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

[zelda2fanboy]

I always thought raising it was a little arbitrary. A 25 year old who has never driven before is just as dangerous as a 16 year old who has never driven before. People need practice behind the wheel, and adding the confidence that comes with age isn't necessarily a good idea. I want a person to be a panicky nervous teenager their first time out.

On an unrelated note, the age of consent needs to be lowered, too.

 

[Random berk]

There are enough overconfident and/or dead teenage drivers in Ireland, and here the minimum age is 17. Sure, American roads are better, but that'll just tempt them to drive even faster.

 

[artanis_neravar]

I was completely ready for the responsibility at that age

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

Exactly? so why should the mass be punished for the mistakes of the few

 

[kidd25]

I was completely ready for the responsibility at that age

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

Exactly? so why should the mass be punished for the mistakes of the few

because that how stereotypes are formed.

 

[CarlsonAndPeeters]

I don't think its that 16 year olds are inherently bad drivers. I think new drivers are inherently bad drivers. I know when I got my license, I only started really learning once I was on the road, on my own. Each mistake I made reminded me never to do that thing again. Raising the minimum age to say, 18 would just make 18 year olds get in a lot of crashes.

The situation you describe sounds like you were dealing with a stupid person. There should be a way of catching them. But there isn't, and I don't think changing the age to drive would help.

 

[NightHawk21]

I'm Canadian and here in Ontario you can try for you license at 16 too, but you only get a G1 license (there are three levels of basic licenses: G1-you can drive with someone whose had their license for 4 years beside you, G2-you can drive by yourself but there are some restrictions, G-full license) and have to wait a year to eight months depending on if you taking driving school or not to get your G2. That being said, I don't think 16 is too young cause you'll have inconsiderate cunts at any age who think they're the only ones on the road, but I would love to see driving school made mandatory. In addition, I think they should implement a rule that you have to have a normal amount of high school credits (you didn't fail anything) and and overall average of at least 65-70% that year or you have to have completed high school. That way at least the kids who just fuck around in high school would at least have something to keep them motivated.

 

[Mrrrgggrlllrrrg]

Whenever I see inattentive driving I report it to my broskis over at the metro station. they either get a ticket or scared out of their wits, no matter what though the stories are hilarious.

 

[Doc Theta Sigma]

When I was learning to drive, one thing was always a problem. I'm cautious while driving but if someone does something idiotic and blames me for it, I get road rage. Even when I was learning if anyone cut me up or beeped when I stalled at a traffic light and wasn't moving in five seconds I'd flip them off. I'd cut down on the cursing for the sake of my driving instructor but more than a couple times he told me to pull over to calm down.

One of these days I'm going to stop in the middle of traffic and take a crowbar to someones windscreen. I'm trying to control it but seriously. Some people on the road are idiots. But I'm well aware how dangerous a car can be. I'm controlling around a ton of metal at speed. I remember the first time I went up to 60mph my knuckles were white as I was holding the steering wheel. Then some jerk off in a 4x4 came barreling past me at about 80mph. Apparently a 60 speed limit wasn't good enough. Come to think of it, that was the only time I didn't get angry.

 

[DarkRyter]

If we make it so you have to be twenty to get a license, then we'll just have a bunch of twenty year olds getting into accidents.

The only way to become good driver is to gain more experience driving, and they have to start sometime, so might as well make it the age where they might actually have a need to drive.

 

[Slayer_2]

I think the drinking age and driving age were confused when they made the laws. Same here in Canada, you can drink/smoke at 19, you can vote at 18, but you can be as young as 16 and driving. Thankfully, here you need to have a parent in the car for the first year.

 

[xXAsherahXx]

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.

Your situation was somewhat just, although not really (chock it up to inexperience), but what I saw was a clear stop at a green light (no cars crossing), and he waited specifically until the light turned red. It was bizarre, maybe he was colour blind, but then how would he have a license or even a car if he can't distinguish a red or green light.

 

[moose_man]

I'm fucking tired of this. MOST 16 year olds are too immature to drive, but MOST adults don't know shit about politics and yet you're not complaining about THEM voting, are you? No. And this is a problem. These should be judged on a case-by-case basis; perhaps a class is in order(for both). But DO NOT say that '16 year olds are too young to drive.'

 

[Ken Sapp]

Age isn't the issue. Having spent literally half my life now with a driver's license I can honestly say that the problem is a general lack of skill or understanding of inherent danger of being behind the wheel. When I was sixteen I lost control of my vehicle on a dirt road I had driven hundreds of times. Luckily I was smart enough to wear a seat belt and no one else was involved. 9 years ago I flipped my vehicle(Isuzu Amigo) avoiding a collision with another driver on the highway who was changing lanes without paying attention. Friend was ejected from the backseat(minor scrapes only, no other injuries). Again, no other vehicles were involved and I was wearing a seat belt(so was the friend when we left the house).

