New Driving age????

[personman]

It's 100% lazyness in my case. I have to get a thing from my school that says I attend which I am too lazy to do, then I have to study the stupid book thing and go take the test which I will probably have to wait in line with.. really I'm not in much of a hurry, but I think I'll get it pretty soon because I'll be the only junior without my liscence if I dont hurry up (we have to wait a year between our permit and our liscence)

[Hexis]

I waited till I was almost 18 as it was. Couldn't afford the damn insurance. That reminds me, 25 was a good birthday, those rates went through the floor. I think they dropped a bit at 30 as well.

[WickeDKlowN]

I was halfway through my Junior year(this year) before I got my licence. But it was only becaue I was too lazy to go to the DMV and sit through the 4 hour Drug & Alcohol course then take the test so I just waited till I had driver's ed.

[Lohman446]

Put if we are discussing front brain development I was under the impression that was mid to early twenties, and going to eighteen won't help that much.


Does anyone take into consideration the cars many teenagers drive? I mean there are many that are not exactly mechanically sound.

[fcpchop]

Im 16 and Im going to take my test May 2nd. I don't think all young drivers are bad but I understand why they would want to change to law, buy why don't they just make the driving test harder? This way you can have the better of the younger drivers. Oh well it doesn't matter to me, Im in before the new law

[ascetic1]

Hey guys, now let me tell you my point of view...

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF CHANGING THE LAW TILL YOU ARE 18!!!

just wait till i get mine in a few months

But seriously guys, we are the crappiest drivers on the planet!! teens suck! and dont you bother telling me you are good, cuz im still 16 myself, but I have had practice enough to the point of being cautious and considered a good driver, and after a few close calls , I was so called "scared straight"... besides that, let me tell you a few stories I have heard from the people themselves who turned 17 and got their license ( NJ kid myself FreakBaller)

1) Parents bought a kid new Honda tiburon, within 3 weeks he had recieve 3 tickets in ONE DAY!!!! speeding, reckless driving, and i dont recall the last...
2) Two weeks after recieving her license, this girl in my spanish class got into an accident in front of the school, right as she was pulling in (was hit by another 18 year old)
3) Just this morning on the way to school, a new driver of a few weeks causes a 5 car pile up on hooper ave, after slamming on the brakes from not paying attention, hitting the car in front of him, and causing cars behind him to avoid him, sending 2 people to the hospital
4) Yesterday, a kid plows into a girl in our parking lot, also from lack of attention or just plain stupidity...

I can go on and on with all the stories of kids getting pulled over for speeding, too many kids in their car, 300 dollar tickets etc...but i wont, I hope you are all intelligent enough to get the point. These teens are the reason insurance rates sky rocket, and driving ages undergo changes; to better the lives of everyone else...Parents with loads of money buying teens brand new cars which they abuse and push to the limit have negative consequences on all of us on the roads. You know how much insurance will be for me, close to 2500 a year, just because I am a young, new driver...I dont know about you, but im paying for my car, gas, and insurance , but thats becuase i worked my rear off to earn it and boy does it feel good to buy what I want knowing I can. But I face the consequences of these idiots and their mistakes..So for me, the change is welcomed....

[WenULiVeUdiE]

Meh..not that big of a deal for us new jerseyians. Wow...I'm 16 with an effing permit, if I lived any other place, but here I'd have my license. Oh well, I got pride for Dirty Jersey.

Yea, 16 in any other state and we would have our liscense. But it keps the raods safer so I'm not opposed to it. Except for the fact that I wont get my full liscense until I graduate HS.

[Lohman446]

They have not proved this will help. There idea on mental development is right, but they do not mention that those "risk inhibitor" portions continue to develop into the twenties, so going to 18 doesn't get them there.

Of course the least experienced drivers are going to have the most problems - they are the least experienced. A lack of experience is going to show at 18, the same as it now shows at 16 if there is not experience between there.

