Driving Age

[MJFan101]

Whats Your Opinion....
Topic:
The legal driving age should be changed from 16 to 18

[TWR]

Driving experience come with age, my opinion, start learning at 17 with "L" until the age of 20 when some should have a points free / accident free 3year experience, if they are involved by their own making they should start again, I don't see why drivers of umpteen years should pay for the accidents the young often have, I am NOT KNOCKING THE YOUNG far from it, but you will have the same in your area as we have in our area, deaths by speeding & age, & normally the age is under 20, non accidents driver may it be male / female should not be penalised by the mindless actions of inexperienced young drivers.

[Eve]

I think there should be a longer probation period, help to weed out those you managed to pass a test but still aren't safe on the road (through general ability or recklessness). I think there is something similar now for new drivers like if you get so many tickets/rule violations in that time period it's an automatic ban for a certain period, to teach drivers the responsibility of being allowed to drive and if the threat of a ban keeps them driving well and safe then hopefully the habit will stick.

[tenrec]

In rural areas (in the old days!) many youngsters had to drive farm machinery from the age of 8 - I think most became very good drivers.

[beegeebee]

I guess that like most things today, one is taught to pass the examination but, not necessarily how to drive safely and confidently.

[FredPuli43]

Right MJFan101, and anyone else who's interested in Canadian driving hazards, including youngsters driving.

My Canadian friend, 20 years resident, says Canada has problems of its own with young drivers, particularly in rural areas. It is vast, open and the roads empty, has driving conditions which we never experience here, and has many roads which are gravel roads.Let youngsters loose with a car; and the typical family car is of bigger engine size than ours; on roads which are largely free of traffic, roads which may be gravel and dangerous in good conditions, treacherously so when frozen, and you get lots of fatal accidents.

In rural Ontario,she says that deaths of, or caused by, young drivers are so common in rural areas that she herself could instantly name three friends in her small town whose children have died that way, given time she could certainly recall others, and such cases are so frequent that they pass as hardly worthy of general notice.

She adds that there is 'some rule' which permits passengers in the rear,open, part of pick -up trucks. Young drivers will happily carry friends in the back, none, of course, wih seatbelts. One collision spills them on to the road. And alcohol is often involved in young drivers' accidents, though the consumption is restricted to 19 and purchase to 21, the youngsters still get it somehow.

So she's in favour of the age being raised to 18.

[spotit3]

I think it is 17 for cars, 16 for tractors and mopeds.

[MJFan101]

thank you everyone for your opinion :)

[HannaJayne52]

Both my brother and myself passed our driving tests when we were 17 and we were both 46 when we had our first accidents both due to brake failure on the other car.
What is even more strange was they were both Renaults, the brake cylinder collapsed in both cases and both cars had only passed the MOT tests the week before and been serviced by Renault dealers.
Oddly both of the other drivers were in their 50's when they are supposed to be at their safest.

Hanna