I think that they should change the driving age to 21 so people can learn the responsibilities of life and the value of other people's property before they get behind the wheel.

Cars and speed don't kill people, people kill people.

I myself am growing tired of young kids and their driving styles. I know a Drivers Education teacher that once told me this:
A parent is paying for their kids drivers education. They are not happy when the kids don't pass and its not worth the hassle to fail them. Basically whats been said is as long as you pay your dues they get to drive no matter how bad a driver they are.

Done ranting.....

 

hmmm...you should have added the option of saying that 16 is an ok age to drive...but i think the drivers test should be a lot harder.Im only 16 and just got my license on monday hehe.The test consists of driving through a neighborhood and one main road.Not that hard.If they redid the test a lot less people would have their license that shouldnt.Giving advanced driving skills would be a help too.I think no elderly people should be able to drive...i mean seriously some are all right,but some of them just pull out in fornt of you and go like 5 mph,WTF? if youre not confident enough to get on it if youre gonna pull out in front of someone then you shouldnt be driving.TAKE A DAMNED BUS.THAT GOES FOR TEENAGERS TOO,SOME DONT HAVE ANY REASON TO BE DRIVING.Enough ranting...i figured id get one good post in before i leave for oklahoma in about an hour,ill be gone for a week,no internet,ill be at my grandparent shouse

 

Hey man, you were a kid once, so get over it.

Age has nothing to do with it. I know a 17 year old guy who can probably outdrive most of the people on this board. He is a natural at driving a car, especially at high speeds.

Your problem isn't with 16 year olds. Its with the dumbasses who can't drive.

Im 16, and nobody has NEVER told me I don't know how to drive.

Hell, most people in between the age of 30-80 can't drive worth a damn. But us car enthusiasts can(for the most part anyways LOL) because we strive to drive better, safer, and sometimes faster.

Get over it bro. They will never change it to 21. Maybe 18, but I hope not.

I bet you wouldn't have said change the law when you were 16. Get over it bro, just because your older doesn't make you better than everybody else.

:lala: :rockon:

 

My theory is once you get old enough to call your self a senior, then you have to retake you driving test to prove you still have what it takes, and then every few years after that. I deal with old people everyday, and lets face it when you cant remember you phone # how do you expect to drive. I dont have a prob with old people driving, just as long as they know HOW to drive.

 

Best answer yet. They'll give any idiot a License. The written and driving portions should be much more in depth. I don't think age really has much to do with it. If people had to work harder for the PRIVILEGE of driving they would probably cherish their license more.

 

You guys are right, age really has little to do with it.
The only reason I related this topic to age is that younger people tend to think that they're invincable and now that they have a loaded weapon they have the world by the *****.

Some of the points you guys have made are valid. Maybe the resolution here is more education. But then again they pay for driver education classes, they don't have any common sense classes that anyone can pay for and take

I agree with the post above about "seniors". Once they qualify for a senior discount then they should test them every year just to make sure that their senses are still in check.

I had to rant about this somewhere but theres no lounge to discuss topics like this. Pisses me off that nobody uses public transportation anymore.

 

I definately agree with that. The drivers test is a joke!!! a few people i know who just recently got their licenses said that it took a whole 3 minutes and hardest thing they had to do was a 3-point turn. I dont think that anyone can tell if someone deserves their license based on 3-5 minutes of driving.

Also I think that some of these half-fast drivers ed classes/schools should have tougher standards. I can definately tell the difference in drivers from someone who went to drivers ed at the local high school in my town versus someone who went to the independently owned drivers ed school. The kids who come out of the independently owned drivers ed school are much better drivers because they are more strict than the public schools.

Just my 02¢...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
82CamaroZ28
Matt K

 

<----Been driving three years and never been in an "accident".

Responsibility has no age.

 

hey if they do change the age to 21 as u say. there would be a hell of alot more DUI's then there are now. becuz people would be able to buy beer and whatnot legally ad then go driving. i think the age they go here in NJ is a good set age. dunno about other places. my 2cents.

 

I am getting pretty sick of everyone talking about how they are sick of teenagers driving, while I agree that for every 25 teenagers only 1 is a good one, I think it has nothing to do with age, more of experience and will power. I am 17 and I bet that I am a better driver than a good amount of you all here....however I have been driving since I was 10

now here come the remarks about the worst teenagers are the ones "who think they can drive", well I'd say the the majority of those people drive ricers (not imports!) so hopefully they will get in a wreck (not with another person - in a best case situation) and put those poor cars out of there misery.

