i saw this topic at another forum, and had a great time reading some of the responses. so i want opinions on if you think 16 yr. olds should be driving or not.
Im 15, and many of the kids at school around my age are getting there permits, and some there lisenses. I would love to be able to drive, but the fact is that im not going to pay over 200 bucks a month just because of my age.
and lets try to keep this on the topic of driving/age 
Depends on the individuals really. I’ve seen responsible teenagers and irresponsible adults on the road. If I had it my way, I think graduation of high school should be a pre-requisite to getting your drivers license. Of course, I think you should be allowed to get your permit at any age as long as you can reach the accelerator/brakes; you are accompanied by an adult after all.
Now taking another point of view, this goes into the question of differentiating between a “need” and a “want.” What will you need a car for? If it is simply because others are driving, you may find the insurance money better spent on other things.
Connecticut is nice. I think if you are 16 and acompanied by an adult you don’t even need to go to the DMV to get a permit.
In general though I don’t think that 90% of the people who are driving should be driving… so who am I to cast aspirtions upon an individual. I’m with Kirupa. It depends upon personal responsability.
16 is fine for most. I was out on the road at 15 1/2 and doing fine. In retrospect it seems early, but I guess anytime you start doing something new, especially with as much responsibility that driving has along with it, you’re never really ready. Even now Im getting better - I can’t call myself an expert driver or anything and Ive been driving for almost a decade.
On the other hand there are kids out there doing farm work who are required to handle the farm’s truck at like 12. I’ve seen it before and the kids was a fine driver - at least given the circumstances/conditions.
Of course with that is the whole pompous mentality of highschool. There’s a great desire for showing off and doing rediculously stupid things which can just hurt people - and really, Ive had a lot of friends die in car accidents right around the end of senior year or shortly thereafter.
Still, its the age for growing up, and driving and the responsibility therein is all a part of that.
Here in Kansas we get permits at 14 and licenses at 16…
here in western Australia we get our Learners Permit at 16… then at 16 and 6months we go for a practical test, and if we pass that we get a logbook and we also get our Learners Phase Two Permit… after doing 25hours of recorded driving, and have turned 17 years old, you are able to go for a HPT (Hazard Perception Test), and if you pass that test (the HPT is a simulated driving program) you get ure P plates… they make you go thru a lot in australia just to get ure licence
Personally I think if I can be shipped off to war to die for my country in two years, I think I should at least be allowed 2 years of freedom (drivers license).
hahahaha fair enough…!!
in NJ the license law was permit at 16, license at 17, but a year after i got mine they changed it to a restrictive license at 17 and a real license at 18. when i say restircted, i mean, can’t drive at night, cant have more then one person in the car, something like that. i’m not sure exactly, but my cousin got stuck with it.
in anycase, i think 16 is too young to drive. although there are also a lot of farms where i live so many kids have farmer’s lisences, but hey, how many tractors do you know that are pimped out with neons and a nice box… my point is that most farm kids are more responsible then the average joe, they have strict scheduals and regimens, and between that and the hard labor, they learn a certain dicipline that non-farm kids lack usually, IMHO. at least at a very young age.
where i grew up, it’s total country, there’s nothign to do for the kids so all they do is drive around and get into trouble. now, im not saying all kids are like that, but i shouldn’t have been driving when i was that young, nor should most of the kids around here. in this town alone, in one year 3 of my friends died in youth-driven car accidents. it’s like, absurd. my sister’s best friend died last week from one. this isn’t cuz of other drivers, or anything else, it’s cuz the fools were racing, or drinking, or just being careless and wrapped themselves around a telephone pole.
i just think that if you aren’t old enough to vote, then the govornment doesn’t see you as an adult yet, and therefore you shouldn’t be driving. if the youth isn’t equipped enough to make a desicion about our country’s leaders, then WHY THE HELL would i trust them with MY LIFE and my CHILDREN’S LIVES on the road. my mother was almost killed twice, and now is permanently disabled from 2 auto accidents, one that was a kid, and one that was an old man. (the old man is a different topic, so i’ll not make comments about if you cant see over the wheel you should not be driving)
anyway, i’m not saying all kids are irresponsible, some of them are more responsible then half the adults i know. however, you have to look at the majority, cuz unfortunately we can’t make laws for only SOME of the people… and the majority of younger people are more of a danger to themselves and others on the road then are not. so. pfft… drivign age should be 18
although what do i know, i believe all cars should be killed and we should revert back to horse and cart technology :flower:
Full license: yes. Too young.
