Awesome_Paul Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Around the world there are many different legal driving ages, ranging from 14 - 19. The topic is mostly about, what age do you think people can start learning/driving for. My view on this is that everyone should wait until they are around 17-18 to drive. Kid can be mature at a young age. But you cannot be mature to drive at a young age. 17-18 is roughly the time where most people get that maturity from. That way they can accept the damage/accident they caused and it wouldn't cause them any stress. I found this quote on another site which I completly agree Do you know how many kids get in accidents every year? driving is a huge deal and so many people (not just kids) take it for granted every day. look up how many kids are killed every year. I think the legal age for EVERYTHING should be 18. A car is more dangerous than a gun and you have to be 18 to buy a shotgun or rifle, 21 for liquor or a hand gun. How stupid are these rules anyway? If you are considered a legal adult at 18, then you should be able to do everything an adult does. Or this quote, which is done in a few states. At age 16, you can get your beginner's, called a G1. You must have this for at least 12 months (9 months if you graduate from a provincially-approved driver's ed program), at which time you take a road test to get your G2. A minimum of one year later, you're eligible to get your G licence (a full, regular licence), after passing another road test. All of this, from start to finish, has to be done before your licence expires (5 years). The G1 rules are that you can't drive between midnight and 5am, you must have a blood-alcohol level of 0.00, no divided highways, no more vehicle occupants than the number of working seatbelts, and you must have a fully licenced driver with at least 4 years experience in the front seat next to you. The G2 allows you to drive by yourself, but still with some rules: 0.00 blood-alcohol level, no more people than working seat belts, and nothing over 5 tons. So what is your view on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HBK Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I will comment on this quote, as follows: Do you know how many kids get in accidents every year? driving is a huge deal and so many people (not just kids) take it for granted every day. look up how many kids are killed every year. I think the legal age for EVERYTHING should be 18. A car is more dangerous than a gun and you have to be 18 to buy a shotgun or rifle, 21 for liquor or a hand gun. How stupid are these rules anyway? If you are considered a legal adult at 18, then you should be able to do everything an adult does. Now, legal age for nearly EVERYTHING here in Portugal is 18. Be it legal age to purchase (not consume, because that's 16) alcohol, take your drivers license (no G's here, just a full driver's license with all strings attached which you can take WHEN you're 18), vote in elections, etc. I believe the legal age to purchase tobacco was 16, but our government recently pushed this to 18 to avoid luring early consumers into destroying their health. It's not even legal to purchase any sort of weapon, be it shotgun, rifle, hand gun, etc here, UNLESS you have a specific license which has to be certified by the government (such as a hunter's license, so you allowed to carry certain types of guns, such as rifles). Only in America we see people being able to purchase guns at their own free will, like buying some food at a supermarket. It's insane. That's why we see so many school attacks in the US - young adults (18 y.o.) are already able to carry guns for self-defense in college and other main educational establishments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3l3ana Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I agree with most of Europes rules of legalities and driving age. I am not sure about all of it, but Holland for example has a very expensive, difficult system to get your drivers license. You must be 18 years old, you have to take a certain numbers of hours driving lessons from a qualified person (which is really expensive), then you sit your test. I am not 100% sure on all the rules of it, but I think it is a good system. I fail to comprehend why you are able to drive a car, but you are unable to buy alchahol or ciggarettes at the age of 15 in NZ. I car can be and often is a dangerous weapon and if you don't have the maturity or the experience you can cause a lot of damage/heartbreak. In NZ you can get your learners at 15, you have it for 6 months and you can learn to drive by anyone as long as they have had their full license for over two years. You have to put "L" plates up on your car in both the front and the back window, to show other drivers that you are a learner. You are not allowed to carry passengers unless they have their full license and you must always have a full licensed person in the front passengers seat while you are driving, they must have had their license for over two years. You are not allowed to have any alcholol in your system. After six months you can sit for your restricted license. You have to do a triving test with a qualified person (takes 20-30 mins). Once/If you get your restricted then the rules change a little. You are allowed to drive by yourself between the hours of 5.30am and 10pm. You are only allowed to carry passengers if there is a full licensed driver (license for over two years) is in the frong passengers seat, unless your passengers are your dependants. You are allowed to have half the legal limit of alcohol in your system if you are over the age of 20, otherwise none. You are supposed to have your restricted for 18 months, unless you sit and pass a defensive driving course then you can sit your full license after a year. You sit a test again to get your full license and again with a qualified person (takes about an hour). If you pass this test then you are given your full license and can drive anytime, anywhere and with anyone. If you are under 20 then you are only allowed half the legal blood/alcohol level (can't remember what it is). If you sit all the tests in the minimum time then you should have your full license when you are 16.5 years old. Ridiculous, don't you think??!! I mean, your not allowed to drink, smoke, gamble, or vote, yet you are allowed to drive a car??!! I personally didn't get my learners til I was almost 17 and I had it for almost 4 years. I got my restricted last year in November and am going to do a defensive driving course, because I want to know what I personally should do if I happen to have an accident or become in a dangerous situation whilst driving. A defensive driving course teaches you how to try and avoid an accident, what your should do in different weather conditions etc. It is all theory and no practicle (also ridiculous, if you ask me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxed Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 well i agree that driver's licenses are given out too young. in the US - (FL) you can get your restricted/learner's license when you are fifteen and you only have to pass a road signs/ road rules written test. you have to have that for one year, but you can have passengers as long as you have someone over 21 with a license with you... and you cant drive between 11p and 6a. then you can take a driving test with an instructor when you are 16 for a full driver's licence with no restrictions except that you cant drive from 11p-6a without a 21 yr old licensed driver unless you're driving to or from work... you cant have any alcohol in your system because the legal age to consume or purchase here is 21... but i definitely think that you should not be able to get a full driver's license until you are 18. i have a younger sister who is turning 15 in september and i can tell you that she is definitely not mature enough to be driving !! and i doubt she'll get mature enough in the next year to have a full license.. young kids here just think its funny and some kind of game, but i have known people who have died in car accidents, and it worries me. i think that driving definitely is a huge responsiblity especially because you are responsible for everyone in your vehicle and potentially for any other driver you may hurt... so i think that should definitely be included in the "adulthood" at 18 responsibilities.