Should the driving age be 18?

[mongocanfly]

Killer bee nailed it ....work ethic and responsibility....I was working for folding money when I was 12...as were most other kids my age..most of us grew into responsible adults.....just look at the majority of kids now...mom/dad gave them handouts...then as adults they expect to get free handouts from everyone...
There's so much more I'd like to say...but I wont

[dieseldawg142]

interesting tread...
my son (14 yrs old) is one of them die-hard gamers, but also a tru gearhead.
he has managed to save up over 4 g by doing chores, and i asked him once what he was saving it for- a muscle car, which has now switched to either a 4by sq or an elco so he can haul his atv around. he owned his first atv at 3 and has been riding since, so he has a pretty good handle on "vehicle handling dynamics."
and like my dad did growing up, i let him drive our trucks quite often in the bush or backroads. i can't say how it will go when he's got his license and out there without the old man, but as some have mentioned, i think he's one of them that drives better than some adults i've seen
i also asked him what he thought about waiting till 18-resounding NO WAY, i guess he's one of them millenials that actually likes driving...
and just starting this yr, he has been looking on CL's quite a bit , showing me trucks he likes, got to say, he has good taste..

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by Gregski

I still don't see a need for teenage employment....

now they have the INTERNET, lol, they have YouTube, they order everything on Amazon and it is delivered to their (ok our) door step, so there's really no need for a car

plus I can argue that you can telecommute and work from home

again not arguing just making the opposite case from my own families experience both mine growing up and my kids

Your viewpoints do not reflect everyone else's reality. Not everyone gets everything they need online, and many jobs still require employees to actually show up at work. It may be the type of work that involves getting your hands dirty, but that's reality for many people. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

wow!

it's called work ethic and cultivating the responsibility to be self sufficient and earn a living while transitioning into adulthood..

what's an education's purpose again?

Amen!!

Originally Posted by Coley

With all due and serious respect, there are very few things today that expedite teens into maturity and adulthood than the advantage of a part time job starting in the mid teens.
Without this they follow in the footprints of the other millennials who often don't end up being employed for the first time until they are in their early-mid 20's....which is a serious recipe for a bad 'come-uppance' in the work place, as many of us who employ young people know.

Withholding responsibility and adulthood from teens who are ready for it....is a very bad decision for a great many young people....and for their parents, who are following in the collective parenting group, who have largely been driving parenting off course for many years....albeit unknowingly in many cases.

Well said... I couldn't agree more.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Gregski

That is interesting, I am not trying to be nosey but why did you need to work at 16? and why do your children need to work at 16? Again, I was not born in this country although I grew up there, so I am just wondering why start them so early, my daddy once told me, "son you have the rest of your life to work, so focus on education while you can." probly the only wise thing he ever said to me, ha ha

I am amazed you need to ask. It's the norm in the world I (and my kids) grew up in. It's how teens learn to be responsible adults. The way to 'teach' responsibility is to 'give it'.

[Hubscrub]

I started driving in 98 at 16 because i got a job. My dad helped me buy a 75 nova and said you want to drive it you get a job. When to school and worked at night. Did not affect my grades at all. Taught me to be very responsible with money and at 36 only debt payment i have is a house thank God. I listen to Dave Ramsey almost every day at work, my kids will be done the same way. It's amazing at the lack of skill found in workers now days that we get at work we can't find employees, i'm gonna teach my girls all the driving, welding, wrenching, etc. skills i can.

[Red71gmc]

Interesting discussion and I see all points of view on the matter.
My knee jerk reaction is absolutely leave it at 16 to teach responsibility and yes, so they can work.
However, I think the older I get the more I don't understand what I once thought I understood. I can't vote either way but I enjoy reading all the points of view. All good points pro and con.

[Gregski]

man, it's 2:1 in favor of 16 - wonder if the Russians hacked this voting system [too]

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Hubscrub

I started driving in 98 at 16 because i got a job. My dad helped me buy a 75 nova and said you want to drive it you get a job. When to school and worked at night. Did not affect my grades at all. Taught me to be very responsible with money and at 36 only debt payment i have is a house thank God. I listen to Dave Ramsey almost every day at work, my kids will be done the same way. It's amazing at the lack of skill found in workers now days that we get at work we can't find employees, i'm gonna teach my girls all the driving, welding, wrenching, etc. skills i can.

Love it, and that car is on my Bucket list cause it's the last year in Cali that you don't need SMOG, and I am not a big fan of the Coke bottle prior gen design, as well as it has better mechanisms on it than the late 60's ones... you done well, tip of the hat to you and your dad for sure!

but I read "I'm gonna teach my girls .... Frenching, etc... skills ... " I'm sorry I thought it was funny, I have a daughter too so I am not being a p e r v just had to do a double take as I sip my first cup of cofee this morning.

[cypressbog]

Driving is a privilege not a right. We had our daughter washing dishes at a local restaurant at 14 and she learned to find her own rides. She never got her license until 18, but she’s out of the house living on her own at 19. Now we just need to sell our big house before she has thoughts of moving back.

[kingsolver72]

Originally Posted by Gregski

man, it's 2:1 in favor of 16 - wonder if the Russians hacked this voting system [too]

That’s what people say when they don’t like the results.

[special-K]

I'll answer with a question. Should kids be working at 16?

[CG]

I think if kids had to drive the cars I did when I was growing up 16 is still a fine time to get your license. AM radio, four speed or three on the tree. No distractions. Hard to play on your phone or fiddle about with a computer built in to your car when you have to have one hand on the wheel and one on the shift knob.

And instead of an airbag how bout one of these on the steering wheel hub. Might help your attention span lol!

