New Driving age????

[slade]

i didnt read the whole thread, i dont exactly have enough time, but according to my drivers ed teacher the chance of a newly liscenced 16 year old getting into an accident is the same as the chance of a newly liscenced 18-20 year old. the driving age has been changed and this pattern shown to be true. what matters is the experience of the driver, not the age.

[tony3]

I attended 3 funerals for people I went to high school with in both my junior and senior years, two were while they were driving, the third was a roll over where she wasn't wearing her seat belt and went through the front window, all three deaths were from driving too fast for the current road conditions. one of them was 2 days before we graduated.
When my son starts driving this summer, his car will have one of these in it and he will know about it. He knwos full well that if he gets caught being stupid that his car rights will be revoked no questions asked. He will either be responsible or he wont be driving, period. His knowing that the car is keeping a record of his location and speed at all times and that his car rights are constantly on the line will hopefully help keep the stupidity factor to a minimum. I have already discussed this with him and he agrees with it fully. He got hit on his bike while riding to school 2 years ago by a 16 year old girl who was on her way to school and was putting makeup on while driving, she crushed the rear end of his bike under her the passenger side of her car, she had drifted over into the bike lane. He was struck at around 30 mph, he was doing 15 mph on his big. He was thrown free or the bike, flew some 20 feet and landed on a grassy area narrowily missing both the curb and a fire hydrant. He was extremely lucky to have gotten away with only minor scratches and bruises. The young girl, in total panic, fled the scene and was later apprehended at school, she lost her rights to drive until she's 21.
There are many services that do real time vehicle tracking. Taxis, limosines, truck hauling services, police, ambulance, emergency servives, etc. typically use them to keep tallies on where their vehicles are operating. There are ways for parents to keep track of their childrens activities when they're not around.
Something else to keep in mind, the cpu in your car that controls the engine has been used for evidence in court cases recently. This little device keeps lots of nice little statistics, it monitors speed, tracks such inputs as breaking, acceleration, steering wheel rotation, airbag deployment, etc., all of which can be put into a pretty timeline to help give details on what the driver was doing at the time of the accident. There was a big deal on it on 20/20 many moons ago about how insurance agencies were "spying on people's driving habbits without their knowing."
-Evil Bob

Good plan, my parents basically told me the same thing but didn't put one of those trackers in my car, hehe. I still think it depends largely on the maturity of the person driving. A person can be a bad driver but still be mature and not speed and the such to put himself in even worse situations.

[SIGSays]

they need to get those yung punks off the road...

[slade]

they need to get those yung punks off the road...

yay for prejudice!!

[ascetic1]

that isnt predjudice it its true :)

[maxama10]

okay agreed get rid of the punks, but for those of us who are resposible?

[Xyxyll]

Raising the driving age is pretty ridiculous if you ask me. I'm 18, already have my license, am not affected by curfew or passenger limits, but I still disagree. Getting your drivers license is a big life passage from child to adult. Where else does a teenager have to develop serious responsibility and good judgement? That independence, whether safe or unsafe, is a very important part in a teen's maturation. They may argue that "the kids don't need to help run the farm anymore, so they don't need a license," which is true in most places now, but disregard the productive things having a teenage driver gives. Imagine what will happen to the job market if teenagers can no longer drive to work (hmm.. I suppose fast food prices would go up due to the lack of cheap workers). While we live in more compressed cities nowadays... work is rarely right across the street (my job is ~ 10 miles away). School activities! I know someone who is in nearly every club and activity, yet she does not have her license (I assume by choice). Her parents have to cart her everywhere. I'd hate to have to drive my kids to school, friends, activities, and then back 1/2 hour later.

Yes, I know several horrible drivers. I simply don't get rides from them, and if they're behind me, I simply continue on my way with the occasional brake check for laughs.

Edit: Now what they really should concentrate on is fixing our insurance rates! I don't understand why guys have to have higher insurance than girls. I've NEVER met a good female driver, at any age! I hate women drivers!