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiaircraft Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I agree with the opinions posted in this thread so far. Driving is not something to be taken lightly - there is a very real risk of somebody getting seriously injured or killed, not to mention the damage done to the vehicles/objects involved. However, I think that while setting a higher legal driving age is a good step, there should also be more focus on the driving tests involved in getting a license. People who can pass these tests should be ready to drive. If a careless or otherwise dangerous driver can pass the driving tests, then there's something wrong with the tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torridity Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 The second quote outlines the rules here in Ontario, with a few minor exceptions. I don't think 16 is too young to be given a learner's permit/G1. In my opinion, there are people who aren't mature enough to drive at this age, but you could extend the minimum age to 30 and they probably still wouldn't be mature enough. Most teenagers this age, if given the proper lessons and made to understand how much damage they could potentially do through driving with distractions or under the influence, can handle operating a vehicle. It also makes sense to me that you can drive ealier than consume some subtances, like cigarettes and alcholol. Those restrictions are in place because the minimum ages are when doctors and scientists feel the human body is first able to handle those substances without doing harm to developing or changing parts of the body. As for the gun thing, I disagree with the quote. I think that guns are far more dangerous than cars. I mean, what else do you else guns for other than injuring or killing? I really don't think guns should be freely available to people of any age... but that's a whole other debate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome_Paul Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 HBK, what you said is the rule for most of europe. Torridity, what they are saying about the Cars being more dangerous is that they are both to be taken seriously. Mess with a gun, you may take a life Mess with a Car, you may take a life Also, I believe the order of dangerous things is: Knifes Cars Guns. Knifes, easy to get hold of, Kitchen knifes or just go and get one when your 18 for a small amount. Every week (sometimes every few days) I can open a newspaper and find some crime about knifes (especially with 14 yr olds having them) Cars. At the moment, easy to get hold of. Get your license. You pretty much have a Car. Guns. Hardest thing to get. You need to go through the government to get a license then it will still cost you alot of money. And you're not really going to find one laying around your house. Only guns you can get hold of easily are deactivated war guns. Collectible, not dangerous (been deactivated) I just think, Kids are getting too much. They have plenty of time to drive when they're older. Im all for freedom etc, But kids still need rules, which recently some aren't getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess! Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I got my license when I was 17, but honestly, I wound't really consider myself a great driver, still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestral45 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 In Nebraska, the law for driving is something like this... *When you turn 14, you are eligible to get a SCHOOL PERMIT. This enables the person to take the most direct route from their house to and from school (and all other school related activities). Not sure about any tests (though I'm sure there are some...at least, I hope), as my parents didn't allow me to get one. *When you turn 15, you are eligible for a LEARNER'S PERMIT. This permit lets the person drive anywhere, as long as there is an adult over the age of 21 in the front passenger's seat. The person must take a written test and an eye exam in order to get the permit. *When you turn 16, you get a PROVISIONAL OPERATOR'S PERMIT. The permit allows the 16-year old to drive anywhere alone. There is a curfew from 12AM to 6AM where the person is not allowed to drive, unless it is for a school related activity or work, or they had an adult over the age of 21 in the front passenger seat. In order to get this permit, the person must either hand in a valid certificate saying they passed an approved driver's education course, OR have a parent sign saying they drove 50 hours or more and also take a driving test and eye exam. This permit is valid for two years. *When you turn 18, you get an OPERATOR'S PERMIT. This is a regular license, which means you can drive anywhere, anytime. For all of these (at least here in Nebraska), the seatbelt rule applies-everyone must be seatbelted, all the time. *takes a breath* I think that alcohol is even less dangerous to drive. If you choose to get drunk, then that is your own fault, and when you put a license in some kid's hands, it's asking for trouble. Driving a car (whether you are a good driver or not) puts not only you at risk, but also those around you. You never know what will happen...accidents can happen fast and in a split second, you can be seriously injured or killed. I guess we have a problem (yes, in the small, rural area I live in) with underage drinking, and I've seen too many kids get killed from accidents that could have been prevented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torridity Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 I understand what you're saying, but my point is that the objective of driving a car is normally not to hurt someone. As for gun availability, that all depends on where you live. In some places, it's as easy to buy a gun as it is a pair of shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faded Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I think 16 is still quite young. 18 sounds about right. It's better to start driving at a reasonably young age, the more experience the better. 17 is the age for a person to be allowed to drive here in the UK and I'm happy with that. Any younger and I'd think there would be more accidents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome_Paul Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 I agree with you there. I see many 13-16 come in on their way home from school to buy sweets (I work in a shop) If they all drive, The UK death count will rise by at least 50 per year (and more) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3l3ana Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I think a good system would be to start learning when you are around 16, and have about two years of a leraning period, where you may only drive with certain people and at certain times, then when you are 18 (and generally legally accepted) you can be legally accepted to drive too (with a serious test ofcourse!!!) I think the test for getting your license are too easy... My restricted test took me almost 20 mins and it was pretty easy. I had to drive around, reverse, park and get into the flow of traffic (all legally and using the correct methods of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faded Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 It may be easy but it's still a bit weird with a creepy examiner :handlebars: sitting beside you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3l3ana Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Yes I was a bit nervous, but I didn't need to be because it was so simple, and that is my point!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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