[JON67]

Agree or not, there has been a shift in society to make children, be children longer. trying not to delve too much into politics here, but they are now mandated by the government to be on our insurance until 26, they are raising the age to buy legal fire arms to 21 in many cases.

I think because of the 2 examples above, and because actions have consequences. I am for raising the age of majority to 21. no voting until then, no joining the military. any benefits a person gets at 18 now should be shifted to 21. thusly, the age of driving should be raised to at least 18.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by special-K

I'll answer with a question. Should kids be working at 16?

Yes.
Teens who take on employment at 16 or 17 advance and mature faster than those who don't. Specifically those teens who work outside of the family.

All good
Coley

[rpmerf]

In Maryland (at least around 2003), you can get your learners permit at like 15 years and 6 months. Learners permit means you need to have someone 18+ with a licence in the car with you and they are responsible for you. You need to log something like 100 hours on the road time and complete drivers ed before you can take your test at 16. Can't remember if there is anything after that, like a probationary period. Might had even changed since I got my license ~15 years ago.

I like the 'staged' approach - Learners permit, probationary period, full license. The question is what should the probationary period entail? Drugs, Alcohol, Electronics should be obvious, but should we also limit things like the number of passengers, diving hours, driving destination (work or school only), or some sort of vehicle class / horsepower / performance limit?

I don't think raising the age matters much. Is a new driver at 18 going to be safer than a new driver at 16? Seems more dependent on the person than the age.

As for the discussion on working, I was making money cutting grass at about 12. By the time I got my license at 16, I had about a dozen yards. All neighbors and family. While I was still on my learner's permit, my mom would ride with me while I towed my equipment. I was also working at a handyman type business run by my Scout Master and helping out at my cousin's shop.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Families were larger back then and parents didn't just hand out money , you needed money to take your favorite girl on a date to the drive in so that means gas . movie tickets , pop corn and cokes that could cost almost $5.00 ! It was normal to start a family at 20 or even younger , by 18 you would have your own place a serious girlfriend and maybe a kid on the way . none of this stuff we have going on today .

By 20 my dad was married with 2 kids, a mortgage, and a new Silverado. I'm 37, bought my home at 28, didn't get my first new truck until I was 34, and still no kids

[jeffahart]

Back when I was in high school Drivers Education was a class, and everyone took it and got a license. I don't think I know anyone that didn't have a license at 16 back then. By todays standards I wouldn't be able to get my license at 16. I had to go down town at 15 and pay $600 to clear several moving violations I had accumulated on my dirt bike! The judge fined me $600 and I went to DMV and got my learners permit. Now days, they would make me wait till I'm 40, or god knows what! Now days I would be screwed, I wouldn't fit in with these harsh new rules! When I got my license.... I burned rubber to my job!!!!


j

[mongocanfly]

https://www.foxnews.com/world/german...g-driving-test

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

https://www.foxnews.com/world/german...g-driving-test

When I was over there any 2 lane highway with a divider was unlimited speed, unless otherwise posted. He should have just headed for the highway. But more than likely he just wasn't paying attention.

Seems more than a bit excessive. It just goes to show, if the bureaucrats in Europe had their way no one would be allowed to drive... ever.


j

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by special-K

I'll answer with a question. Should kids be working at 16?

No, they should be focusing on school, education, sports, music, arts, anything but work till later in life, we live longer now well into our 80s so they will have plenty of time to deal with employment.

[kingsolver72]

Originally Posted by Gregski

No, they should be focusing on school, education, sports, music, arts, anything but work till later in life, we live longer now well into our 80s so they will have plenty of time to deal with employment.

You listed four things kids should focus on and one thing they shouldn’t. Some kids can pull off all that stuff and do well. I think our society expects some else to educate kids. Personally I don’t usually force my beliefs on others, I try to focus on my kids. I could give you some examples but I won’t.
I hope this doesn’t read as snarky.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by Gregski

No, they should be focusing on school, education, sports, music, arts, anything but work till later in life, we live longer now well into our 80s so they will have plenty of time to deal with employment.

Some kids will focus on those things, whether or not they have part-time jobs.

Some kids will NOT focus on those things, whether or not they have part-time jobs.

Each kid is unique and I am firmly in the camp that believes most kids can benefit from additional responsibilities during their teen years.
It's a great training ground to help prepare them for the real world that they will soon step into.
It goes without saying that having a job, or not, should ultimately be the kid's decision. It should be something they want to do, not something they are forced into.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by kingsolver72

You listed four things kids should focus on and one thing they shouldn’t. Some kids can pull off all that stuff and do well. I think our society expects some else to educate kids. Personally I don’t usually force my beliefs on others, I try to focus on my kids. I could give you some examples but I won’t.

I hope this doesn’t read as snarky.

No worries, respect! Someone already said this and I am just echoing it, this is a good discussion, it is eye opening what other people think, and how they arrive at the opinions they make

keep in mind that in the spirit of debate sometimes we may play the devils advocate so don't take offense just continue to discuss things in a civil manner

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Stocker

Some kids will focus on those things, whether or not they have part-time jobs.

As a three sport high school athlete I have to disagree with you, there is no way I could hold a part time job and for example during swim season, swim for 2 hours before school and for 2 more hours after school, still do my homework, and my god sleep and get much deserved rest, ha ha

I am not tutting my own horn, I played 3 sports but I'm not saying I was good at it, ha ha

when I moved on to junior college it was hard as hell to work part time and go to school full time, I went to school Monday - Friday and worked 10 hour shifts on the weekends, five years later when I graduated from a University I finally realized trees have leaves and grass has blades (as my older friends would remind me) point being I was busy busy busy

[Stocker]

What you did was apparently right for you, which is how it should be. Your choice. However, we can't throw everyone under the same blanket -- others will have different life experiences than you and they need to do what's best for them, regardless of what worked for you.