Rocket Scientist,
If these kids are away at college at 18,
maybe they should concentrate on their studies instead of learning to drive if they are away at college. They can also use public transportation and learn when they are home over winter & summer break.
They don’t need a car when they are at college…as a matter of fact, most colleges discourage driving to school and using a vehicle. Some volleges even offer shuttle services for these students.
SFL, what peple fail to realize is that driving is a PRIVILEDGE, not a RIGHT. There are too many kids rushing through the lessons and too many parents who don’t give their kids the time and attention they deserve in order to achieve good driving habits. Mixed with under-age drinking, it’s no wonder why auto accidents are the leading cause of death in teenagers.
The way I see it, having the government raise the driving age to 18 seems logical, since many parents refuse to become more proactive in their children’s lives.
By the way, children don’t magically become adults at 18…..legally they are.
Emotionally, not all are.
Most contributors to this forum are saying that parents aren’t involved enough and you are all in agreement that the driving age s/b increased to 18? Makes no sense. If the law is changed, parents won’t be involved at all b/c most of these kids will be away at school. While I understand that there are many uninvolved parents, this change will not solve that problem. It will take away the experience from those parents who are hands-on. This change if it happens pushes the teen driving/accident problem into the future. Do the powers that be think there will be less teen fatalities b/c the driving age has been increased to 18? How is this substantiated?
As for the shuttles at college, the majority don’t like them & don’t use them. Just b/c the freshmen aren’t allowed a car on campus doesn’t mean they won’t come into contact with upper classmen who are willing to allow them to drive their cars.
This is a very interesting debate just like the drinking age debate.
I am more in favor of the graduated licensing because it does allow a teen to gain some experience driving with adult supervision prior to being allowed freely onto they highways and byways of our society. And not just to have them run errands for me!
My oldest son had little interest in pursuing his driver’s license and just got it at 18 1/2, which I had no problem with. But I worry more now that he has his driver’s license with little experience than I would have at 16 with driving restrictions in place. (And we are very involved parents with our 4 boys!)
As much as we try to keep our children young, we have to give them the resources to transition into adulthood safely and with some life experiences.
if the upperclassmen allow them to drive the car, do they know that their own insurance would have to cover them for the accident? probably not! interesting how many folks don’t realize the consequences of their actions, including giving permission to drive a vehicle.
i like the graduated lic fm 16 – 17 or 18. time limits to drive and whom or how many can be in the vehicle. parents making restrictions as well (being concerned). many of us had parents that took us to places, why not us?! why did our society change? are we so far away from being a family we forgot? do we not sit at the table to eat and have conversation?
The last thing I nwould want to do is send my child off to college at 18 where he?she will learn to drive.
At 16 I am involved with that learning, and my underage children had to answer to me for thier actions. This may not happen if they are the age of majority when they are first allowed to drive
RS, you make a good point about taking away the experience from parents who are “hands on” with their children. But as it is now, in California, you can get your permit at 15, and be licenesed at 16. This is not enough time to teach your kids proactively (I took 2 years with my girls practicing). If the legal age to drive is 18, getting your permit at 16 would make more sense as you would have plenty of time to educate and teach your kids. I still say raising the driving age would help tremendously.
So, kids at school don’t like using a shuttle and public transportation…too bad. Driving is a right, not a priviledge. Raising the driving age will also raise the permit age and give kids more time to learn how to handle a 2,000 pound weapon.
As for lowering the drinking age….what are they thinking? That’s legalized homicide! :)
And why are kids maturing more slowly, because mommy and daddy are hovering over them, fighting their battles and trying to PROTECT them from all the bad things that could happen.
You want a kid to mature, let them live life. Sometimes you have to get bit to know the dog bites.
If you never let kids take responsibility or have any, they will never be responsible. Start early and let them face the consequences for their actions. When they get in trouble at school, let them face the consequences (don’t try to get them out of it).
Same applies in other areas of life. Stop babying them and they will stop acting like babys. Then they will learn what responsibility and consequences are and they will be mature enough to drive.
Responsibility is learned as is maturity. There is no age, it’s training and expereince.
imagine, that we don’t take responsibility of our kids?! um…under the law, we do up to the age of 18. many states, allow any damage your kid has done to be sued against the parent/guardian. as parents, we should be making them responsible. how many parents actually make their kids do chores? clean bathroom, bedroom, do laundry or dishes? anyone let their kid cut the grass anymore? we can make them responsible – yes! we ourselves, need to show them that being lazy is not being responsible. showing them that we care and are concerned will show them we are responsible. think of it this way, when your child was hurt, who took them to the hospital? they came to you for a kiss on the cut or a bandaid. my daughter wanted me to hold her while she gets a shot, even at the age of 18. so who is being responsible? showing them is a great way, remember afterall it is a priviledge to drive a vehicle and not a right!
Oh, and by the way – taking the time to plan and teach responsibility and maturity takes involved parents who will also model the behavior.
Teaching is not ignoring – it’s taking the time to point out the dangers, the consequences, the right and the wrong. Then you meter our responsibility as it is earned.