[ascetic1]

for those responsible, you sit and take the consquences of those irresponsible...life sucks dont it?

and i agree with the fact that women drivers stink!! raising the age required for drivers license WOULD do something, it isnt rediculous at all...Picture your little brother behind the wheel(example only) Would you feel safe knowing he was on the road? Better yet, what if they didnt put a restriction on the age to buy guns??? What if they had the mindset that age doesnt affect anything, and let 16 year olds buy guns? you may be thinking that they are 2 completly different things, but they arent..any car used improperly can KILL someone!! just like a weapon can..and by raising the age, you give room to grow for experience, instead of just HANDING some in-experienced punk a license and new car...Think about it for a second

[maxama10]

i completely disagree a handgun and a car are far different, and most things can kill people...if used improperly, i could kill you with a pen or a pencil or hair dryer or this or that.Also how many kids get 'new' most cars teens drive are junkers and are held together by luck and ducktape. That would help to explain the high rate of accidents and fatalitys. would it not?

[Lohman446]

Edit: Now what they really should concentrate on is fixing our insurance
rates! I don't understand why guys have to have higher insurance than girls. I've NEVER met a good female driver, at any age! I hate women drivers!

They get better rates because insurance company statistics prove they have fewer and less costly accidents

[Xyxyll]

ascetic1: My little sister will be 16 in 3 months. She doesn't even have a Learners Permit yet due to her grades. Do I trust her behind the wheel? I'm sure there will be a learning period, but yes, I think she will be able to drive properly and deserves that priveledge. I see stupid kids doing stupid crap in their cars every day (that place people call high school). I've even been nearly hit by many of them just in the parkinglot. But should they never have gotten their licenses? No. Should they get taken away for reckless driving if they keep it up? Yes. They can only get better, and for those that get worse... they'll lose their licenses soon enough. Should you take away a priveledge to everybody due to a certain few? Especially such an important priveledge for modern teenage life. Should paintball guns be banned to minors? Sure, it may cut down on a lot of unfortunate accidents, but that's something you would expect when half of the paintball population gets knocked out. As for the gun comparison, I do think they are different. A gun doesn't take you to school, work, etc. A gun won't pick up groceries or drive your little sister to her friend's house while the parents are at work.

I live in one of if not the strictest driving laws state, Virginia. Reckless driving, a MISDEMEANOR (can you say permanent record), can be given by going as little as 15 over in some places or simply chirping the tires accidentally on a rainy day. I've been driving since 15 and 6 months (was the first age-group to have to wait the extra 6 months on Learners Permit and extra 3 months on Drivers License (was originally 15/16)), and I will admit I had my short period of "spirited driving," but that learning period is over, and I am a very responsible driver. I have NEVER gotten any kind of ticket and now consistantly drive 2-4mph over the speed limit.

Lohman446:
Statistics need to be updated. Half of the woman drivers I know crashed their car the first day w/ their license.

[Lohman446]

Lohman446:
Statistics need to be updated. Half of the woman drivers I know crashed their car the first day w/ their license.

Considering that insurance companies profits are at stake based on risk analysis I would wager that those figures are very up to date.

[slade]

that isnt predjudice it its true :)

true statement: young drivers tend to be more reckless, dangerous, and inexperienced than than older drivers, and are thus more apt to causing a crash.

prejudice statement: we need to get all those gol dang young little whippersnappers off the roads!!!

see the difference?

[ascetic1]

prejudice- a judement made beforehand without hearing or examining the facts...

if that was an attempt at slander, it was a poor one at best, but i just put in the word IT in that sentence twice... it IS truth that young drivers stink at driving, becuase of recklessness and lack of experience..

Xyxyll- the EXACT reason why the driving age may be increased was stated in your response to this thread...Sure your sister deserves the privilege to drive, but due to the kids you described, she may have to wait...

And, yes many things can kill people, but a weapon and drivers license both require a license and permit to have in your posession in order to carry a gun/drive a car...They are alike, and when youth coupled with inexperience get ahold of these things, they can cause harm and kill somone...That was the point i was trying to make by comparing the two

[slade]

prejudice- a judement made beforehand without hearing or examining the facts...

well he obviously DOESNT know the facts, since he is saying we should get ALL young drivers off the road.

it IS truth that young drivers stink at driving, becuase of recklessness and lack of experience..

wrong. NEW drivers are inexperienced, not young ones. and not all young drivers are reckless, you are generalizing again. i know some new, teenage drivers that are reckless and some that are cautious and courteous. and there certainly are older drivers that are reckless. and hopefully, young drivers will have enough time to practice to NOT stink at driving by the time they get their liscences. thats what permits are for.

the EXACT reason why the driving age may be increased was stated in your response to this thread...Sure your sister deserves the privilege to drive, but due to the kids you described, she may have to wait...

so punish everyone for what some have done? and as i said, statistics show that a new 16 year old driver is no more likely to crash the car than a new 18 year old driver.