I am not one of those teenagers who is arrogant and doesn't care or pay attention while they are driving....I know plenty that do and there is a reason why we have to go through the most BS to get licensed and pay the highest insurance rates.

heh, but I already have my license and there is nothing you can do to take it away from me now! , so go ahead and change the driving age!

 

I don't think that there is a real problem. I am 18 about to turn 19 I know that there should be more drastic fines made for minnors. A kid in town (rice rocket) lost his license he is still driving and everything if he gets caught his dad will pay to get him out of trouble. Me I was in one accident never got a actual speeding ticket or anything parking ticket for forgetting to put change in a meter. The accident happened driving in a local town (highway that goes through city) 35 mph I am driving down the road and a guy in an exlorer pulls out of a business and slams into the side of the vehicle I was driving took out the fender both side doors bent the cowl and B pillar roof and frame car was totalled. The guy got out of his truck and started yelling at me about how it was my falt "what where you thinking". A class A CDL driver stopped and talked to the cop he was behind me from the stop light at the corner before the accident. The guy said I must have been doing atleast 50 mph the driver started laughing because he was behind me I had not even been moving from the light for more than 50 yds and he was right behing me. Bottom line any JA can get a license and it doesn't mean that at age 40 they will learn the responsibility.

 

I totally agree about the driving test being way to easy. There should be extensive hours in a class room and on the road as well as a rigorous test before a license is issued. I am 18 years of age, and the test here in Georgia is rediculous. There is a simple written test, and the driving test consists of driving through cones in an empty parking lot. It is rediculously easy, and as a result people who have no right being on the road are allowed to endanger the lives of others.

 

Age has some, but not much to do with it. Its all on who has an ego. And most punk *** 16yr old drivers have some kinda big *** ego and go driving around like they are the coolest **** on the road and the law doesn't apply to them.

One example: RICE ROCKETEERS

 

First off, I believe the seniors are definately a bigger problem than teenagers (imo).

In Indiana they passed something where the first 6 months after you get your license, you can drive by yourself as much as you want, but if you have any passengers, you have to have a 21 yr old licensed relative in the front seat with you.

Good Idea I think, but I wouldn't have thought so when I was 16(I'm 24 now)

 

Wow...
All of you guys are good drivers ! Pretty cool !
Personally I am a terrible driver. I am over 40.
It was pretty tragic really. It all started on a fine late May
weekend in Ohio. You see I was quite a hot **** young street racer. Easily the fastest in my crew, technically adept,
amazingly skilled, ***** of steel. Well at the tender age of 20
I was convinced by a pal to join a club. (motorcycle road racing)
and attend a meeting at Nelson Ledges.

I was crushed all my "badness" evaporated. It was over a year
before I could spin a 1:32. Several years later I contested the AMACCS series. Scored enough points to get a ticket for the Pro-Am year ender at Road Atlanta. Once again my "badness"
evaporated in the cold light of guys who could really ride.
Finished 1 spot above mid pack. Went home with a pretty
clear idea that I am not a particularly "good" rider or at
least what I think is good...

So how about you guys...
Local solo 1 champ ?
Solo II ?
Autocrossers ?
Formula Vee ?
Formula Ford ?

How good are you guys... really ?

 

well here in nj we get it at 17. i am turning 17 on wednesday so i will be taking my test soon. from what i hear it is very easy. i think 17 is a good age. if the age limit get raised then what happens to the people with jobs that are far away and need to drive there. also i think we should make talking on the phone illegal(which most states are starting to do). also i think that people should be fined when the are reading the paper, shaving, etc.... why'll driving. plus the new licienses have restrictions so that gives people a chance to learn more responsability.

 

Ha Ha Ha Ha

You guys are gonna have a good one at this. I grew up in IOWA, no i wasn't a farmer and didn't own a tractor.

You can start driving as soon as you turn 14!!!! No that isn't a typo, i started to drive to School and back when i turned 14.

If you live more than 1 mile from the school you get a school license, which means to and from school activities and what not. I have still yet to cause an accident...knock on wood....I got my camaro then too.

