Do you think the driving age should be changed???

Question

I'm in California, and you need to be 16 to get a license here. I'm not sure if all states follow that also, or not. I personally think that the driving age should be changed to 18. Admit it people...when you're in high school, all you think about is getting your license so you can go out with your friends, turn up the music, and drive around. Kids really are not as mature as they think they are at that age. And for me, safety is much more important than "looking cool". By the time people are 18, they have gotten over the whole driving thing, and typically mkae better decisions. This is not to say that college students and others don't drive drunk, etc. Besides, high school students don't NEED to drive. Their parents drive them to school and back home, or they get a ride from abnother parent, or walk or take the bus. I would fully support such a law to be placed in affect.

What do you think???

Answer 1

To be honest i think it should be 18 with a high school diploma

Answer 2

In New Jersey, the "3 step program" goes like this:

16 years old: Learner's Permit (Must have an adult about 21 yrs old in the card and cannot have more than one person from outside your household in the car.)

17 years old: Junior License: Same as a license, but you can't use cell phones at all (not even with hands free device), you can't make the radio loud, you can only have one person from outside you household in the car, and you cannot drive between midnight and 5 am

18 years old: full license



I think this system is a good system. I don't think it would be fair for the driving age to be higher than 17 because some kids graduate high school at 17 and they should be able to drive when they are out of high school.

Also, as to the fact that high school students don't NEED to drive: as teenagers get to be juniors and seniors in high school, they tend to stay out until midnight or even later. Most parents don't want to have to stay up on weekends to go pick up their kids from their friends houses. Also, most parents want their kids to be driving to school every day and driving around in their hometown and in a familiar setting before they get their license. If people get their cars at 18, they could be driving at college and away from home which is a much less familar setting to be driving in.

Answer 3

Here in Washington, there are strict rules on driving under 18. You get your license at 16, but there are restrictions until you turn 18. For example, you can't drive without an 18 year old present unless you are going to work, school, or another valid reason. Also, there are restrictions on the number of people who can be in your car. I think this is a good system.

Answer 4

Well laws are changing here in the state I live. You can still get your license at 16 however there will be a limit of teenagers you can have in the car with you. Plus you can not be driving after a certain time at night.
Plus if your getting your license before your 18 you have to take road driving license by professional instructors.
Plus if a student drops out of school he/she can not get their license until they are 18.
So keep the drivers license use them as incentives, have laws to help ensure safety.

Answer 5

In Philippines you need to be 18 to acquire a driving license. Youngsters below 18 think they are mature enough to be behind steering wheel where people their age specially their own friends think of it as cool when you are driving. But, do they really know what responsible and defensive drivers are? If parents think their children is mature enough to be driving,then they should take the initiative to have their child enrol at a driving school. I favor 18 to be the right age for driving.

Answer 6

I got my permit when I turned 16 and after passing driver-ed got my junior license at 17.
I lived in a rural area in upstate New York, so it was important that I be able to drive. In 30 yrs, I never had an accident untill a woman hit me from behind on an icy road.
.
Today, kids 16-18, account for 10% of the drivers and 50% of the accidents.
So, do we change the age limit? I don't think so.
Why not re-instate driver ed in every school in America? They cut funding in New York, maybe they should re-think this?

Answer 7

I think you shouldnt have a license until you are 18 and they should take it when you turn 55. And maybe it should be older in both cases. I know they were talking one time if a student drops out of school before 18 they would lose their license until they turned 18 or went back to school.

Answer 8

No. when you're 18 you may have graduated high school and need to get back and forth to college or your job. If the age had been 18 when I needed to drive, I'd have been screwed with trasportation to classes and work. My only suggestion would maybe be to make the permit tests a bit more difficult.

Answer 9

Here in the U.K the age is 18 and the immaturity is exactly the same as it is with the 15 yr old drivers in the U.S. I think 21 is a better age as by then you're a little bit more mature.

It's crazy that you can't drink alcohol until you're 21 but can drive a car and kill people with ease at 15.

Answer 10

16 is too young. I think permits should be allowed at 17 and once a licence is granted, there would be no driving after 9 PM until 19 (with certain exceptions for those who work in the evening and need to drive home)

Answer 11

I agree. But here where I live it is 16 for junior licenses...(when parents have to be in the car too watching you) and 18 for your own...should be raised to 20 though ;)