For several years I worked as a truck driver and I had a completely clean record while so employed. I see idiots doing stupid things behind the wheel everyday and the majority of them are not teenagers. Teenagers are more likely to do stupid things but apparently most people never grow out of the teenage mindset behind the wheel

 

[Callate]

Given a strict yes-or-no, I'd say 16 is fine. But like so many other things, in a better world, it would vary person to person. There are 14-year-olds who would do just fine on the road; there are thirty-year-olds who should never be let anywhere near a steering wheel.

Or liquor store.

Or voting booth.

Or person of their preferred sex.

...Annnnyway...

All that said, I suspect states that require 16-year-old drivers not to have a bunch of other teenagers with them in the car may have the right idea. I'd also like to point out that getting a driver's license requires passing both a written and a driving test (and you will probably never parallel park as well again as you need to to pass that test.) So it isn't quite like they just hand a card to the first 16-year-old who walks off the street able to sign their name.

Also, to be frank, you only become a decent driver from experience, so the risks of a 16-year-old driver on the road have to be considered in the context of a new driver learning while they're still within the arc of their lifespan where it's relatively easy to pick up new skills. A new thirty-year-old driver, again, while they might not be as reckless (and yes, I recognize that's a stereotype), also isn't going to pick up the skill set a driver needs as easily.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I thought that letting the sixteen and up drive would be a way to ease responsibility into their lives, before they're given all these responsibilities at eighteen.

 

[Andaxay]

I've seen plenty of adults drive whilst talking on their mobile/eating a sandwich, too, and it pisses me right off. More adults than teens where I am actually (England, where you learn to drive at 17). I've seen plenty of stupid, idiotic teenage boy racers, too, but I passed at 18 and have never wanted to do anything other than, well, DRIVE when I'm driving. Too afraid of causing an accident. It completely depends on the maturity and common sense of the person, not the age.

 

[ReaperzXIII]

Well I am 16 and so are my friends (in the UK just for reference purpose) and there is very few of my friends who I will trust to drive me anywhere if we got our licenses because looking at how they handle other things they are complete idiots as much as I love them. The type that I do not even trust handling chemistry equipment, I mean I'm an idiot but I'm an idiot that at least weighs the consequences of what I'm doing and know how dangerous what I'm doing is.

I think I would be a good driver if driving video games are indicators of anything, solely based on the fact that I'm not the type of person that just wants to go as fast as possible and instead I like to focus on smooth maneuvering rather than speed.

Also I often have to comment on other people's bad habits when they drive, like my dad talks on the phone a lot, my uncle dances in his car, my mom is quite a good driver though but she has a tendency to speed when we're late and I just pray in the passenger's seat nothing bad happens.

I say it depends, I more mature than a lot of my friends in situations where I need to be mature, otherwise I can act just like a 5 year old.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

OP, you somewhat ignore the possibility that they'll probably be doing it as adults too.
I've seen one of my friend's mothers (Age forty) text while driving.
I was just like "What the hell are you doing?"
She looked at me (Taking her eyes off the road, but since she was texting they were somewhat off the road to begin with) and asked what I meant.
"You're texting while driving. Stop that. You currently have our lives in your hands! I want you to at least have your full attention on things, rather than sending a text which can wait."
Oddly enough, that kind of got her to do it.

You just need to teach people just beginning to drive that you have so much power when you have the wheels in your hand. You can either kill all of us, or ensure that we all get there safely. To be honest, the concept is a bit like learning to use a firearm. "Understand the full power, consequences, and responsibility you must undertake when you pick up a firearm."

 

[devotedsniper]

I'm going to say it's too young since here in the UK alot of teenagers seem to just grow up when they hit 17 and go to college/6th form (granted theres still some idiots out there).

I passed my test when i was 17 with only 30 hours training + 6 hours for pass plus qualification (the average is 39 hours without the pass plus hours, pass plus is designed to teach you more and bring down insurance prices), within my first year i had been in one accident (a 25year old nurse slammed into the back of my stationary car waiting to turn right, needless to say her boyfriends new Audi and my 10yr old car were written off) so i guess i added to the statistic there but otherwise i've never been pulled over by the police, never been caught by a speed camera, never had anyone beep there horn at me so i would say i am a pretty safe driver (it will be 3 year since i passed my test next month). It's the same story with one of my housemates, but then theres my other housemate whose been in 2 crashes both her fault, been pulled over by the police twice (for using her phone), and caught by a speed camera, it's all about the person really, shes not irresponsible (except for the phone bit), she's actually gotten a lot better since she got her new car but she still scares the shit out of me and my other housemate if she drives sometimes.

Either way theres good drivers, and then theres bad drivers, the majority are bad, young drivers and older drivers (50+) are usually who are bad, the young for well being young, and stupidly trying to show off, then theres the old who had a driving test which was alot easier and different to the one we have now a days (e.g. my dad was always taught to stay below the speed limit, he drives 50mph in 60's etc. where as i was taught to stick to the speed limit so i don't cause congestion e.g. do 70 in a 70, NOT over but do 70, you even get minors for being to slow in the driving test in the UK).

 

[zarguhl]

The cure to bad driving is better roads, less traffic and higher speed limits.

If you're stuck in stop-start traffic, in the car for an hour just to get to work and home, you're going to get distracted.

If you're driving at 200kph and the whole trip is 10 minutes, you won't.