vehicular accidents. http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html

This means that out of the 12 million drivers involved in accidents, there are around 184 million drivers who are not or less than 6% of the driving population actually involved in accidents.

Of these 6 million accidents approximately 57% of them are solely do to driver related causes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision#Causes and a total combined effect involving drivers of 93%.

So out of those 6 million accidents really there are only 5.58 million bad drivers or roughly 2% of the driving population.

 

[Stevepinto3]

I don't think it's too young, I just think teenagers need to be taught they can't get away with crap like that. In driver's education they spend at least 80% of the time beating into you that drinking and driving is bad. Now it's good that they do that and all (because drunk driving is pretty damn bad) but I think now days they need to also focus just as much on not doing other stupid crap while driving, i.e. phone conversations, texting, makeup, eating, etc.

I live just outside of Detroit and a number of towns and counties around here have already made laws against doing just about anything while driving. If a cop sees you doing any of the above he's allowed to pull you over and ticket you, though few have been doing this so far. That's actually what disappoints me, for once I actually wish cops were hard-asses about this.

So out of those 6 million accidents really there are only 5.58 million bad drivers or roughly 2% of the driving population.

Just because they aren't causing accidents doesn't mean they aren't bad drivers. Like in the OP's example, the girl didn't cause an accident that time but it's clear she was a pretty careless driver.

 

[Snotnarok]

I thought in some (rural) states it was legal for 15 year olds to get licenses and such. Either way I think the parents should make the call but since that's rarely the case and they just let the kids take the car out regardless dumb things happen. But dumb things happen with older people too. My friend watched an older woman go full force into a tree, back up and do it again.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

Where I come from, alot of kids know how to drive by age 14 (although they almost certainly haven't driven on a major road). Then again said kids read Auto Trader for fun and think spoilers (not the story-ruining kind) are cool.

 

[The Lesbian Flower]

What's the big deal? I got my license at 16 and haven't had an accident ever. I've never put on make up while I driven or texted. I have talked on the phone when I really had to, though.

Good driving depends on the person, not their age. It depends on whether they take the responsibility of driving seriously or whether they choose to put themselves at risk. Saying 16-year-olds shouldn't drive wouldn't fix the problem of dumb kids being dumb. Those kids will probably still be dumb when they get their license one or two years later.

 

[Zaverexus]

I am American and I take my drivers test tomorrow, don't ruin it for me.
I do think there should be a few more qualifiers, like making sure people aren't idiots before you give them the keys, but really insurance companies and cops are so quick to try to screw teenage drivers that if you are seriously bad, you won't be on the road for long. Hopefully you don't screw up too badly, for others' sake.

 

[Woodsey]

I always get the impression that its a piece of piss to pass an American driving test, so I'd say it has more to do with that than the age - plus, since most of you drive automatics, you've got less stuff that forces you to think.

 

[Stevepinto3]

However, Miami drivers are the fucking worst ever. Period. End of story. I have never seen such bad driving in my entire life. I once saw a guy stop at a green light and go at a red light. No joke.

Willy Loman?

...

...Also I have done this, almost. I stopped at a green and was about to tap the gas when I noticed that the cars in the other direction were going. IN MY DEFENSE: I was 17 (it's true I guess, young people are bad drivers) and I was driving to the homecoming dance for my first date with my girlfriend. OH GOD THE EMBARRASSMENT.

...shit, now I'm reminiscing about my high school girlfriend.

 

[kidd25]

I was completely ready for the responsibility at that age

its not the age, its how the person act at that certain age.

 

[soultrain117]

no I think it needs to be revised like if you fail the license test twice you have to wait till your 18 ( i know a girl who failed it 6 times she is a horrible driver as in I am scared if i see her car near me.) If you get 2 tickets in the span of 6 months or 3 in the span of one year your license should be suspended for 2 years for under 21. Also over 21 3 tickets in a 6 months span your license is suspended 4 in a year your license is also suspended each time a 2 year suspension. Then another thing at 60 65 and 70 you should have to do a driving test like a real one to keep you license. Then after 70 every 2 years after 80 every year.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Well here in Pennsylvania, you can get your learning permit as young as 16, but that still means you're restricted with what you can do (have to have some over 18 and with a driver's license in the car with you, can't be on the road past a certain hour). After about 6 months and a certain amount of time spent on the road, you can then get your full driver's license.

And come on, no matter how old you are, you're still going to be new to driving when you first start. Sure when you're older you might be smarter, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who are over 18 who do stupid shit in the car like put on make-up, text, talk on the phone, eat, or whatever. So it's not like it would really change that much if you upped the age.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Not an American, it's not too young. If you time it right, you can get your license at 16 here in Canada. Hell, kids as young as 12 are learning how to drive heavy machinery in farms.

 

[superstringz]

This poll is ultimately irrelevant. America has pretty much the worst mass transit system of the developed nations, yet has a large number of teenaged workers. They gotta drive themselves, so prey you have good insurance.