DEBATE: Should 16-year-olds be allowed to drive?

What your suggesting, supah, is that its impossible for a 16 year old to be mature. Or mature enough to drive. If there's anything I can't stand, it's generalization, blanket statements.

[Sarcasm] Oh I forgot, that we are all robots who can't be differen't, guess we're doomed to be exactly the same[/sarcasm]

haha, I guess that wasn't very mature of me lol. And I bike too. And in all truth, I don't really care if I drive NOW! I get drove where I need to go, I can just sit in the car and relax. I don't have all that much to gain from getting my license. I don't really care.

I can confidently say that maturity and stupidity knows no age group. I'm 16 myself, I believe that the responsibility of driving should be given to people who need it, for example in mattboy's case he needed it to have a social life, go to school and to go to work. Driving for the sole purpose for driving should be left to race car drivers, stunt drivers and such. People need to get to places and that's the truth. 16 year olds who just want to have a car for the hell of it isn't correct; however if they need to commute for work then it is. Necessity is the mother of evolution, responsibilities should be handed down to people who need it, not those who use it as a false visage.

Paavo..do you know how fast you would die with a moped? That's exactly like a motorcycle..one mistake and you're smeared on the road.

Hey alpha2cookie you left the "r" off of your team description.

tom

Originally posted by Alpha2Cookie
Paavo..do you know how fast you would die with a moped? That's exactly like a motorcycle..one mistake and you're smeared on the road.

[sarcasm] oh yeah.. a moped is as least as fast as a motorcycle[/sarcasm]

Originally posted by TheGecko
What your suggesting, supah, is that its impossible for a 16 year old to be mature. Or mature enough to drive. If there's anything I can't stand, it's generalization, blanket statements.

well, how would you handle things then ?? if you cant put an age for something there would be a riot by thoose who wanted a license but couldnt get it because the didnt fill out the needs.. then some 16 year olds could have a license.. others wouldnt.. thats as bad as generalization isnt it??

i dont know.. we will never agree on a topic like this.. i suggest we just leave it be.. i wanted a license as well when i was 16.. but i also knew i had to be 18 to get one.. so i waited..

Speaking from a city-dweller's point of view with a city reason:

Whatever the reasons may be, if 16 year olds were able to obtain licences (AND a car - precious thing to us not-so-well-off forum members), they will, without a doubt, abuse this. They drive because they can, not because it's convienient. Unable to realize that they could get to the same place using public transportation, they will contribute to the already overwhelming amount of traffic and pollution. Having more cars off the roads would reduce traffic, slow down the accumulation of pollution and improve the efficiency of buses in the city (refer to the first reason).

I really can't say anything about other places in the US where public transportation can't reach or is good enough to use over a car. I'd say that our state government should be the ones deciding the age limit, and not the federal government. This allows the state to choose what's good for their citizens, and not what the government to choose what's good for the country as a whole.

Yea, if I lived in the city (Oh, If only) Then I would use mass transportation. But I don't. And I can get my license now. My learners that is. Anyways, next year, it will actually be a necessity for me to drive. I don't want to drive just for the sake of driving.

good to hear that Gecko...

but as mo0 pointed out, a lot of 16 year old would drive because they could..

speaking from my point of view, 18 year old in denmark only take a license if they need it.. some need it, but cant afford it.. people wanna move away from home as well.. so they cant use all that money on a license just because they 'can' ..

but yes.. maybe it should be the state goverment who made the decission..

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TheGecko
[B]What your suggesting, supah, is that its impossible for a 16 year old to be mature. Or mature enough to drive. If there's anything I can't stand, it's generalization, blanket statements.

[Sarcasm] Oh I forgot, that we are all robots who can't be differen't, guess we're doomed to be exactly the same[/sarcasm][/B][/QUOTE]

So, ok. You're saying that some 16 year olds are mature enough to drive.
But then by saying that, then you are inevitably saying that some ARENT. obviously, the "mature" 16 year olds must be more mature than the "immature" 16 year olds. You can only be mature in a situation like this as compared to somebody else.

