It's too easy.

**Restola** · 04-22-2003, 01:06 AM

Re: It's too easy.

Originally posted by joeyjoe367
I think it's absolutly rediculous that someone can get a license at age 16 and continue to drive until he is 80 years old without a re-testing of his/her compitency.

THAT problem will never be solved as long as the AARP opposes solving it.

The problem with drunks seems to be that we are so dependent on our vehicles, that we can't IMAGINE taking that away from someone.

I heard if you want to kill someone, hit them while driving your car. The average time spent in jail is only 2 years (so I've heard).

Another problem is a lack of enforcement. Lose your licence? Just drive without one. The chances of getting caught appear minor, penelties are minor. Again no one really seems to think forcing someone to not be able to drive is reasonable.

Tens of thousands of people die on the road each year, and the country isn't really all that concerned about it. The best thing to do is watch your own butt, and hope the other drivers only kill themselves.

**LittMag** · 04-22-2003, 07:41 AM

Re: It's too easy.

Originally posted by joeyjoe367
[B]I think 16 is too young. It should be at least 18. It should require more recorded drive-time.

Recorded driving time is a sham, especially if you only need a parent to sign off on it. Driving is all about experience, if you up it to 18, it'll just shift the experience curve back a couple years and soon you'll be complaining that people shouldn't drive until they're 18.

Here in washington state, 80% is necessary on the driving test to pass. It should be upped to 90%. If you can't drive Very compitently while under the supervision of someone, you're not likely to do the same without supervision.

Again I disagree, the people at the DMV are so hit or miss, they are sometimes picky to the hair and will deduct if you park a little crooked, or sometimes, they will just not give a damn about how well you drive and only take off for major things.

Zero tolerance policies for underage(for drinking) drivers should extend to everyone.

Come to Cali, if you're caught driving drunk while under 21, you lose your license till at least your 21st birthday and other crap gets piled on you.

I'm tired of having to check my *** every single time I get on the road. I'm seriously thinking about writing my congressman/woman about this. I'm tired of it all.

Too bad. You have to check your *** every time you drive no matter what. A deer could jump out at you. Another person could be having a bad day and not be paying attention. It's not just young people who commit traffic violations.

**shartley** · 04-22-2003, 08:23 AM

**ShooterJM** · 04-22-2003, 09:43 AM

Grumble I have a whole tangent on this. But let me summarize. I drive an SUV instead of a small car now, I've taken the time to become a very aware and safe driver. If you are such a terrible driver that I can't avoid you, I can only hope you don't wear a seatbelt, are speeding, are driving a geo metro and rear end me.

I really believe the worse the driver, the smaller and unsafe car they should be forced to drive. I cringe everytime I see a soccer mom in a suburban.....

**Restola** · 04-22-2003, 11:03 AM

Originally posted by ShooterJM
I really believe the worse the driver, the smaller and unsafe car they should be forced to drive.

Ha that might work. :)

The problem is also the KIND of person who participates in bad driving. As evident from multiple "how do i fight a ticket" threads on this board, people dont take responsibility for their actions. Even when people get into accidents that THEY caused, the excuses never stop comming. You hear them discribe the accident later, and you never hear "I was tailgating someone and since i was changing the radio i didnt bother to hit the brakes", its "some moron stopped in the middle of the road!"

People dont perceive themselves as bad drivers. They get a ticket, its the cop's fault. They get in an accident, its the other driver's fault, or the road's fault, or the weather's fault.

I definatly believe much MUCH stricter punishments are at least a partial solution to the problem. If someone doesn't want to take responsibility, thats fine. Let them sit at home and complain.

**joeyjoe367** · 04-22-2003, 12:02 PM

Re: Re: It's too easy.

Originally posted by LittMag

Too bad. You have to check your *** every time you drive no matter what. A deer could jump out at you. Another person could be having a bad day and not be paying attention. It's not just young people who commit traffic violations.

I'm not talking about young people specifically. I've almost been in several accidents and none of them have involved a young person, unless you think 35 is "young".

I'm talking about the idiots that talk on their cellular phones while they drive, who think they can eat a bowl of cereal while they drive and put on lipstick, talk on their phones, eat a burrito and disipline their kids; all while driving their SUV with their little pinkey toe.

Yes, a deer could jump out at me, but not in downtown Seattle or I-5. Making it harder to get a license and actually ENFORCING those rules would give me one less thing to worry about.

About upping the age to 18; It's not that I don't think that 16 year olds aren't physically able to drive or they're not coordinated enoughl, it's the fact that many 16 year olds aren't mature enough to be on the road. At age 18 I believe that one is much more mature.

Anyone in that age bracket of 16-20 years old are risk-takers. It's a statistical fact. Closing that gap by 2 years would help a ton. 3 times as many 16 year olds get into accidents as 17 year olds and 2 times as many 17 year olds get into accidents as 18 year olds.

There should be better standards for Driving tests. When I took my driving test, I believed 100% that I was not prepared for it and was astounded when I recieved a 84%. It was rediculous. Yes, one tester can be more/less harsh on a testee than another so I think there should be more regulations and standardization of those tests.

