Hey doug. For one I agree with Anon if you weren't ready why'd you drive. Also did u ever think that those weren't options, have you ever tried riding your bike 6 miles to school with a 24 pound hockey bag in one hand and sticks in the other? Where I live there is no bus. And besides the stats are tilted anyway you're allowed to have a permit at 16 in both states so the stats just show that teens in NJ are better drivers than those in CT.
The driving-age urban legend revisited
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: Saturday, 04. October 2008
It's every 15-year-old's nightmare. You're just getting to the age of driving privilege when suddenly they raise the bar and you have to wait another year or more. Every year it seems, this rumor flies around, but soon, it may be reality.
Most U.S. states allow driving privileges at around age 16. In some states these privileges are phased in gradually, the idea being that new drivers are riskier and need to gradually gain experience before getting full privileges.
However, is it the new driver that is riskier or the young driver? Is a 16-year-old novice driver more dangerous than a 17- or 18-year-old one?
A new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study concludes that, while older new drivers have a higher crash risk than experienced drivers, their risk level is not significantly greater than younger new drivers. That could mean a new push to increase the driving age in many states.
The IIHS points out that teens in Great Britain and most Australian states can't get their licenses until they turn 17. Lawmakers in the states of Delaware, Florida, and Georgia are pushing legislation to adopt 17 as the minimum age. Massachusetts is thinking 17, maybe even 18.
Anne McCartt, IIHS senior vice president for research reckons passing legislation to raise the driving age will be "a tough sell." However, she adds, "it's an important enough issue to challenge the silence and at least consider changing the age at which we allow teenagers to get their licenses to drive - and raising the licensing age is a logical next step to reduce driving by the riskiest motorists on the road, the youngest ones."
What the issue boils down to, according to the Institute study, is balancing the immaturity and inexperience of 16-year-olds, and their greater risk of crashing, against the benefits and convenience of letting them get behind the wheel and begin accumulating experience.
A comparison between New Jersey, which delays licensure until age 17, and Connecticut, which allows it at 16, indicates the advantages of later licensing, the IIHS maintains. Unsurprisingly, 16-year-olds in New Jersey had a much lower fatal crash rate than 16- year-olds in Connecticut. But 17-year-olds in New Jersey, despite being vastly less experienced than 17-year-olds in Connecticut, had just a slightly higher fatal crash rate (32.3 versus 31.1 per 100,000).
These results and other studies look convincing enough to the IIHS to justify raising driving ages.
"Apart from the effects of age or experience, delaying driver licensure reduces crash rates by reducing the amount young people drive," says McCartt.
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All Comments (14)
Showing 1 - 14 comments
Anonymous Joe,
Johnson,
Got Dammit keep it at sixteen the parents should choose based on their maturity
JD larson,
Damn this totally destroyed my senior year road trip plans
Sam,
Interesting article, it's hard to decide on a specific age as people mature at different rates.
Sam from the Driving School
Derek,
re Dylan -- that would be a good job creation plan and it would save money too, by better driving and probably less crashes.
dylan,
why not start state funded drivers training at 7 in under powerd in closed parking lots (like a half hour once a month) so kids can have some mechanical ability and comon sense about driving when they reache 15 because kids that grow up driving on their parents laps on the trails in the woods and driving the lawn mower for fun always have more machanical ability when it is time their license and they make safe drivers but city kids dont have that oppertunity.
mhm,
i agree with the matureity (sorry for the spelling)
it is a stereo type that all young drivers are bad
i dont get how it would help to raise the age
then there the 18 year olds. they could already be out of home and they get a full permit as aposed to one that they have worked their way up to? dosent make sense to me. at 16 the parent can still punish a child for wrong doing with their driving offenses
there fore i think 15-16 is a good age
Jason,
KEEP IT AT 16!!
bolvari,
I am only 14 right now but I think it shouldn't be raised but there should be a certain amount of drivers training sessions that you should have. So all the people won't worry as much.
Anon,
Hey you down below,
If you knew you weren't ready, why'd you get it? You have the optino you know.. Don't punish the rest of the teen drivers because some of them don't know how. But seriously, if you weren't ready, why'd you get it? Maybe they should've done a phsyc evaluation...
elaine,
I agree with those above who call for aptitude testing. this is much better than just selecting and age. OK it may be expensive to do it but the cost of not doing it are huge as well.
At these early ages, each individual needs to be assessed on their merits. That would build respect for the system.
William Hayes,
I would like to say that, as a high schooler, i can point out people who shouldn't be driving just by the way they act. I agree with Dieter and Dave on this... I am in activities up to my neck and without a car, my parents would have to drive me into town every day and imagine just how many great things i would not have the opportunity to get involved in. Sure you can say that we're not ready, but before you get your drivers license, maybe you could have a teacher's recommendation, like colleges have, stating how you behave in and outside of class. Combined with Dieter's aptitude test, we could probably save more lives this way.
Will
Dave Penfield,
Not a clearly written article with conclusions that do not match data used ot make these conclusions. Perhaps this mixes emotion with reality. I began driving as early as 10, but that was on and with farm equipment. By 15 I had mastered the mechanics. By 25 I was still an agressive driver. Age, maturity does not marry up to ability.
My daughter was competent at 16 and exercised much better judgement then than I did at twice the age.
Doug B,
Yes, let's work to raise the age throughout North America, and the rest of the world, too. Ever since I was licensed at 16 and new darn well I was not ready I have been a supporter of raising the minimum age.
Take the bus, your bike, or car pool until you are older.
