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

casual, a moped doesn't have to not be as fast as a motorcyle to be very vulnerable.

trhaynes, I did that on purpose.

Statistically, teenage drivers are involved in, and cause more accidents than older people. That's why insurance is insanely high for males under age 25.

Some interesting statistics to back up the argument for having to be older to get your license...

Two out of three teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes are males.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers.

In 1997, over 60 percent of youth (16-20) who died in passenger vehicle crashes were not wearing seat belts.

In 1997, almost one quarter (22 percent) of those who died in speed-related crashes were youth (15-20).

Sixty-five percent of teen passenger deaths occur when another teenager is driving.

Nearly half of the fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers were single vehicle crashes.

Those statistics were taken from here: http://library.thinkquest.org/3363/stats.html

And here:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/newdriver/SaveTeens/append_c.html

Those sites also have a lot of other good statistics that I didn't put in this post.

Well, in a country where they have drive-thru liquor stores I really don't think it's necessary to discuss the legal driving age.

Originally posted by supahsekzy



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.

Well, I don't HAVE to beat it. I can get my learners right now if I so choose. Where I live thats the way it is. And in about a year, I will HAVE to drive. Seriously. It will be something I need to do for certain reasons. More important than you might think.

And i'm not your friend, lol j/k hehe.

BTW, I always have my seat belt on. Always. And, I've never seen fast and furious or 2Fast 2Furious. And I have more respect for life than the average 16 year old.

Oh, and deker, good statistics.

But still, as regards the reason that insurance is so high, I think is becuase the companies try to make money whatever way they can, and they think they can justify it with that. Kinda like after 9-11, they increased home insurance, and then afterwards sent out letters saying you weren't covered for acts of terrorism (at least thats what happened around here).
The insurance companies are driven by greed.

Well, with the seat belts, from what I've seen even many irresponsible teens wear seat belts...

And if you pushed driving a few years or more back, what's to stop the statistics from staying the same and just moving up a few years? Then since all 18 year olds are new, they'll have just as many crashes as the 16 year olds, since they're inexperienced...

I'm as guilty as any younger kid. I'll admit that when I get on a lesser-traveled back road, I'll kick my car up to 120-130 MPH. I love the sensation you get when the center dashed line turns solid, and telephone poles just whoosh by one after another. It's stupid, yeah, I'm man enough to admit that, but what's life if you don't live it? I don't race anyone, and I (normally) don't do it with anyone in the car. I've yet to see how fast my current car is. One of these days I'll find out, I just keep running out of road.

In the winter, I drive around town after snowstorms and slide corners with the assistance of my E-brake (or parking brake for the faint of heart). I'll do this for hours on end, because I love it. To me, that's so much funner than any amusement park ride. And when I do it, I always have people with me. If I get in an accident doing it, I'm not going to hurt any property other than my own car, because I don't do it on corners where there are cars, I don't do it where I have the stop sign, I don't do it where the curbs are high, I don't do it on narrow streets, I don't do it if there is anything around that corner that I can cause damage to.

I drag race at street lights once in a great while. Only when I pull up next to some V6 Mustang kid who thinks he's fast. I don't go out in the country and do 1/4 mile races, I just go off the line, maybe a couple hundred yards at max, usually never more than a block.

I generally don't speed though. I'll drive 7 MPH over the speed limit. I don't pass in intersections or train crossings. I always use my turn signals. I always wear my seatbelt. I always slow down when the light turns yellow. I have my moments where I drive stupid on purpose, but 99% of the time, I drive like a normal human being.

In March of 2001, I was clocked by a state patrol officer. He locked me on at 103 MPH. I was on an extremely desolate highway. I can guarantee that I was the only person for 10 miles on that road. I peeked up over the hill and my radar detector went ballistic. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late, the officer had already has his lights on by the time I realized what was going on. Thank the Lord that he was in a good mood. According to Iowa law, you lose your license @ 80 MPH in a 55. He dropped it down to 79 MPH so that I wouldn't lose my license. It still cost me about $70 for the ticket, and added like 3 points to my insurance. It didn't deter me, because I still like to push my car up over 100 once and while. But I don't do it for sustained periods of time anymore.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm almost 24, and I still don't drive like f***ing saint, I don't think I ever will. I'm one of the people who believes that driving is a right, not a priviledge.

Then since all 18 year olds are new, they'll have just as many crashes as the 16 year olds, since they're inexperienced...

Crashes dont just come from being inexperienced @ driving. Its really more inexperience of life. Its small things.. like lack of respect for others...or for rules/authority. I mean what 16yr old isnt rebellious? Its a rite of passage...its how teens are. Its also a lack of resposibility. Most 16yr olds...either dont know how to handle responsibity...or havent had enough of it. Its a lack of a lot of things. Its peer pressure. Its the movies. Its everything about life that affects driving. I understand someone older might be as immature as a 16 yr old....but they have had more life experience which counts for a hell of a lot! There is a lot that can happen/someone can learn between age 16 and age 18!!!

Rodder is quite right, the age difference is not about driving experience, but life experience. If a 40 year old had never driven a car and then decided to one day, you can bet that he will be a safer and more cautious driver, because he has more respect for his own life and the life of others.

Driving experience does have some part in it, because when you first start you don't know the limits that you can go to and you don't know how to handle fish tails and adverse weather conditions, but most of it is your attitude and the choices you make, not your actual driving ability.

*edit*

And gecko, yes insurance companies are in fact trying to make money, just like every other company in the world. But they raise the prices for young males because that is the people that have the wrecks, so they have to pay more. It would be pretty stupid of them to not charge more for the largest segment of people that are causing wrecks, because that would likely put them out of business.

Bull, they wouldn't go out of business just because they don't overcharge 4 times as much as is reasonable....

Oh, and the age difference we're talking about is NOT 16 and 40, it's 16 and 18, or maybe 16 and 20...

And I still fail to see the difference between 2 or 3 years... An 18 year old is just as 'hormone wild' as a 16 year old, if not more so!

Trust me, I've been around plenty... My brother is almost 18, most of his friends are between 17 and 19, and I am 15, most of my friends are 15 or 16.... I can tell you by how my brother and his friends sometimes drive when they're messing around that it's not any better than 16 year olds... I would actually say 16 year olds are MORE careful than 18 year olds, but still get in more accidents, since they are inexperienced... I'm just glad that when I ride with my brother or his friends that they didn't just get their license at 18, or I would be really scared...

I think it all depends on the people... Usually from what i've seen if you're mature at 16, you're mature at 18, and if you're immature at 16, same thing for 18.... I don't think I've EVER seen a radical change between a kid when I know him at 16 then when he becomes 18...