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Alkahol

Alkahol

USA
June 2004

AUG 26, 2005 06:17 PM

The age to get a drivers license is 16 in most states, this is too young. Most 16 year old kids are not mature enough to handle the responsibility of driving. I know there are people who are 16 and are mature enough.... hell there are even 12 year olds who could handle driving... but for the majority of the 16 year olds in the country, they shouldn't be behind the wheel.

One of my brother's best friends got killed on Wednesday by a 16 year old kid who got his license that day. He missed a stop sign and T-boned her, she died instantly. She was 24 and was finishing up her wedding plans and all of that is gone now. Sure he'll have to live the rest of his life with what he did, but after he becomes an adult it will be off his record. Over and done, just a memory.

Driving is a privelage and takes responsibility. We're letting kids that are too young to take control of their lives and others. They need more education and training before they should be allowed to drive.

Sen

Sen

USA
January 2004

AUG 26, 2005 06:23 PM

Sorry about your loss, but one senario just doesn't prove your point. frown

fountainofdreams

fountainofdreams

Batavia, IL
January 2005

AUG 26, 2005 06:26 PM

exactly, one anecdote doesn't prove that all kids are irresponsible. i have exactly one ticket, no crashes, and that ticket was when i was 18. i drove quite safely, and frankly, anally, when i was 16.

that said, i'm sorry for your loss.

AnnaLee

AnnaLee

SUICIDEGIRL

I'm lost

AUG 26, 2005 06:28 PM

I think it is far too young to drive too. I can see why it is important to some young people who live in remote places and need a car to get anywhere away from their house but I think it too big a responsability for many and they often dont have any idea of the damage that can be caused by things like speeding. I remember being in my friends brothers car a lot when I was younger, him and his friends had just passed their tests and were 17 or 18 and they were so stupid in that car. They would speed all the time and do really crazy things. Im surprised noone got hurt during that time. Of course there are a lot of people who would drive responsibly but I dont think its worth it. People of all ages can make mistakes but perhaps if more things like age enforcements were put in place and if speeding and other violations were actually taken seriously by everyone there would be less accidents. Im very sorry for the loss of your friend.

[Edited on Aug 26, 2005 by AnnaLee]

Sen

Sen

USA
January 2004

AUG 26, 2005 06:29 PM

I drive more irresponsibly than I did when I got my licence.
People of any age make mistakes

Alkahol

Alkahol

USA
June 2004

AUG 26, 2005 06:35 PM

I didn't say that all kids are irresponsible. Regardless of what happened, I do believe that at 16 years old, a greater portion of kids that age are not mature enough to handle the responsibility of driving than those who are mature enough.

I'm 23, been driving since I was 16, never been in an accident or got a ticket. I feel that I was mature enough to drive at that age, but many people who I knew were not.

It just doesn't make sense to allow people who are not legal adults yet, the responsibility of driving.

MrDaft

MrDaft

Vancouver, BC
January 2005

AUG 26, 2005 06:39 PM

I purposely did not go get my license until after I was 19. I was not ready to drive. I have never been in an accident. I have only sped once and that was by accident.

To help Shadowsoul:
Accidental reports show that people who are younger are more likely to be in the accident. In particular males under 24!

Keith

Keith

Oklahoma City, OK
August 2002

AUG 26, 2005 06:39 PM

Driving is dangerous, but we have to allow people to drive at some point. I can't really see it being higher than 18.... Is there really that big of a difference in driving ability and maturity between an 18 year old and a 16 year old? Would people really become that much better drivers in 2 years?

Also, most people have to be able to drive at 18. Many leave home then. Would it really be wise to go "Okay, there ya go, get out in the world, and now you get to learn to drive!" Driving is as essential a skill to learn to prepare for adulthood as any other you learn in school.

For most 16 year olds, driving is part time. Learning to drive at 16 gives you a chance to learn to do it at a slow pace. If you couldn't learn till 18 -- when you were required to drive full-time -- that seems to me be just as dangerous.