Requiring behind-the-wheel time is a good practice for responsible teens and their parents. I'm under the impression that the large majority of parents out there aren't just going to sign off on their kids' drivers license just like that.

Making penalties harsher is a necessity. If you could get jail time for speeding, you'd be less likely to speed, right?

Or driving without a license or a revoked license? Death Penalty

yeah, those examples are a bit extreme, but you get the idea.

**ShooterJM** · 04-22-2003, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Restola
People dont perceive themselves as bad drivers. They get a ticket, its the cop's fault. They get in an accident, its the other driver's fault, or the road's fault, or the weather's fault.

I definatly believe much MUCH stricter punishments are at least a partial solution to the problem. If someone doesn't want to take responsibility, thats fine. Let them sit at home and complain.

I agree, but I also think there has to be some better training or something within traffic police training. I see a lot a people get pulled over for speeding that aren't endangering anyone. On the other hand I see a lot people (cough soccer moms cough) tailgating, changing lanes erraticly and nearly sideswiping cars, slamming on the brakes for NO reason, etc. I have yet to see someone like that ticketed. But the 18 yr old going 5-10mph over will get a ticket.

**shartley** · 04-22-2003, 12:32 PM

Originally posted by ShooterJM
I agree, but I also think there has to be some better training or something within traffic police training. I see a lot a people get pulled over for speeding that aren't endangering anyone. On the other hand I see a lot people (cough soccer moms cough) tailgating, changing lanes erraticly and nearly sideswiping cars, slamming on the brakes for NO reason, etc. I have yet to see someone like that ticketed. But the 18 yr old going 5-10mph over will get a ticket.

**ShooterJM** · 04-22-2003, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by shartley

Yeah, that's just my pet peeve as that's who I have to dodge every day going to work.

Agreed most people causing accidents are dang near impossible to identify from the side of the road.

Although, on a side note. I'm convinced there's going to be a dead officer on my way home from work. This guy for the past week has been sitting out on a local highway and pulling people over in a stretch where most people do 10-15 over. That's all fine and dandy but there are NO shoulders or breakdown lanes. He just stops them in the far right lane. Can't tell you how many times I've seen people lock up there brakes to avoid him. Heck last friday he threw his door open and missed getting it torn of his cruiser by about 4 inches. stupid stupid stupid.

**Xen** · 04-22-2003, 12:51 PM

joeyjoe your only 18/19 so when you were 15 how would you feal if 1 year they dont let you get a permit till 18? you would be pissed, your a young driver so I should watch my *** if your on the road too ;O

**Mossman** · 04-22-2003, 01:15 PM

Personally I would enjoy MUCH harder licence testing. Not nit picky stuff, but passing defensive driver classes without too much work, etc. I'm 17, gonna be 18 in a couple of months. I went to a defensive driving class a couple weeks back because my friends dad basically harassed all of his son's friends until they went with him.

At this class I noticed the following: The mothers taking the class should not be on the road. They could not follow directions, couldn't deal with the stresses of going fast or breaking hard, and were a disgrace, but fun to watch

. The 3 girls taking the course were the next in line. When I got to do one of these activities 2 times (I wish i was worse at it, those were fun), the girls routinely would need 6,7,8 run throughs to get to a decent level.

I'd say my crew, these 2 other guys that were there, and 2 of the girl's Dad's were the next. Obviously there were differences, but we weren't in the car with them so it's hard to see looking out at this course what they're really doing. I can say that in my crew of 4 guys the 2 of us that drive a lot, drive to school every day, drive around town, blah, were noticably better. Just goes to show you that a 17 year old can have enough experience to drive proficiently, and a helluva lot better than the two 45 year old women there :)

Moral of the story. I'm in the 16-17 year old range. I HAVE had an accident. I add to the statistics. Difference is my accident was idiotic, driving my dad's truck that I wasn't used to, driving very slowly on tight urban/suburban roads, and the back of my truck clipped the back left corner of a parked (TEACHERS!) car, while I was making a right turn. I was obviously at fault, and the accident was easily avoidable, but it wasn't your average careless teen driver mistake. The car was parked horribly, I wasn't familiar with the turn, and it would have taken an insanely wide turn for me to make it, if i was more comfortable with the car I would have recognized this before I heard the trademark metal on metal screech

.

Anyhoo, my point is: I feel confident in my driving abilities now. I only speed when it is safe to do so, I don't tailgate, always signal, and I'd say that I am put into unsafe situations by other drivers at least 10 times more often then I put other drivers into them.

The only problem with my ideal driver testing system would be a lot less people would have licenses, that means more people to give rides to. You know how i feel about giving out of the way people rides, hehe.

**SlipknotX556** · 04-22-2003, 01:53 PM

Scary thing down here is, that the day you turn 15, you can get your permit, if you parents allow you to.

**Mossman** · 04-22-2003, 02:06 PM

Permit and licence are 2 very different things though. I was a way worse driver but i never sped or raced when I had my permit

Nice sig by the way.

**InfinatyBPS** · 04-22-2003, 03:08 PM

My Mom got in 2 accidents within a week this month because of drivers not paying attention or doing something stupid.

It's too easy.

It's too easy.

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