[Mars]

When I first saw Top Gear I was totally confused because all of the cars they had went over 200

Then I realized they were using kilometers, and felt like an idiot.

[admiral_wolf]

In the UK you can apply for your learners licence at 17 and if you're  pass at 17.  In my eyes, any one who is in the terms of UK law a child should not be allowed access to the driving seat of a car.  A car is a dangerous weapon if mishandled and I very much doubt a lot of school kids could handle a motorcar.  Especially when my sister's friend at 17 has access to a 3.0 Focus ST and cannot see out of the back window.

[BloodEagle]

In the UK you can apply for your learners licence at 17 and if you're  pass at 17.  In my eyes, any one who is in the terms of UK law a child should not be allowed access to the driving seat of a car.  A car is a dangerous weapon if mishandled and I very much doubt a lot of school kids could handle a motorcar.  Especially when my sister's friend at 17 has access to a 3.0 Focus ST and cannot see out of the back window.

Anything is dangerous if mishandled.

[Stormkeeper]

Maturity doesn't necessarily come with age, and I think maturity has a lot to do with being a safe driver.

[Herra Tohtori]

Maturity doesn't necessarily come with age, and I think maturity has a lot to do with being a safe driver.

Yeah. Not necessarily, but on average that tends to be the case. Legislators don't really have the option to rule the many by the exceptions, sadly.

In this case, it's really difficult to discern who is really mature enough to handle the responsibilities that come with privileges. So the legislators draw a line at some age, thinking - perhaps wishfully - that a certain percentage of people above that age is mature enough assuming they can pass the driving test.

Obviously, in different countries the line is drawn on different ages so it isn't like the matter is cut on stone. I personally tend to agree with the legislation in my country - people tend to be more mature at 18 than at 16. There are always a certain amount of immature asses at every agegroup, but most likely the number of them doesn't increase when comparing 16-year-olds and 18-year-olds. It's all about probabilities.

[Mongoose]

The one thing that you can go by to at least guide decisions like this is statistics.  It's a known fact that 16-year-old drivers are significantly more likely to get into an accident (and even worse, to get into a fatal accident) than their 18-year-old compatriots.  You might be able to chalk up a bit of that to the fact that many 18-year-olds have more driving experience under their belts, but those two years of maturing and going through the latter stages of puberty definitely contributes a lot to making sounder decisions as a whole.

[BloodEagle]

The one thing that you can go by to at least guide decisions like this is statistics.  It's a known fact that 16-year-old drivers are significantly more likely to get into an accident (and even worse, to get into a fatal accident) than their 18-year-old compatriots.

I'm betting that they're close to even if you add the 16-year-old death-toll to the 18-year-old list.

By the way, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies[,] and statistics."

[Mars]

And 79% of statistics are made up.

[Dark RevenantX]

I'd rather not have my mom drive me to college, thank you.  I'll get the license this year rather than having the government take that opportunity away from me at the last minute...

[Spicious]

I'd rather not have my mom drive me to college, thank you.

That's easily fixed:

• Get decent public transport system
• Use public transport

The first step tends to get skipped a lot unfortunately.

[Mars]

So far that system has worked for me, but Denver has an excellent public transport system for its size. If you're in some place without one, that seriously sucks.

On the other hand, people at large seem to have a phobia of busses / trains, which I really don't understand. If you're female sure, but unless you carry around your 2 grand laptop openly you're usually safe as a guy.

Hell, my 15 year old little cousin rides BART, and she's 5'5" at most. (to be fair though, I really hope she's carrying pepper spray, or maybe a switchblade)

[Mongoose]

At least in the US, public transportation is all well and good in cities, but those of us in the 'burbs or further out are kind of tied to our cars.  The regional rail service around here is really just intended for getting into the city, and bus transportation is scarce at best.  When you're at least a mile or two from the closest supermarket/your school/your church/anywhere else you want to go, a car is pretty much the only option.

[TrashMan]

also, to anyone who thinks this doesnt happen, welcome to croatia.

also, trashman, only 120? i've seen a ****er pull a 200+ near my house.
and i often see them doing the same **** in the center of zagreb (zeleni val itd... 200 na sat. jupiii...)

Eh... I've seen guys on a bike overtaking TWO buses in a sharp turn (at full speed), next to a cliff, so you can't see jack s*** even without the buses blocking your view. I've seen a guy driving the wrong way in a one-way street. Nothing surprises me anymore. The level of driving stupidity in humans is infinite.

(Zeleni val? I ja malo nagazin kad je zeleni val da uvatin drugi semafor, al 200 na sat???? Ajme Debila...)

