Driving Age

[psychic25]

Ok, let's try this again. I'm sorry if this is postwhoring, but I really would like information.

Oh, and btw, this is not for a paper. It's a poll to gather opinions and numbers as evidence for a debate, so this time i'm going to make this a poll, as well as post what I already said so people don't have to read the other topic.

Sorry for any hassle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do people here think? I know there are probably a lot of people who come here that are old enough to drive, or will be very soon, so I thought this would be a pertinent issue to discuss here.

What do you guys think about the driving age? Where I live, in California, it's 16. Do you guys think that it's good where it is, or do you think it should be raised? Also, why do you think this way?

(One other thing- I'm especially looking at the drivers here.) What do you and your parents think about you being able to drive? Good, bad, etc.?

EDIT: For clarity

[lightdarkness]

RE: Driving Age

Well, as a new driver, I like the 16 year old rule here in NY.

However, due to the many acidents that 16 year olds are in, it causes insureanc to go up, which sucks for me, because I didn't do anything wrong.

Now that I have my permit, I have no problem to raising the age to 55 for all I care, because I already have mine

[Snapps]

RE: Driving Age

I personally think they should keep it at the 16 mark.

If the driver was dumb enough to get into an accident then he should have been too dumb to pass the test, simple.

And about driving is that my mom would be like hell yeah when I reach 16 because now she wont have to drive me to a work or school or social event like going to AI :D

[whorlichan]

RE: Driving Age

I think the driving age is way too low. I live in Southern California, and currently it's 15 1/2 for permit, 16 for license, with a whole bunch of restrictions and rules pertaining to the first and second 6 months (different ones for each) that you have your license.

I started taking driver's ed when I was 15 1/2. I got my permit and took lessons both in manual and automatic transmissions, although I promptly forgot everything I learned about stick shift about 5 minutes after the lessons ended. Because my parents were worried about me with all the morons on the street in California, I was not allowed to get my license until just after I turned 17. I had lessons and driving time with my parents and instructors all the way through.
(No one who has seen me drive or been in a car with me believes this, but I think it was very useful.)

Personally, I think it was great that I had all the extra practice and time to learn, and I do think it made me a better driver. Then again--the one country I know of that gives permits at 17 and licenses at 18 (Israel) is also known to me as the country with worse drivers than California, worse traffic than Manhattan, and more accidents than any other place I've ever heard of.

For American kids--especially Californians, who are likely to get a big huge Hummer or some other SUV, I think more training time is necessary. So if they do raise the driving age, I think they should lengthen the period of time where a permit is allowed. Say the new driving age is 18, make the age for a permit be 16 or 16 1/2, instead of just 17 1/2.

[Squeek]

RE: Driving Age

In California it should be at least 18. Same goes for New York.

In MY state, it's a minimum of 16 1/4 years old. I do believe they are attempting to raise this.

Also, you must complete 50 hours of driving with a permit (that you can get no earlier than 15 1/2) with 10 of those hours at night. 7 of those hours must be from a driving school.

I ended up getting mine at 17 and some extra months. I've been driving for much longer than a year now. Woot.

~Squeek

[dmleet]

RE: Driving Age

Here in Northern Cali, more than half of car accidents are to be blamed to young car drivers. Some are not even drunk.

I'm 18 right now, and I'm at least helping my parents pay the car I picked (just a new Camry).

I couldn't agree more. Raise the limit to 18. Most 16 year olds are kissing their parent's ass for a car, anyway [pun intended]

[jazzmosis]

RE: Driving Age

Most 16 year olds will kiss the ass of anything that has money.

Anyways, in Ontario (Canada), there's a slightly different system. You get your G1 at 16, which you drive with someone with at least 5 years of experience with their full (G) license. If you take driver's ed, you are allowed to take your G2 test (which allows you to drive alone and on major highways) 8 months after your first license. Otherwise, you have to wait a year. Then, once you have your G2, one year after you are allowed to get your G, which is another test on highway driving. So, if you use the minimum amount of time you could have your full license at 17 years and 8 months of age. For me, I got my full license shortly after my 19th birthday.

I suppose the driving age around here is fine, it's just the system that sucks. You should be given your G if you drive a year without accidents or tickets (parking tickets not included.). If you've done that, then you've already proven your competence.

Just FYI: There's no difference in G2 to G, except in a G you're allowed to have 0.08% BA, while with G2 you can only have 0%. With G2 you also have to take a test every 5 years (minimum) to either keep a G2 or get your G. With a G, you have to renew your license every 5 years. So it's essentially another cash grab to get your G.

The test isn't even difficult.

