What should the legal driving age be?

**98-LS1** · 07-08-2006, 05:22 AM

I say 18, I can't stand watching these 16 and 17 year old's with a car full flying down the road. I always get a car full of high schoolers in their riced out POS tailgating me in the Z-28 trying to get a race or whatever it is their attempting to do. I outta just pull the fuckers out and beat the hell out of them. Teenage girls on the cell phone while driving really makes me nervous too, about the same as my 24 year old wife.

**98-LS1** · 07-08-2006, 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by INandOUTBurger

37 in Texas

What was that kids in your school line then?

Are you still in high School and 37 years old?

**tnthub** · 07-08-2006, 05:45 AM

In my opinion, as soon as a person can pass a thorough written test and thorough driving test they should be able to drive.

The problem as I see it is not age but judgement, and as I see it the pathetic drivers education and testing process we have in place today in woefully inadequate.

My wife, who is a car salesperson and has been driving 20 years cannot even parallel park.

I would encourage a process where a permit license could be earned by someone as young as 14 with the caveat that they could only drive with a parent or guardian until they are 16. This would provide the ability to have two years of experience behind a wheel prior to obtaining an actual license.

My suspicion is this extended "gestation period" would remove some of the hype and excitement about obtaining the license and provide enough time for the reality of risk to set in for those young people whose parents would choose to take advantage of it.

It is a fact that hearing, vision, reflexes, and learning ability are all greater when we are young.

Heck, people 70 years old can often get on a bicycle after not being on one for 20 years and still ride and this is because the skill was ingrained in their youth. Better drivers are more relaxed and knowledgeable that poor drivers. They also develop a better feel for the road, weather, and traffic conditions. These skills are easier to obtain when we are young than when we are old.

The worst drivers, in general, are those who learned later in life, like my Mom, who didn't drive until she was in her 30's...

The goal is better and safer drivers. People who grew up around farm equipemtn or whatever, like I did, as my Dad owned a construction company, are often more skilled than those who did not. I was driving trucks, bulldozers, bucket loaders, backhoes, and even cranes by the time I was 14 on a regular basis. I remember the winter of 1972 when my Dad made it my job to plow out the neighborhood driveways with a Michigan front end loader.

It may not have been legal, ut we lived in the country and I sure learned a lot about driving in crappy conditions in a large vehicle with no heater, ripped seats, and a metal steering wheeel with a hand scraper for a defroster and windshield wiper that didn't work...

I didn't have an accident on the roads until I was nearly out of college and then it was not my fault (as the town stopped sanding right at the town line and there was suddenly nothing but glare ice at night on a dirt road)...

**INandOUTBurger** · 07-08-2006, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by 98-LS1

What was that kids in your school line then?

Are you still in high School and 37 years old?

Originally Posted by INandOUTBurger

when i was a kid you could get a hardship at 14.....all the people i knew with them were people who's parents literally shitted cash.....back then a hardship was something like "mom works too and can't pick up the kid and the bus ride is WAY too long".....or the kid "works" too.....all "working" at some family business of course

man the good ol' days were a blast

when i was a kid....all of the people i KNEW....learn to read

**Mr. Luos** · 07-08-2006, 06:03 AM

16 years old.

They are gonna be a little reckless right when they get their license regardless of age. Unless we bump it to 25 years old or something rediculous.

**98-LS1** · 07-08-2006, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by INandOUTBurger

when i was a kid....all of the people i KNEW....learn to read

I know, I was joking with you

**third_shift|studios** · 07-08-2006, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by SexOnWheels

16 is fine new drivers need experience as the main skill so the earlier the better.

I do agree with re-testing the 'old drivers' aswell.

@dd how did you get your name in fancy green? Are you a new staff member here now?

my name has changed too: i'm now the Ls1.com site graphic sponsor and am in charge of redesigning the page.

**Shpoone** · 07-08-2006, 07:55 AM

18 should be the age for everything. Voting, Drinking, Driving, and Selective Service. I've never understood why we have 16, 18, and 21 as these milestones.

**tnthub** · 07-08-2006, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Shpoone

18 should be the age for everything. Voting, Drinking, Driving, and Selective Service. I've never understood why we have 16, 18, and 21 as these milestones.

I do think that an age between 18-21m in my opinion 19, should be adult age. Getting married, military, dependancy, voting, drinking, and whatever should all happen at that age. i select 19 because the majority of young people are out of high school at that age and colleges can more cost efficiently isolate incoming freshmen from the rest of the college population (most do already).