[Edited on Aug 26, 2005 by Keith]

Bondgirl

Bondgirl

Aberdeen, SD
February 2004

AUG 26, 2005 06:46 PM

Though I am terribly sorry about your loss, I disagree (a little.) I believe that elderly drivers are much more of a menace than teenagers in my neck of the woods.
In South Dakota, you can drive as young as 13, but you rarely hear about young kids getting into accidents. What you read about more in the paper is elderly drivers not being able to pay attention and missing stop signs, running reds etc... I just recently had my car totalled because a 84 year old man assumed a light was green.
I think that elderly drivers are far more dangerous than teenagers are. But that's just my opinion. And this is coming from a girl that has driven her daddy's truck through fences that he held open since she was 9. (Farmers will understand.) smile

AnnaLee

AnnaLee

SUICIDEGIRL

I'm lost

AUG 26, 2005 06:46 PM

What keith said, thats a good point I didnt think of. Its different for me in the UK because I live in a small city and its easy to get anywhere just walking that Id need to go to. I dont really have an idea of what it is like in m assive places like America where people drive everywhere.

[Edited on Aug 26, 2005 by AnnaLee]

fountainofdreams

fountainofdreams

Batavia, IL
January 2005

AUG 26, 2005 06:50 PM

AnnaLee said:
What keith said, thats a good point I didnt think of. Its different for me in the UK because I live in a small city and its easy to get anywhere just walking that Id need to go to. I dont really have an idea of what it is like in m assive places like America where people drive everywhere.

[Edited on Aug 26, 2005 by AnnaLee]



i was gonna say...if you lived in america, you'd probably see the necessity (albeit a necessary evil) of driving. quite a different deal.

i don't like having to drive everywhere i go, but i don't really have a choice that's economically viable at this point.

FiendClub

FiendClub

Colton, CA
OLD SKOOL

AUG 26, 2005 06:54 PM

Shadowsoul said:
They need more education and training before they should be allowed to drive.



This I can agree with. Adults are a problem too however.

Alkahol

Alkahol

USA
June 2004

AUG 26, 2005 06:59 PM

I agree that elderly drivers are a problem as well. In general, driving laws and regulations are probably too lenient. At 18, you don't even need drivers education training for a license, it's just off to the DMV to take the tests and if you pass... tada! You're in control of a lethal weapon.

My whole deal is, I know you can't put an age on maturity and responsibility level on a per person basis, but in broad terms it is how the government works. 16 is too young to have complete responsibility.

Keith: People can become considerably better drivers in 2 years. In that sense, it would be like comparing a 14 year old driver to a 16 year old, or a 12 year old to a 14 year old. 2 years is a lot of time to grow and mature.

If 16 year olds were allowed a learners permit to drive with a licensed adult and then when 18 were allowed a full license, I think a lot of lives would be saved.

Corneilus_Wright

Corneilus_Wright

Denver, CO
October 2004

AUG 26, 2005 07:02 PM

Senior are far more dangerous, at least at 16 you still have your reflexes.

SomethingStupid

SomethingStupid

North Hollywood, CA
March 2004

AUG 26, 2005 07:02 PM

Nah. The thing is, you need the confidence of a teenager when you're learning to drive. I've noticed that people who learn to drive later tend to fear it, which frequently (not always, of course) results in horrible driving.

I mean, I'd be all for deciding on a case by case basis whether or not a person was mature enough to drive, but the lines at the DMV are long enough without that.

Corneilus_Wright

Corneilus_Wright

Denver, CO
October 2004

AUG 26, 2005 07:03 PM

Bondgirl said:
Though I am terribly sorry about your loss, I disagree (a little.) I believe that elderly drivers are much more of a menace than teenagers in my neck of the woods.
In South Dakota, you can drive as young as 13, but you rarely hear about young kids getting into accidents. What you read about more in the paper is elderly drivers not being able to pay attention and missing stop signs, running reds etc... I just recently had my car totalled because a 84 year old man assumed a light was green.
I think that elderly drivers are far more dangerous than teenagers are. But that's just my opinion. And this is coming from a girl that has driven her daddy's truck through fences that he held open since she was 9. (Farmers will understand.) smile




Beat me to it
smile

SomethingStupid

SomethingStupid

North Hollywood, CA
March 2004

AUG 26, 2005 07:12 PM

Shadowsoul said:
Keith: People can become considerably better drivers in 2 years. In that sense, it would be like comparing a 14 year old driver to a 16 year old, or a 12 year old to a 14 year old. 2 years is a lot of time to grow and mature.