[pecenipicek]

also, to anyone who thinks this doesnt happen, welcome to croatia.

also, trashman, only 120? i've seen a ****er pull a 200+ near my house.
and i often see them doing the same **** in the center of zagreb (zeleni val itd... 200 na sat. jupiii...)

Eh... I've seen guys on a bike overtaking TWO buses in a sharp turn (at full speed), next to a cliff, so you can't see jack s*** even without the buses blocking your view. I've seen a guy driving the wrong way in a one-way street. Nothing surprises me anymore. The level of driving stupidity in humans is infinite.

the bike guy would some times be me (i mean as in bicycle, not motorbike)
i usually drive with my bike around when i know that traffic is gonna be congested and i really dont have the time to wait in the traffic jams...

(Zeleni val? I ja malo nagazin kad je zeleni val da uvatin drugi semafor, al 200 na sat???? Ajme Debila...)

(ha čuj, dobrodošo u zagreb, to je sve kaj mogu reć. najgori su konjine sa BMW-ovim SUV-ovima, takvi su me već desetak puta skoro zgazili. dok je njima bilo crveni a meni ko pješaku zeleno. takve sve treba streljat....)

[Fineus]

I voted "yes" on a simple principle generalisation.

Locally, more serious accidents happen on the roads due to A) young people driving erratically or B) old people driving erratically, than any other instance. All too often local papers run stories on young Shaun who was 17, loved football and crashed his parents Golf whilst doing 90mph, killing himself and his 3 male passengers (ages 15 to 19). Go figure.

[Polpolion]

You know what's awesome? I can't vote, I'm a taxpayer, and I have no rights garunteed to me by the Constitution.

*Instead of spitting on the Constitution, spits on all of the idiots who prevent minors from being taken seriously.

[BengalTiger]

treba streljat...

You have to be 21 for that, don't you? Or is it just the US that requires that age to get a license for it?
//Non Slavic people, BEWARE!

20 years old cousin still plays it "smart" and drives a ****ing 220 horsepower car around without a license.

by law, you're forbidden to drive a car over 100 horsepower till you hit 21 or 22 and at least 2 years of driving experience...

Guess that law works just like the gun ban in Chicago...

And I bought my first car at the age 19, it has 235'ish HP, and here I am, 3 years later, in 1 piece, with no commited* accidents.

It all comes down to high gas prices and low gas mileage being a pain when racing too often responsibility, I never screw around at full throttle unless I'm on an empty parking lot. And I only screw around for burnouts and doughnuts 'educational purposes' such as turning while braking on snow, or regaining control of my car when going sideways on an icy surface.

Especially when my sister's friend at 17 has access to a 3.0 Focus ST and cannot see out of the back window.

Blame the legal guardians, not the system. There's a lot of 17 year olds who dream of a 1.6 liter Focus, and who can use it safely.

Again- it all comes down to who's responsible, and who ain't.

I am all for 16 as minimum age, even if it's with a parent/guardian who has min. 21 years and a license min. 3 years. If you teach the kids how to drive safely early on, they'll be less of a threat when they grow up move on to whatever powerfull or heavy and full of torque monster they can afford (and the Rice Rockets used in street races aren't owned by 16 year olds, more like 26, who need to learn some things the hard way).

*-I was, however a victim of an accident, while standing in place waiting for a green light.

I was rear ended by a 7.5 ton Mercedes, who couldn't stop at the red light due to ice on the road. No one, except my rear bumper, taillight, and the guy's front bumper and right headlight were hurt when he pushed me through the intersection at some 25 MPH.

[Hellstryker]

You know what's awesome? I can't vote, I'm a taxpayer, and I have no rights garunteed to me by the Constitution.

*Instead of spitting on the Constitution, spits on all of the idiots who prevent minors from being taken seriously.

Yes sizzler, but the problem is most of us are stupid. It may sound stereotypical but it's the truth. 

[Polpolion]

You know what's awesome? I can't vote, I'm a taxpayer, and I have no rights garunteed to me by the Constitution.

*Instead of spitting on the Constitution, spits on all of the idiots who prevent minors from being taken seriously.

Yes sizzler, but the problem is most of us are stupid. It may sound stereotypical but it's the truth. 

I wouldn't even say most, but the most that I can logically say is that at least enough people are idiots to prevent the people who deserve the rights from having them.

[Excalibur]

No, since more drivers in their 20's seem to drive radically since they can afford "proper" cars. The mental maturity of the drivers isn't usually defined by age...