I think age is just a number. I know some kids who are about 15, 16 and drive more responsibly than 34 year old people with the coffee in one hand, cell phone in the other, and steering the car with their knees … It’s insane
To think that a mere number of years makes someone “mature” enough to operate a car is foolish.
What am I saying? Bottom line - if a kid can pass their driver’s exam, then they can drive, it doesn’t matter what the age. I think it’s better to start kids driving sooner!
Most car accidents are caused by younger drivers … yes - but that’s why we need to get kids out on the road more. They don’t crash a car because they’re 16 … they crash because of inexperience, and there’s only one way to fix that - make 'em drive!
Is 16 too young? Hell no, I don’t think it is. Let them drive now, and let them drive often. We don’t need kids who are just getting into colleges die in a crash on the way to campus.
Besides, more and more young people are forced to get jobs to accomodate for their lifestyle. Not everyone has a rich family, and we have to go out and work for our shoes, our jeans - stuff other people take for granted. Sometimes those jobs take us to unsafe places to walk to, or just plain out of walking distance.
Driving age 16, all across the US
Here is a newsflash: age isn’t just a number.
There is a definite change in behavior as people move from childhood to adulthood. It’s called adolescence. It makes you act like an idiot. Also, there is a question of responsibility and accountability. Do you hold a 13 year old accountable for his 2 ton bullet he/she drives just because he managed to pass some test? Why not hand the kid a margarita and stick him in a cubical?
that’s the thing though Yates - if we make kids learn to drive at a younger age they will be more accountable when they start to drive on their own.
When I say let them drive from a younger age, I mean under supervision of course. And you still cannot deny that fact that there are a TON of “mature” people on the road who really shouldn’t be driving.
Newsflash for you as well - Scientists are now saying that the brain doesn’t stop developing until your mid 20s (it was on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings just the other day). Do we up the driving age to 21 then instead? Even so, the brain will still develop for at least 2, 3, or 4 more years.
You really CAN’T put an age on maturity. And like I said, there are many people in their 20s and 30s who are less mature, and worse yet - more reckless, than 16 year-olds. You can’t deny that! Not with science, not with numbers, not no how can you deny that…
True, but I’m sure that the sufficient-level-of-maturity-to-drive bell curve maxes out at around 16 to 18. Will there be deviations? There always are … heh. I think that the driving age (16) is just fine where it is.
BTW, I think I was being a little vague above. I think 16 is fine considering most people get their license between 16 and 18, which is the time I just describe above. I’m saying that any earlier is too young. 16 is the absolute lowest age, I think. But that’s taking into account that most people don’t run out and get their license on their 16th birthday.
As for permits, they are a good idea, and 15 and a half would be fine for a permit with a parent. But not full license.
But that’s taking into account that most people don’t run out and get their license on their 16th birthday.
what planet are you from??? haha 
maybe things are different in the “country” than in the “city,” b/c practically everybody i know ran out and got their license on their 16th birthday or at least within the month.
I think that young people (with the proper training–>driver’s ed and learner’s permit experience) have THE ABILITY to drive just fine at age 16…in fact, most kids could prolly drive at 14 or 15. The problem is young people haven’t fully developed their decision making process and may decide to drive 140 MPH for the heck of it.
-teet
My main reason for thinking that a full liscense should be granted at 16 is the fact that kids need to work now a days. People live lifestyles that they have to pay for. You can see it yourself when you walk around the shops in the mall.
A nice pair of jeans goes for around $50, and a t-shirt is like $20 … that’s a $70 hit already for one “outfit” - and that’s for GUYS! Girls clothes are much more expensive, and you know they need the accessories and all.
Kids need to get to work, and they can’t rely on their parents, friends, or even public transportation to get them where they need to be on time.
I dunno, that’s just how I feel.
*Originally posted by BadMagick *
**My main reason for thinking that a full liscense should be granted at 16 is the fact that kids need to work now a days. **
excuse me, but I had to work @ 16 to keep a “lifestyle” … Jordache jeans were $65, Izod shirts were $40, Members Only jackets were $150…
all this in 1981 …
Rev
I do. I was a very irresponsible driver. I raced, drank and drove all kinds of stupid crap.
I wrecked a ton of cars when I was young. Two of which I am lucky to have walked away from. All could have been avoided.
From the Time I was 16 - 20 I had 5 accidents.
From 20 - 23 I had none 
Eh-hem … My main reason for thinking that a full liscense should be granted at 16 is the fact that kids need to work.
Better Rev?
But I kinda think of the 80s as now-a-days … not too long off. You spin me right round, baby right round!
Sometimes I wish I was born earlier so I could respect the 80s more than I do.
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