Too young to drive? (Is 16 to young to drive)

WALB-TV Albany, GA ^ | 05/19/2006 | Dawn Hobby

[freepatriot32]

ping

[org.whodat]

I just left Florida after living there for two years

That is really good, I only lasted a year.

[goodnesswins]

Maybe instead of a wholesale "age" rule, there should be some kind of required COMPETENCY test every year before 25, and every year after 70....although that wouldn't cover my friend (age 60) who I refuse to ride with, and have for most of the last 10 years....LOL. Maybe competency tests every 10 years between 25 and 75?

[mysterio]

I think 16 is as good of an age to drive as any. I'm sure the insurance companies want it raised. Too bad. They get enough government handouts. Any new driver is going to stink, regardless of age, unless you raise that age to 30.

[tongue-tied]

Somehow actually seeing the number makes 16 seem too young.

But then again I started at 14. Of course, I had a radio (AM and FM) but no CD player, MP3 ear phone in my ear nor a cell phone to deal with...oh and I never wear makeup so that wasn't an issue back then either.

Raise it? Maybe they should have raised it like they did the drinking ages years ago, and right along with them.

[radiohead]

I think it is an individual issue, which can be negatively affected by the presence of a group. Some kids are fine at 16 (tho personally I think it is a little young). However, it seems like when a bunch of young kids get together, all thought goes out of the window.

It seems that most of the fatal accidents around here involve kids in groups, especially at night. I was almost broadsided in the middle of the day today, by a car w/a bunch of kids careening through an intersection where they should have stopped.

Lack of experience coupled with lack of attention due to high jinks in the car seem like a recipe for disaster.

[devane617]

I disagree about the insurance companies wanting it raised. Just the opposite -- They make a ton of money from premiums

[ansel12]

At age 12 my transportation was a motor scooter, at 14 I bought a 55 Chevy for transportation.

Can't remember what I was driving at 16, but at least I had a drivers license by then.

[ThomasThomas]

If they do stupid stuff at 16 a parent can take the keys before something really bad happens.

18 and older parents have less power.

[tomzz]

I was driving at 16 and it would have been a very major hardship for myself and my family had I not been able to. Somebody who can't figure out driving at 16 isn't going to make it in life one way or another.

[mysterio]

Yeah, but I bet you they pay out tons. Any time I see a safety issue brought up, I tend to doubt that our pal the government is genuine in its motives. Especially when insurance companies would benefit. They lobby really hard, and if they didn't want this, they would be wringing their hands and shouting to the heavens trying to prevent it.

[umgud]

My first car was a '53 Buick Special. I was 13 years old. I drove it in the desert behind our house. It taught me a lot by the time I was able to hit the pavement a few years later. Driving cars is serious business for youngins. Like everything else, parents have to keep a tight hand on the kids. If they just buy them a car because they are of age, well.........

[catholicfreeper]

Good Gosh, I was driving in Louisiana at 15. 16 is a good age. For those that want it raised to 17 or18 how in the heck are these kids going to get to all these after school events, sports, jobs, or in fact go on dates and mess around. My mother loved when I could drive. She never had to go to the Grocery store for two years.

[Nea Wood]

Trouble is, a lot of parents (at least the ones I know) get real sick of schlepping their kids around and can't wait for them to get licenses. As soon as the kids are 16, the parents are taking them for their driving tests, buying them cars, and saying, "Thank the Lord I don't have to drive the kid to the mall, school, etc. anymore." If they did decide to raise the driving age, some of the biggest screams would come from parents.

[Torie]

There is a cost and great inconvenience to families in raising the driving age,as well as a great loss in freedom, and the quality of life for the teenagers that must wait. As in so many public policy issues, it is a balancing test. Laws which seek living to be a riskless endeavor, strike me as not seriously engaging in such a balancing test. The case needs to be made, taking all factors into consideration.

[tomzz]

I think 16 is as good of an age to drive as any. I'm sure the insurance companies want it raised. Too bad. They get enough government handouts. Any new driver is going to stink, regardless of age, unless you raise that age to 30.

That would make it worse. The worst drivers there ever were in the world were the generation who switched from horses to cars at age 30 - 40.

[devane617]

At 10, I was driving a 1948 Farmall "C" tractor pulling Peanut trailers from the fields to the drying sheds. When I turned 16, driving was a breeze. However, the distractions were much less back then.

[television is just wrong]

Here in Los Angeles, with all the people driving around without licenses it is just darn scary. Neighbors and friends I have known for years are leaving because they have gotten older, and are afraid of many things. One of the biggest is getting around town anymore. Just too many drivers, and too many cars.

[MAexile]

Boy it's amazing just how much your attitudes change when you get older.

Raise it to 18, no driving from 9PM to 7AM, and zero tolerance for moving violations.

Harsh, you bet. But I have a fourteen year old daughter, and the thought of her driving in the next two years scares the heck out of me.

Would an extra two years make a difference? Yeah, I think so, esp. when we're talking 16 to 18.

Would I have said this at age 16? Hell no!

[LdSentinal]

Teenagers want to drive. They want to speed. They want to tail-gate. It would be very hard to beat that out of them before they get in a car.