[Archangel Kid]

cry please. I can't believe you are even remotely upset about that. 18 in NJ for full license, and i'm GLAD its like that. High Schoolers have these things called EGO's and they try to make them as big as possible. And how do they do that? They get BRAND NEW cars with all the upgrades. Crash them, and get new ones, and again, and again. I know because well... I'm in highschool, and well I've seen at least 3 people get atleast 2 new cars THIS YEAR ALONE! Some people don't deserve to have a license, and 16 is DEFFINITLY to young.

*EDIT*
Ascetic where do you go to school?

[SlartyBartFast]

They have not proved this will help. There idea on mental development is right, but they do not mention that those "risk inhibitor" portions continue to develop into the twenties, so going to 18 doesn't get them there.

Of course the least experienced drivers are going to have the most problems - they are the least experienced. A lack of experience is going to show at 18, the same as it now shows at 16 if there is not experience between there.

Not true in the slightest.

When the question involves insurance companies I'm certain that there are plenty of actuarial statistics to show that an inexperienced to 16-18 yr old is worse than an inexperienced 18-20 yr old or even an inexperienced 40 yr old.

Besides that the stupid stunts that an inexperienced youngster are different from simple inexperience and completely avoidable. A new driver at 16 or 50 might make the same mistakes merging or changing lanes. but the older driver is less likely to try stupid stunts, follow the goading of their friends, not be able to react to outside noises due to blasting stereo, etc.

Watch the video that I linked to and tell me an older inexperienced driver would do the same thing.......

Some back ground on the video: the friends had been jumping the car and the final speed that killed the driver was about 200 km/h. THe family donated the rights to the provincial government automobile insurance board (the government body that liscences drivers) and the ideo was shown as part of an awareness campaign.

Personally, I'd be happy with any law that said for the first 3-5 years driving you were allowed a quarter of the demerits and all fines were tripled.

[Lohman446]

When the question involves insurance companies I'm certain that there are plenty of actuarial statistics to show that an inexperienced to 16-18 yr old is worse than an inexperienced 18-20 yr old or even an inexperienced 40 yr old..

I would agree with the statement about those of inexperience an 25 years old or so - where brain development is much more complete. I do not know that I would agree wtih the statement from 16 to 18. THe thing is, the people who wait until 18 are generally more responsible.... or wait for a reason that shows responsibility/parental influence etc. and a different mindset than those that rush for there liscense.

I don't have a wide enough sample to prove it.. and cannot under circumstances that the legal age in American culture is not 18 because of too many variables for a scientific conclusion. Your statement from 16 to 18 is more backed, but I would argue there are variables influencing that other than age.

[SlipknotX556]

Im a good driver, not like most of my friends who are total idiots. So is the new 18 driving law applied to all states?

[nippinout]

Teenage drivers are more likely to be in a car accidents. That is fact.

I am a proponent of graduated drivers licenses. Restricting the number of passengers and times that a young driver can drive is effective. You can still drive at 16, but you are restricted to what you can do.

For instance, you can't drive after midnight. That's past curfew anyway. When you get a group of teenagers together, their collective IQ drops exponentially as you add more teenagers.

The cost of insurance for me is raised due to the number of accidents that both young and old drivers have. I am a fan of lower insurance rates and increased safety on the roads.

I'm too lazy to bust out my crash rate data.

[nippinout]

Im a good driver, not like most of my friends who are total idiots. So is the new 18 driving law applied to all states?

I doubt it will go nation wide. New Hampshire doesn't even have a seatbelt law, "Live Free or Die" is their motto. Moms and dads would be calling their representatives in droves because a teenaged driver is more convenient than the parent being the family chaffeur.

[Lohman446]

Teenage drivers are more likely to be in a car accidents. That is fact.

I am a proponent of graduated drivers licenses. Restricting the number of passengers and times that a young driver can drive is effective. You can still drive at 16, but you are restricted to what you can do.
.

No argument that would require crash data - I give the facts to you, I simply stipulate to them. I agree graduated liscensing should be in effect, however, can it be used past 18? I mean, at 18 we expect things of people, we expect them to be full fledged members of society.

My point is this. There are going to be inexperienced drivers with underdeveloped portions of there brain in large numbers, whether the age is 16 or 18. At least at 16 there parents (in theory) have some control.