Driving.

What are the legal ages for driving in your country? Do you agree or disagree?
Here in Illinois (and most states in America) the legal ages for a license is 16 for probationary and 18 for graduate license. They've been recently talking about raising the age to just 18, but that's been talked about for years and it hasn't happened yet. I somewhat agree with the ages because the best time to learn about the road is earlier on when you're doing the most learning. However, teenagers are extremely accident prone while they drive, which is why people might be thrown off by the age.
Do you think penalties should be different for new drivers?
Already it's in affect that your grades and age can determin the amount you're charged for insurance, as well as gender, status, ect. They have also been talking about making it so if you drop out of school before 18, you can't have your license until 18 which is usually when most are graduating. This is to prevent people from wanting to drop out willingly, while there would probably be special cases.
Do you agree to the rules/regulations for new drivers?
Absolutely. If you're a D student, you're not only struggling with academic learning, but you will most likely be unable to function as a driver properly. Good grades=good rewards, coming in the form of a lower insurance rate.
Do you think there should be a certain age when people should not be allowed to have a driver's license?
Already they're wavering on 16 here. 16 is Sophmore year for most people here. I got my permit while I was 15. I hear about other countries having 15 as their licensed age, and I can't really agree with that. 16 can be a rocky stage, but 15? No thanks. That's Freshman year for some people, and the Freshman here I can already tell would be a big problem on the road. In Illinois, we do Driver's Ed at 15, and before you can get your license you have to wait 3 months after you get your permit, you have to be 16 and you have to complete 50 hours of out-of-class driving, and an additional 6 hours of in-class driving.

Our Avenged Jules:

My dad is a driving instructor, and he's been in the business for about 12 years.
Throughout all of his experience, you'll find that teenagers are more prone to accidents, because some of them don't care at all.
They want a car to look fancy, to drive around and impress, but do they care about safety? No.
This isn't to say all teenagers are like this - my dad has told me stories of middle-aged people learning to drive - but I support the Australian (or Sth. Australian, I suppose) government's decisions when it comes to inforcing laws on P-plate drivers and etc.

I see where you are coming from, but I really think some of the new laws they are trying to pass are ridiculous.
I mean, curfews and passenger limits are going too far.
If a person is an irresponsible driver, these won't relly impact on them at all.
All it does is place even more limitations on those of us who do the right thing.
Not to mention the fact that curfews would be near impossible to police.

But then again, maybe I only feel this way because I am a P-plater, I don't know.
I hate the stereotypes that all P-platers are 'hoons'.
It's so stupid. I don't drive around doing like 20 over the speed limit, and I don't cause crashes.
Hell, the only thing I have ever run into is the fence out the front of my house, and it's not like it was a crash as such, I just scraped the side of the car.

I think these sterotypes also cause a lot of problems.
I think a lot of P-platers feel extremely underestimated, I mean obviously if they have passed a driving test, people should respect them as drivers, but no, that isn't the case unfortunately.

Teenagers have a way of being quite tricky. The kid brought up well in his home and gets good grades could be the kid throwing a party in his parent's house when they're gone for a weekend.

here u get ur permit at age 15 then u can take ur drivers test at 16. personally i cant wait to finally be able to hop in a car and go

I have my permit now, and personally it's already been a big experience just practicing driving....I realize how scary it can be sometimes if you don't predict peoples' actions.

Oh, I've been so scared of driving! I have my permit now, and the roads are horrible out where I live. People are yelling at me, and flipping me off... I'm gonna live in NYC...

Darth Shame:

Oh, I've been so scared of driving! I have my permit now, and the roads are horrible out where I live. People are yelling at me, and flipping me off... I'm gonna live in NYC...

yeah!i live in NY brooklyn and the roads are kinda small!but some are open either way they are very crowded!and you can get a parking ticket easly!

I'm not too picky over the driving age. But restrictions should be the same for EVERYONE. I don't think people should be driving whilst using objects like the phone. It's just as harmless for others if a teenager is usinga cellphone compared to a old person using one while driving. Precautions shouldn't be limited to just one group but for all due to safety cause everyone has their own perks.

I think every person over the age of 55 should retake the drivers licence test at least once every five years.

so tired of this:

I think every person over the age of 55 should retake the drivers licence test at least once every five years.

i guess so!!but i dont think its really nessicary

Our Avenged Jules:

Yeah, I agree with the fact that some of those laws are down right stupid.
But the thing about limiting the people that do the right thing - it's with anything.
Like, if a group of people misbehave in a class at school, then that class might be held in.
It happens all the time - the good people also have to suffer the consequences - and it's been like that throughout all of history really. This is just another situation where it's put into practice.