So that means that as a whole, you're saying that SOME 16 year olds should drive, whereas OTHERS should not.

And that, my friend, is a little something we like to call "inequality."

It's the same for the highway speeds. Most of the drivers out there feel they can comfortably drive at 70 mph, but htere's the 2 or 3 people who get nervous behind a whele at that speed and accidentally tightens up and gets in a huge accident. So what happens? Speed limit is lowered, and eVERYBODY suffers.

It's the way things work, man, and you can't beat it. Unfortunately, when you're the one setting these rules - and this applies to many things, for example, webdesign! - you have to cater to everybody.

supahsekzy, what age do you propose then? 18...? That way you can start learning how to drive while you're a senior in highschool? The age most kids get drunk or high...? Wait, there MAY be one age that gets into more trouble and drinks more than 18, and that would be 19-22 year olds, kids at college... Maybe you should learn how to drive when you're 20 and in college, partying every night? Or maybe 21, when you can legally buy alchohol? Maybe that would be a better age...?

So what do you propose? 16? Maybe even younger! Jesus. Most kids who are addicts in their adult lives started when they were young, like 14 or 15 or even 16.

By your method, you seem to think that everyone is going to be irresponsible and drink and drive once you hit 18. So waht does that mean? Does that mean you should start driving at 16 and stop driving at 18? That's ridiculous.

Age is no excuse for not taking on your responsibilities. a 16 year old is just as susceptable to driving drunk as an 18 year old. And when you're 30, and you have a job, and you NEED a car to get to work, but you ALSO can party, legally drink alcohol, or get high with a lot more ease than when you were in school, you automatically become someone who can't drive because you COULD do all these things?

So what do I propose? 18? You mean, when we all supposedly start drinking and get high, but we can also legally vote? Or move out? Start working? Stop leeching off of our parents? Live by ourselves? Find a wife or husband, getting settled down? Or maybe 21 when you assume the privelage of legally buying alcohol or gambling?

When you grow older, you gain more responsibilities. Why owuld you legally let a 16 year old drive when his biggest responsibility is taking out the trash, or finishing his homework on time? Why not give it to him WITH the responsibility of drinking, or gambling, or smoking?

Every privelage that you get, whether it's something as trivial as being allowed to stay out until 10, or being able to watch R rated movies, or whether it's a very important privelage like drinking, gambling, smoking, or even *driving*, you have to do it with responsibility.

If you are allowed to stay out until 10, then you have the responsibility to come back home at 10 and not at 11. If you are allowed to watch R rated movies, you have the responsibility not to take it overboard and watch NC-17 movies, for instance.

In the same manner, if you are allowed to drink, you have the responsibility not to drink while driving, or not to drink so much that you for example pass out or seriously hurt yourself. If you are allowed to gamble, you assume the responsibility of paying off any debts you have, and not getting addicted.

In the same manenr as all of these, you assume a lot of responsibility when driving. It's no different from the rest.

That's not what I meant.... It's alot harder to get a hold of drugs and alchohol when you're 18 or 21, then 16... Parents usually see you more and have more control at 16... I'd say IF you do start drinking or whatever at 18, it's better to know how to drive... What's worse, drinking and driving when you're a new driver, or have more experience? I'm not saying it's right to do it, but people are going to drink, and better to do it as a better driver... And my point was also that either way if you drink or are irresponsible, being 18's no better than 16... And I don't see the huge difference you guys see between 1 and 18, or 20 in maturity...

I've been around 18 year olds alot (high school) and I wouldn't trust any of them more than 16 years old... I don't trust anyone on the road really, I see jackasses from 16-45... middle aged guys who think they're better with their awesome cars...

I don't trust anyone on the road, but I can't stop them from driving, and I don't think making them have to be older would help, there have to be better ways...