Once you turn 16 you can drive wherever you want too, but you can't drive after 12:30 at night and 5 a.m.

Once you turn 17, do whatever you want.

I know i'm not experienced in driving, i've been doing it for only like 4 years now and in my experience since i moved to Florida OLD PEOPLE are the worst damn driver's in world. They are absolutely horrible, which you want to ban, someone who doesn't have much experience driving, or someone who FORGOT all their experience driving??

REMEMBER:

DRUNK DRIVERS ARE THE WORST DRIVERS
- It's not your age, but rather the state of mind you are in while you are driving?

 

blah

 

I simply think there's no way to regulate idiots! I would have to say I think 65% of the kids in our class are not ready to drive. (I'm 16 and a sophomore- get my license in 2 weeks!) Some kids can not properly walk, talk without confusing half the people in class, or even do simple 4th grade math. I don't see why they should drive. I know last year as a freshman, I was in sports and whatnot, and I was always calling my parents for a ride home. I thought I was ready to drive alone at age 14, but now I know I was wrong. I am ready and prepared now, but age 16 is still young for such a big responsibility.

 

You cant say that all 16 year olds are not able to handle the responsibility if driving. I myself have been driving since I was 12 and am dying to get my license. I feel that I am a much better driver than most kids at my school who have their license. I think it has alot to do with growing up with fourwheelers, dirtbikes, tractors, etc. so you get a feel for controlling something so powerful. Anyways, I think that if a 16 year old can handle the responsibility that comes along with driving, that more power to them. Anyways, I'm done rambling. :lala:

 

I think the driving test is way too easy. I sat in a class room for 3 hours a day for 2 weeks, I didn't pay any attention and got 100% on just about all of the tests. Everything that they covered I learned back when I was 12 years old.

The Driving test was a joke. All I did was make 1 turn then did a 3 point turn then make another turn then paralell parked then made another turn and I was done. I have now been driving for 2 years and have not had to make a 3 point turn or paralell park.
I think that the person should have to drive the car in traffic and be able to change lanes and make sudden stops with out the aid of the driving instructor. They need to make the driving test a little more realistic.

I don't think age(16-50 years old) has anything to do with how well you drive (until you get really old and cann't remember anything). I agree with the post above about once you are considered a senior, you should have to take a driving test every year or so to prove that you are still alert enough to drive.

A perfect example of the age thing is my friend and myself.
Myself: Driving for 2 years and 1 month. No accidents or moving violations. Alert driver that can navigate through heavy traffic under any weather conditions with out a problem. I know when to speed and when not to speed.
Friend: Driving for 2 years and 3 months. 6 accidents, 2 totalled cars, 3 points on license. Listens to music loud and isn't very alert. Doesn't know how to control his camaro in bad weather.

As you can see, the age has nothing to do with how teenagers drive.

Just my 2 cents.
-Kevin

 

I was origonally going to agree that the driving age should be raised. but then this topic really got me to thinking.

Is it really the age or the in-maturity of the drivers? "It isn't the age, it is the amount of driving experiance." that's what I heard the whole time I was Learning to drive, is it true?

I was watching a report on the news last night and they had a story on this type of subject. They had 5 people between the ages of 15 and 70. The only one to pass the written test was the 15 year old, people seem to forget the traffic regulations. The funny thing was watching the "experienced drivers" . They all have developed "bad driving habits" that hurt their scores in the driving portion of the test. Everyone passed the manuverability.

Then there is the "me first" factor. I would love to know how many times I have been trying to pull across a two lane intersection, or pull out of a parking lot and had some a$$hole pull up beside me and block my view so they can pull out of the lot before me. This is a real problem with the suv drivers, many of these people use the size of their vehicles as a bullying tactic (lets not get into the topic of pee-wee and his big truck it'd probably start a real flame war).

I don't blame the teenagers or the elderly for being the problem. I blame the idiots with their heads in the clouds and the in-considerate people that always want to be "first" (main cause for road rage in my opinion) for being the problem. Maybe we should add an aptitude test to the set of tests we need to pass to get a license, re-take the test when-ever we re-new our license, and prosecute people when the pull bonehead tricks trying to be "first".

 

I'm 20, heres my take. Drivers ed was 4 years ago for me, and I remember it still. I had a good teacher, but there are some flaws in the system.