I agree with the stereotyping thing too - it would bug me if everyone thought, just because I'm on my P-plates, I'm a raving lunatic.

See the thing is Asha, is that a teenager can pass a driving test - they can do so perfectly well. But when there is no driving instructor in the car with them, only a group of friends, then they can be the complete opposite to how they acted during the test... if that makes sense.

It's just because they're young. It's like stealing. Every shop you go into, you get your bags checked. And the little old lady can walk past without having her bags checked, and I think it's the exact same in driving. Some P-platers are hoons, so it automatically means we all are. So I agree with you on that part.

My friend who I've known for ages got his P's last year, and he's so responsible, it's almost scary. He won't go over the speed limit, he'll stay under. But then he let his friend drive his car for five minutes and the guy flipped it.

I know that P-platers may just want to show off, but so do adults with they get new cars and stuff. Nobody's immune and it's supposed to be equal, so why are P-platers treated as though they're speed demons?

Excentrique:

I think every person over the age of 55 should retake the drivers licence test at least once every five years.

If it prevents crashes and stuff like that, then it should be brought in as a law.

But not at 55, maybe 65. I mean, 55 in this day and age is just middle age.

Here in Norway we can start practice driving with our parents when we turne 16, after taken a cours in simple ruls (etc). But we can`t take the driver`s license test before we turne 18.
I think that is a good age, I meen we don`t need a car before that anyway. And most people around 16/17 are not suted for driving. (that`s just my opinion..)

I`m not sure if there is a certain age when people can`t have the driver`s license in Norway. Because there are some new rules about that now.
I meen it should depend more on how the person is (in the head), than his/her age.

What are the legal ages for driving in your country? Do you agree or disagree?
In Wisconsin, you can start driver's education when your 15 1/2 and then get your temporary licenses after 3-4 weeks of the class. When you turn sixteen and have completed x amount of hours of behind the wheel driving with an instructor and sixth months after you get your temps, you can take the test to get your licenses
I really have no problem with this....I mean, I can't really imagine doing it any earlier, and any later would be sort of ridiculous. Most people start to get jobs when they're 15 or 16, and it's convient to be able to driver ourselves there....
Do you think penalties should be different for new drivers?
Yes, if only to scare them into good habits and hopefully install them in their minds for the rest of your life.
When the police crack down harder on teens, it hopefully results in teens making less risky or careless decisions.
Do you agree to the rules/regulations for new drivers?
Like I said above, I think it should be a little stricter on teens.
But there are some rules/regulations I completely disagree with...
In wisconsin and several other states, they're discussing banning cell phone use while driving for teens. While I completely agree that cell phone use is dangerous while driving, I don't think it only applies to teenagers. In fact, most of the careless driving I've dealt with as a result of cell phones have been from middle aged businessmen or soccer moms. I don't think they should only attack teens on this, when they're are so many others who commit the same actions.
Also, in wisconsin, there is a rule that you can not have more than one other person in the car for nine months after getting your license. I think this is not only a.) a potential inconvience but b.) just another added factor to global warming. So if four of you and your friends want to go to the movie, instead of only taking one car, you have to take two. One extra car, more carbon emissions.
Besides, no one really follows/inforces it...it's sort of a joke here.
Do you think there should be a certain age when people should not be allowed to have a driver's license?
I don't think you can simply draw an age line...the ability of a person to drive varies from age to age.
however, I do feel after you reach a mark of, oh, say 60, you should be required to take a sort of test, to insure you are still capable of driving every 5 or 10 years.
Plus, if a family member or friend feels you are a danger to society and yourself, you should be subjected to a drivers test in order to keep your privledges of driving.

Excentrique:

I think every person over the age of 55 should retake the drivers licence test at least once every five years.

Totally agree with that! And the optitions should change there tests every time too, My grampa couldn't see well out of one of his eyes, but they did the exact same test to him all the time! Though he was fine during the day it was at night that he gout really nervous of driving............. Though he shouldn't have been driving at all........

well i just recently got my permit and here in connecticut you have to have it for at least 4 months and have a certain number of hours driving to get your licence...once you get it its like 6 months until you can have someone out of your immediant family(mother, dad, brother/sister) which i personally think its good because once i get my licence i want to practice driving more until i have a friend in the car with me
but with ages i think for me at least that 16 is a good age to start. i used to think 15 was but now looking back at what i was like when i turned 15 until when i turned 16 im a lot more responisble(in my opinion)