[tristia]

RE: Driving Age

The age limit here in New Jersey is higher than most places. It's 17 for your "Cinderella" license, and one year after you get your license (generally 18 ) you get your full license. This applies to anyone that was born 1985 or later. In order to get your permit at 16 (earliest age possible), You have to complete 6 hours with a driving instructor (and it lessens your insurance rate when you get your license... which in jersey, is a blessing). If you choose not to go for the 6 hours, you have to wait until you are 17 to get your permit, and must have your permit no less than 6 months before you may go for your drivers test.

When you finally get your "Cinderella" license, you can't drive past midnight or before 5 am, can't drive out of state, and may not have anymore than one non-immediate family member in your car.

For some people, this is bothersome. I think (after having gone through the initial complaining about not being able to get my license) that this is a good way of doing things. I think they push your license off just enough that you appreciate it more, and tend to drive a bit more carefully... as opposed to if you could get your license at 16 after 3 months of permit driving.

The only thing I don't like is that you have to pay for the driving school yourself in order to get your permit. If they are going to make it mandatory to get your license on time, it should be paid for. It used to be offered through the high school... but NJ high schools went to strictly written test based Drivers Ed courses. Then again, you always have the option of waiting a year to get your permit... so I understand where they work around paying for it.

It's just a lot of kids complaning for a few years, but it has been doing some good. So for New Jersey, I think the driving age is fine where it is.

[tsutter]

RE: Driving Age

If you increase the legal driving age, it will simply be 17, 18, 19 year olds getting in car wrecks instead of the 16 year olds. I think drivers education should be more tightly wound (I say this and I'm leaving for my last night of drivers ed in 3 hours...), even my teacher said that a complete moron would be able to get a license. Of course, most driving capability comes with experience, so there's nothing you can really do to change that.

[tristia]

RE: Driving Age

If you increase the legal driving age, it will simply be 17, 18, 19 year olds getting in car wrecks instead of the 16 year olds.

Thats what I thought, too... but having had my license now for 2 years... I can honestly say that there is a big maturity difference (in most people) between 16 and 18.

In all honesty, accidents happen to everyone. Age really doesn't have all too much to do with it after a certian point. The idea with the age limit of the license is just to find an age where maturity has reached enough that youre not dealing with kids goin "omg I can drive now... lets get out of the house because I hate my parents", but rather kids going "I can drive now, so I can get a job and be productive". Just a different mind set, that could go a long way.

[The_Q]

RE: Driving Age

Here's the data:

People under 16- keep it at 16

People over 16- we don't care, but it would be nice if it were raised.

No real other discussion. Why bother with the poll?

Q

[GuidoHunter]

I, for one, am an advocate for the "Eighteen for everything" idea, because that only makes sense. However, raising the driving age would deliver a tremendous hit to productivity, since the sixteen and seventeen year olds couldn't easily get a job since their parents most likely wouldn't drive them to and from every day like they do/would for school. That leaves a lot of open jobs that aren't too desirable to those who can drive.

That being said, if I don't ever get the "Eighteen for everything" idea put into place, I DO care that the driving age stay where it is, for the sake of the kids, their parents, and businesses with low-end jobs perfect for students.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[stretchypanda]

Whatever the driving age, most states make it possible for underage drivers to obtain a hardship license. In Arkansas, you take your driving test, pass it, then write a request to the state department of transportation explaining why you need a license, exactly where you plan to drive, and how often you plan to drive, and the DoT makes the call, giving you heavy, heavy restrictions, and noting on your license where and when you are and are not allowed to drive. My sister got hers because she had to get an allergy shot every Monday, and my parents couldn't get off work until after the doctor's office closed (this wasn't a problem until after I left for college), so she was given permission to drive to and from school every day and to town on Mondays. She wasn't allowed to have passengers (although I think that was more my mother's rule than the state's). A lot of hardships are given to young people who work, generally supporting a family of their own.

Anyway. I guess I support raising the driving age as long as driver education becomes a requirement in schools, because if you're not going to learn to drive by the time you're 16, it's unlikely that you will take advantage of the extra year or so raising the age would give you to learn. I was shocked to learn that driver education wasn't required in Arkansas to get a license, just to get lowered insurance rates (with some companies). If people under the legal age have a definite need (the standards for getting a hardship are not high) to drive, they can obtain the means to do so. It wouldn't be a big deal.

[jewpinthethird]

Though I love driving, and love the idea of pseudo-freedom, I think the driving age should be 18. Why? Because 16 year olds are idiots.

At the very least, there should be restrictions on how many times one is allowed to take the driving test. I know people who have failed the test over 8 times and still eligable for a driving test.

Conclusion: Teenagers are idiots, dont give them cars.

[Tasselfoot]

in Pennsylvania... if you fail the test 3 times, you then have to wait 1 month before trying again. fail a 4th time and you have to wait 6 months.

also, it was mandatory to pass driver's ed in my HS to graduate. was taught 1 day a week during 10th grade.