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

[JET1971]

I would like to point out a glaring fault in your thought process. If she did hit you when she swerved the collision would have been about as much as a 5 mph collision. A dented fender maybe broken lights but thats about it. She may have lost control completly due to her not holding the steering wheel and inexperiance but you wouldve been fine. even if the speed traveled was 35 or even 65. reason is both of you were traveling in the same direction at the same relative speed so the only amount of speed between the 2 was the speed she made when she swerved and that would be about 5 mph at most.

My answer to the question I think 18 should be the minimum age for a license and 16 for permits. plus drivers ed should be at the very least 1 whole school year and better yet 2 years. That includes sim time considering the cost of a simulator is 3 monitors and a racing game wheel/pedals set plus a mid range PC. any modern racing sim could be modded for normal driving sim with all state laws included easy enough. infact there is a whole video games in education part there. a driving sim that gives you everything from city traffic to country leisure drives to mountain backroads with more twists and turns than a bowl of sphagetti. also each of those in any weather condition from nice sunny days, foggy, light to heavy rain to full blown blizzards. 1 point for every law followed and safe driving practice maintained.

But as for the poll.. what does that have to do with the subject?

 

[KapnKerfuffle]

I got my license at 14 and drove incredible dangerous and probably mechanically unsafe farm equipment.

 

[MrHero17]

Im neutral about it, I just turned 18 and wh8ile I certainly get that people aren't going to be the best drivers at the age there is a lot of utility in allowing them to drive, makes life easier for there parents and allows them to more easily hold jobs.

 

[F-I-D-O]

Well, I've always seen it as if you push back the age, then you just have new drivers that are older. And there are stupid drivers who are well into their twenties or thirties. While teenage attitude contributes to poor driving, a lack of experience is another factor. What would be nice (in all cars, regardless of driver) is if there was a device that gave a mild shock or lowered speed/acceleration when someone pulled out a cell phone (hands free would be fine) or starting applying makeup
Also, it's summertime. This is when most teens take a driving course and then get a license. That's why the DMV is packed with teenagers.

 

[Cerebral_Assassin]

I would say a learner's permit at 16 is ok, but for the actual license it should be 18. More time to gain experience behind the wheel with a chaperone.

 

[FreakSheet]

Non-American (Canadian, Eh) and while I think it is unfair to judge an entire demographic over the actions of a miniscule portion of it, the sad fact is that alot of the people I know are immature dolts, and theres a good chance they would take more than just their own lives should they get behind the wheel.

 

[USSR]

I can %100 assure anyone and everyone that I am perhaps one of the safest 16 year old drivers in the United States.

However, a huge fucking proportion.. I am not so sure of.

I like driving, but I would completely understanding if they raised the age to 18.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

You can get a driver's permit in Canada at 16. Does it really matter, though? The stupid, unfit for driving people will crash (and hopefully die or be in some sort of injury that will prevent them from endangering the lives of others) and those who don't prove to be extremely good multitaskers.

 

[SilentCom]

I would have to agree and disagree. Kids at the age of 16 often wouldn't even need a drivers license, being full time students and either taking the bus or getting a ride from their parents to school. Also, if they are close enough, they could just walk. There are the occasional high-school kid who actually has a job therefore having a license would prove beneficial for them. The problem is that most 16 year old kids get their license because they think it'll be cool to drive around and not because they actually need a car.

Unfortunately, most of them receive too much assistance from their parents as well. I got my license when I was 20 after saving up my own money to buy a car. For a while I was paying insurance as well but my parents are helping me out with this because I am a full time University student close to graduating and don't have a job yet. Driving is a responsibility and a privilege not a right.

Overall, if a 16 year old kid is responsible and mature and takes initiative such as looking for a job and is willing to pay for his own car and stuff, then I don't see the harm in them getting their license and car. The problem is that most are not like this.

 

[Fbuh]

I do think that it should be raised, only because I have see disaster first hand. A young girl who had still had her permit totaled our car last year. Granted, we got a $4000 check for a piece of shit and anew car for less than 2000 (we made good), but it's not the point. She should not have been driving in the first place, and was clearly not ready. But I digress. I am actually drunk right now and should not be trusted for an opinion. i do deal with alcohol well, if it's any consolation. I love spell checker.

 

[FinalHeart95]

For the record, in New Jersey you get your license at 17. Even then, you have restricted hours and can only seat one other person in the car. You don't get a full license until 18.

I'm 16 and only have a permit, meaning I can only drive with a parent in the car and only in a car with a emergency brake readily available to the passenger. And you can't argue that 18 is too young to drive, because you can fucking join the army at 18.

 

[Anezay]

It isn't age, it's experience. There is no age limit on stupid.

 

[Alphakirby]

I would like to drive next year thank you very much.
I'm also a bit more responsible when it comes to this kind of stuff.

 

[Ironwampa]

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.

If you're too lazy to read all of that, basically I decided that 16 is too young to drive because I almost died the other day thanks to a stupid 16 year old girl.

If you live in the States, what is your opinion? If you live outside the States, what is your opinion? How does it work where you live?

Report those damn kids. If everyone did it then the reckless teens would lose their licenses and there'd be no problem.

 

[Ironwampa]

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.

If you're too lazy to read all of that, basically I decided that 16 is too young to drive because I almost died the other day thanks to a stupid 16 year old girl.

If you live in the States, what is your opinion? If you live outside the States, what is your opinion? How does it work where you live?

Report those damn kids. If everyone did it then the reckless teens would lose their licenses and there'd be no problem.

 

[Sean951]

I was a less than great young driver, but for all my little mishaps, I avoided many, many more by being attentive and reacting to someone merging into me, or suddenly stopping, swerving across traffic, etc. I think the demographic I least like is the 60+ group. I find that they will either drive 10 under, or 10 over, almost never at the speed limit. Adults in general also seem to have a hard time using blinkers, which is a pet peeve of mine since I am almost OCD about using a blinker and giving plenty of time before I actually turn/merge.

 

[nut777]

At some point safety must stop being a concern. People die, and there is very little us mortals can do about it. I had to have a full time job at 16 (I know that is illegal) if I did not have my license I would have had to drive to work illegally (as my family really needed the money, the small town had no bus system).