Things they don't ever teach you:

-Driving in any condition other than what its like on your day
after school.
-What to do if you start sliding
-Panic stops
-Panic anything
-Evasive manuvering
-Paralell parking (I'm not joking, we NEVER DID THIS)

And I could maybe think of a few more things. I had to figure all that out on my own, but theres a lot of people who never do. You learn the basics, thats it. Anything skill acquired beyond that is through a drivers own common sense. You have to have 25 hours of behind the wheel time signed off on by your parents, but a lot just say "yeah, they did it." If you get more than 2 tickets (must be moving violations)before you're 18, you loose your lisence for at least a month. If you get caught driving before you have your permit, you don't drive till your 18.

Did I drive like an *** when I was 16? Sometimes. Do people older than 16? Oh yeah. Most of the really bad drivers I see out there are actually in their 30s-40s, and think they own the road. I won't start telling stories about what I've seen on the roads, I'll just say from what I've seen, young age is not the problem, at least in my part of the country. One thing that kept us out of trouble is when me and my freinds were 16, all our cars were highly underpowered.

I personally think that any car above a given power to weight ratio (notice I'm not saying HP level) should require an "over 18" liscense to drive. In other words, F-bodies (ok maybe not TBI/LG4/V6 ones), Corvettes, Stangs, etc. should sometimes really not be driven by those of us who are new to driving. Like this 15 year old guy I know who wanted this 72 455 Buick GS... and he's never even driven yet. Thats dangerous. I'm gonna catch some fire for this I know, but remember, I'm only 20.

 

I am a fairly new driver, got my license back in March, (16 yrs old, permit for 6 months, 12 hrs of behind the wheel training from an instructor, the rest of the 50 w/ my dad, and 30 hrs of classroom instruction) and I have noticed that some of my peers are reckless drivers, but the problem that I have is those soccer moms and other people who pick up their kids. They feel like they can get away with anything: Illegal U-turns, cutting off people. And in this land called So-Cal, one MUST be careful at stop lights because of the 3 or 4 red light runners, or yellow light sprinters. At least once a day I'd be at the light, waiting for the green, but you can't go when the light is green, you better WAIT for those that run red lights or you're SOL.

It's not the age that matters, its the discipline people have in driving. People drive like theres no one else on the road. I have learned lots of things NOT to do from my father. Sometimes that reverse psychology works. (That may be because I just like being better than my father or at least like trying to) <i>As Aaliyah sang: Age ain't nothin' but a number.</i>

The test though, should have more of an attitude test included, because people drive RECKLESSLY when they're pissed off or just went through a bad experience. There has to be some way that the examiner can test that. I wouldn't know how, but that would make the test much harder.

If your beef is with those that drive with the stereo loud, well I'm guilty of that, but I make sure I have the windows down so I can hear emergency vehicles and the like.

 

I'm 17, and I agree that the tests are WAY too easy. Mine consisted of making a left turn (at a light) onto a busy road, take the busy road for 2 blocks, turn right and go around a 4 block area in a residential area then returning. I could have passed it with 2 weeks of driver's ed. I don't think they should change it to 21 though, thats too old. I needed to drive when I was 16 cause I had a job. I think maybe raising it to 17 or 18 would help a little, but either way, some kids will be irresponsible and drive like maniacs. Sure, I speed, but only when I'l confident its safe. I don't speed around residential areas like I see some kids doing. I don't jet in and out of lanes. I don't punch it at lights all the time. So no matter what you do, you will always have idiot drivers.

 

I think everyone should have to take another test if they want to drive a fast/semi-fast car, however I don't think it should be based on age....like so many people have already said: it's not the age, it's the ego/ability/experience that affects how you drive.

 

i know here in cali (well there used to be, ive heard talk of there being or going to be cant remember for sure) there is 2 diff classes for motorcycle linceses (above and below 250cc).. there should be the same type of thing for automobiles.. weight to ci(100 pounds per engine ci above and below)..

for me, i noticed a HUGE difference in my driving after being in a major accident (i was a passenger in all the accidents ive been in).. alot of ppl dont realize that there driving a "weapon".. and the wrong person behind the wheel of that "weapon" could hurt ot kill someone..

burnouts bad thing rite now
-mike (loomdog)