What are you opinions on the possibility that the UK driving age, be raised to 18?

Question

Do you think it is a good idea?

Lozziella I agree with that! I passed a young girl the other day, she was putting on her mascara and doing about 40mph!

Answer 1

yes
its a good idea
jane

Answer 2

I don't think it will make much difference raising the age by 1 year. The fact that young drivers cause a lot of accidents is down to the system of obtaining a license. A 17 year old who has been having regular lessons for a year, I'm sure, is much less likely to have an accident than a 40 year old who has had lessons for 2 months & passed their test. I think it's much more about experience on the roads than age; people should have to have had a certain number of lessons over a certain period of time (there are systems like this in other countries, e.g Canada).

Answer 3

I think it is pathetic i can already drive but i think that if people can leave school at 16 and get a job by all means they should be allowed to drive to their job. I think they are only increasing the age limit because of the amount of cars on the road they want to reduce it but this is not a good enough reason to pick on the young. the common belief is that young drivers are idiots which isn't true yes there are a few idiotic lads or in some cases girls but where i live its the aged that cause all the accidents the death and the blind they drive everywhere and think they own the road twice have i seen them drive directly into another car and then just drive off in the past few months! On that note i don't think it should be changed i feel they are scape goating the young people.
I also don't belive in those plates ideas either i can see people crashing into someone with reckless driving and then blaming it on them because they are young and yes they WILL and DO, do this because people get all in a huff and loose their morals when it comes to money and no claims.

Answer 4

It could be a good idea but raising age limits in the past has not been effective. In the US the drinking age was increased to 21 but the amount of people did not decrease and no real effect but the is driving it could work.

Maybe they need to introduce not a ban but a code of conduct, which allows people to drive and teenagers need to be educated of the dangers of the road.

Or people from now on should be only able to drive cars if they get 5 passes (A*-C) in their gcses if people knew that not passing exams stopped them from driving it may have a big impact or it might not work and their could be more illegal drivers.

We should see what effect raising the age to 18 will have and thenif needs changing it should. Making laws is just like a scientific experiment so we can improve it the second time round

Answer 5

This debate has been around for years and rightly so.
The is no case for a 'blanket' of age restrictions but figures held prove that in their early years, the under 25's have more accidents than anyone else.
That said, there are the better drivers under 18 too. The suggestion that younger driving licence holders should have some symbol on their cars for a period is already a feature in some countries, like Northern Ireland, I think, but this alone will not stop the 'mad Alec' from his showing off or 'proving his car is faster than his mate's'.
Although good young drivers will wince and complain when the age limit is set higher, time will tell if those who set the limits are correct. Be patient you under 18's. Better to arrive late than not at all.

Answer 6

As a quarter of all young male drivers (19 - 25 years of age) will die behind the wheel it will have very little impact upon the statistics and so, the reason for raising the age limit to 18 is likely to be made to reduce traffic and not to save lives. I think a better suggestion would be to prohibit motorists to drive high-powered vehicles, within 3-4 years of passing their tests - regardless of their ages.

Answer 7

Yes it is a good idea, 21 would be better but it wont happen because the voting age is 18 and political parties wont risk losing the votes of potential licence holders

Answer 8

I think its good, though I would be happy to raise it even higher to 20.

I worked in insurance for a long time, and the amount of accidents caused by teenagers not paying attention, talking on mobiles, putting on make up, turning round to talk to friends, thinking they can control the car at high speed, boy-racing etc was extraordinary.

I used to deal with the written off cars and i became unfortunately used to talking to bereaved people who had lost either their teenager or family members of people killed by teenagers.

They simply dont comprehend how dangerous cars can be and they just arent mature enough to deal with them, Im not saying all teens are like this, but their lack of fear causes them to think they are invinvible.

I think they should have at least 2 years driving on 'L' plates accompanied, it would broaden their experience.

For example, its easy to start lessons and take the test in a matter of months. They need to be learning in all sorts of weather conditions, be able to control a car when it skids on ice etc, and the few months they are learning is just not enough. They dont get any motorway training, snow,ice or severe fog training, its pretty poor really.

Its not entirely their fault, im not saying all teens are mad drivers, but they have not had the experience while learning that they should have.

i think they should be able to obtain their provisional at 17 or 18 and take 2 years learning before they take their test.

On the flip side, old people are a nightmare too. Ive seen lots of accidents caused by them driving on the wrong side of the road (even the motorway!) and they just dont have the quick reactions they used to. I think older people should retake the test periodically as well.

Answer 9

I think that there is pressure from other EU countries to get in line with them, so it will almost certainly become law. In all probability the only difference it will make will be to criminalise more seventeen year olds who feel that they can't wait to get behind a wheel and take a chance.

Answer 10

I think it should be raised even higher, maybe 25 most teenagers just think they know it all these days and dont care about the risks of driving too fast.

Answer 11

Yes I think it is a excellent idea and it should be raised there are too many young idiots out there
x