However, other things like driving, are a basic skill. If a young person can get a summer job they should be able to drive. However I think anhy kid, regardless of age, should be required to take a written and riding test before putting a bicycle on a public road. I mean WTF... Bike riders are required to follow all traffic laws in just about every state yet are not required to have any concept of competency?

I also think a mandatory driver re-test every four years, no matter how foolish it may seem or how inconvenient, would save lives and reduce accidents. if we raised the penalties even further for drinking and driving that problem would go away as well.

Somehow I have some to think that we really don't want to improve things sometimes. We just like to bitch about them.

**x-40oz-x** · 07-08-2006, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Shpoone

18 should be the age for everything. Voting, Drinking, Driving, and Selective Service. I've never understood why we have 16, 18, and 21 as these milestones.

i agree

**Mr. Luos** · 07-08-2006, 11:11 AM

72 years old

**purdybaby98** · 07-08-2006, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by SSee ya

Leave the driving age as-is. If so many teenagers are gettin in wrecks and killing people then how the fuck are they passing driving tests? If im a driving instructor and a kid cant drive, dont give 'em the god damn licsense. btw im pretty sure that most of the kids at my school are getting in wrecks also because theyre spoiled and inresponsible because their parents buy all of their cars and shit. None of them can appreciate something that their parents bought them. they think "hmmm I just wrapped my new car around a tree, oh well mommy and daddy will buy me another one tommorrow so its ok if I act like a jackass." If our country would stop passing people who can't drive and stop handing over cars to kids who are too lazy to get off their ass and get a job we would see a lot less shitty teenage drivers. Kids who buy their own cars are much more likely to care for it and be a responsible driver and those of you that assume all teenagers are shitty drivers can

good point!

**Daniel P.** · 07-08-2006, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by Shpoone

18 should be the age for everything. Voting, Drinking, Driving, and Selective Service. I've never understood why we have 16, 18, and 21 as these milestones.

I've always kinda thought of it as something to look forward to, can't wait till 16 to drive, then 18 to be free,or buy tobacco for those who chose, and the big one 21 to drink legally, been waitin for that one for a coupla years can't always wait though. Oh and a good rule to live by f-bods don't run on alcohol, just thought I would throw that out there.

**slo4mula** · 07-08-2006, 10:03 PM

Definately 18. I think that kids should be able to get a learner's permit at 14 though. 4 years of driving with an adult would be a good thing. Also, it would prevent carloads of high schoolers driving around and not paying attention to what they are doing.

**SexyAssFormula** · 07-08-2006, 10:06 PM

I honestly believe, that it does not matter what age you begin driving. IMO there no difference between a 16 yr old first time driver and a 21 yr old first time driver. If you are a begginner, you are still going to experiment and do stupid shit you shouldnt do no matter what. However, I think that the difficulty of Drivers License exams should be raised, that way they can keep the idiots that cant drive off the road.

**SeVeReDiStOrTiOn** · 07-08-2006, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by slo4mula

Definately 18. I think that kids should be able to get a learner's permit at 14 though. 4 years of driving with an adult would be a good thing. Also, it would prevent carloads of high schoolers driving around and not paying attention to what they are doing.

14?? You must be high....I sure as shit don't want to be on the road with a bunch of 8th graders behind the wheel

**KyleLs1** · 07-08-2006, 11:00 PM

i got my learners permit when i was 14... you can drive with anyone over 18 in the car (who has a DL)
that way by the time i was 16 i was a very confident driver and was able to handle myself. i agree with SexyAssFormula though... a beginner driver will do stupid shit no matter what the age. at 16 i was a good driver but looking back i did some real dumb stuff. i havent got a single ticket since i turned 17 (knock on wood) but even friends who didnt get their DL's til they were 17 or 18 still did dumb shit when they were beginners.

i think the driving age should be 18 though... now that i am in the clear

KOMATOS3 · 07-09-2006, 05:27 AM

ok Driving test...a 16 yo will pay attention or else he wont get his DL, but as soon as he is out in mommy and daddies car with no supervision with a car full of retards and there all talking on cell phones....no im 19 and i think the driving age should be higher...or at least you should have to take an I Q test...

**01blkformula** · 07-09-2006, 09:21 AM

im only 18 but i think it should be 18 because all the cocky little 16 y/o thinkin there Michael Schumacher runnin around in there little honda, i started drivin with my dad when i was 14 but i was already used to having a car with power (94 impala first car). and i agree with SSee ya that you apperciate your car more if you have a job, i pay for my car and baby the shit out of it