It's not really like either since the other two periods of time you're talking about you go through massive hormonal and development stages, far more than the 16-18 period, particularly if we're discussing girls. There is a difference between a sixteen and an eighteen year old, maturity-wise, but really, I think you should learn to drive while you're still living with your parents. Many eighteen year olds will be headed off to college during the time period you're talking about. And I don't see college freshman's behavior as generally being responsible, and would rather not add to that by having this be the first time they're driving the car by themselves.

Sophie_Sass

Sophie_Sass

Los Angeles, CA
October 2003

AUG 26, 2005 07:13 PM

I agree. I always knew that driving was a huge responsibility, that's why I didn't get my license until I was 24.
I also agree that seniors are a big problem. I think they ought to be much more strictly regulated; maybe mandatory yearly driving tests...

Capital

Capital

Providence, RI
February 2005

AUG 26, 2005 07:24 PM

Often, I think, all the accidents that come with the process of learning to drive are confused with "irresponsibility of teenagers." If driving age was 30, the highest number of accidents would likely be among 30 year-olds, because by definition among the population they'd have had the least driving experience. Your story is a perfect example. The teenager in this story wasn't acting irresponsibly (driving drunk, driving excessively fast for thrill, driving with 6 other kids in the car), he just made a simple (and sadly fatal) mistake that comes with the inexperience inherent in learning a new skill. It's sad that such casualties happen in the process of learning to drive, but many of them (including the one in your story) would not be prevented by waiting until a more "mature" age.

howdidigethere

howdidigethere

Oroville, CA
June 2004

AUG 26, 2005 07:31 PM

if you change the age from 16 to 18 or what have you, the numbers are still the same pretty much.

Alkahol

Alkahol

USA
June 2004

AUG 26, 2005 07:32 PM

I'm not confusing the process of learning with irresponsibility of teenagers. Given what you're saying, it would be ok if the driving age was 8 years old because it's just about experience levels and not about maturity?

fiendish

fiendish

USA
December 2002

AUG 26, 2005 07:44 PM

huh here ya not allowed to drive with out a licensed driver plus curfew until a year passed...

Capital

Capital

Providence, RI
February 2005

AUG 26, 2005 07:53 PM

Shadowsoul said:
I'm not confusing the process of learning with irresponsibility of teenagers. Given what you're saying, it would be ok if the driving age was 8 years old because it's just about experience levels and not about maturity?



Your counter-argument here assumes that 16 year olds differ from 8 year olds only in their degree of "maturity" and "responsibility." However, even if an 8 year old had the maturity of an adult, he would not yet have developed the mental faculties necessary for the skills of driving. Essentially, an 8 year old wouldn't be able to learn or understand the complex array of rules and tasks requisite for driving, even if he was as mature as an adult. The capacity to multi-task and understand rules that an 8 year-old lacks, a 16 year-old would clearly have developed. This has more to do with developing basic skills than with irresponsibility and maturity.

Alkahol

Alkahol

USA
June 2004

AUG 26, 2005 08:03 PM

Apparently you don't know what maturity means.
Whatever, for all of the arguments out there... you say 16 is the same as 18 and 18 is the same as 20. Doesn't that make 16 the same as 20? But you won't say that 12 is the same as 16.

Plain and simple, a 16 year old is not done growing up yet.

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

AUG 26, 2005 08:16 PM

Shadowsoul said:
Apparently you don't know what maturity means.
Whatever, for all of the arguments out there... you say 16 is the same as 18 and 18 is the same as 20. Doesn't that make 16 the same as 20? But you won't say that 12 is the same as 16.

Plain and simple, a 16 year old is not done growing up yet.



I'm sorry for your loss and I know that it's upsetting... but this is just ridiculous.

No, a 16 year old isn't done growing up. But neither is an 18 year old and guess what... you have to learn some time. The longer you put off the process the harder it becomes. Barring people from driving until 18 causes all sorts of problems. I drove all kinds of errands for my parents when they both worked. My brother did the same. A lot of kids going off to university and college depend on having their own vehicles to move and to get around away from home. Once again, I'm sorry for your loss but I think you're asking a little too much.



[Edited on Aug 26, 2005 by FreakPirate]

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