But when done right and started early (it’s never too early to teach responsibilty)16 is as good an age as any.
Watching the kid you love take responsibility and face consequences may be the hardest thing for any parent to do; but if you truly love them you will train them through it, not get them out of it. It’s the lazy parent that teaches their kid to avoid responsibility – cause it’s easier to complain than train.
To punish those of us that were ourselves taught and now teach responsibility and maturity because of lazy folks…well, you decide what’s right about that.
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Rocket Scientist,
If these kids are away at college at 18,
maybe they should concentrate on their studies instead of learning to drive if they are away at college. They can also use public transportation and learn when they are home over winter & summer break.
They don’t need a car when they are at college…as a matter of fact, most colleges discourage driving to school and using a vehicle. Some volleges even offer shuttle services for these students.
SFL, what peple fail to realize is that driving is a PRIVILEDGE, not a RIGHT. There are too many kids rushing through the lessons and too many parents who don’t give their kids the time and attention they deserve in order to achieve good driving habits. Mixed with under-age drinking, it’s no wonder why auto accidents are the leading cause of death in teenagers.
The way I see it, having the government raise the driving age to 18 seems logical, since many parents refuse to become more proactive in their children’s lives.
By the way, children don’t magically become adults at 18…..legally they are.
Emotionally, not all are.
Parents, wake up!
Most contributors to this forum are saying that parents aren’t involved enough and you are all in agreement that the driving age s/b increased to 18? Makes no sense. If the law is changed, parents won’t be involved at all b/c most of these kids will be away at school. While I understand that there are many uninvolved parents, this change will not solve that problem. It will take away the experience from those parents who are hands-on. This change if it happens pushes the teen driving/accident problem into the future. Do the powers that be think there will be less teen fatalities b/c the driving age has been increased to 18? How is this substantiated?
As for the shuttles at college, the majority don’t like them & don’t use them. Just b/c the freshmen aren’t allowed a car on campus doesn’t mean they won’t come into contact with upper classmen who are willing to allow them to drive their cars.
This is a very interesting debate just like the drinking age debate.
I am more in favor of the graduated licensing because it does allow a teen to gain some experience driving with adult supervision prior to being allowed freely onto they highways and byways of our society. And not just to have them run errands for me!
My oldest son had little interest in pursuing his driver’s license and just got it at 18 1/2, which I had no problem with. But I worry more now that he has his driver’s license with little experience than I would have at 16 with driving restrictions in place. (And we are very involved parents with our 4 boys!)
As much as we try to keep our children young, we have to give them the resources to transition into adulthood safely and with some life experiences.
if the upperclassmen allow them to drive the car, do they know that their own insurance would have to cover them for the accident? probably not! interesting how many folks don’t realize the consequences of their actions, including giving permission to drive a vehicle.
i like the graduated lic fm 16 – 17 or 18. time limits to drive and whom or how many can be in the vehicle. parents making restrictions as well (being concerned). many of us had parents that took us to places, why not us?! why did our society change? are we so far away from being a family we forgot? do we not sit at the table to eat and have conversation?
The last thing I nwould want to do is send my child off to college at 18 where he?she will learn to drive.
At 16 I am involved with that learning, and my underage children had to answer to me for thier actions. This may not happen if they are the age of majority when they are first allowed to drive
RS, you make a good point about taking away the experience from parents who are “hands on” with their children. But as it is now, in California, you can get your permit at 15, and be licenesed at 16. This is not enough time to teach your kids proactively (I took 2 years with my girls practicing). If the legal age to drive is 18, getting your permit at 16 would make more sense as you would have plenty of time to educate and teach your kids. I still say raising the driving age would help tremendously.
So, kids at school don’t like using a shuttle and public transportation…too bad. Driving is a right, not a priviledge. Raising the driving age will also raise the permit age and give kids more time to learn how to handle a 2,000 pound weapon.
As for lowering the drinking age….what are they thinking? That’s legalized homicide! :)
wudchuck, amen!
BTW, when our girls are around, we all have dinner together at the dinner table.
Nice……….Always have and always will
And why are kids maturing more slowly, because mommy and daddy are hovering over them, fighting their battles and trying to PROTECT them from all the bad things that could happen.
You want a kid to mature, let them live life. Sometimes you have to get bit to know the dog bites.
If you never let kids take responsibility or have any, they will never be responsible. Start early and let them face the consequences for their actions. When they get in trouble at school, let them face the consequences (don’t try to get them out of it).
Same applies in other areas of life. Stop babying them and they will stop acting like babys. Then they will learn what responsibility and consequences are and they will be mature enough to drive.
Responsibility is learned as is maturity. There is no age, it’s training and expereince.
imagine, that we don’t take responsibility of our kids?! um…under the law, we do up to the age of 18. many states, allow any damage your kid has done to be sued against the parent/guardian. as parents, we should be making them responsible. how many parents actually make their kids do chores? clean bathroom, bedroom, do laundry or dishes? anyone let their kid cut the grass anymore? we can make them responsible – yes! we ourselves, need to show them that being lazy is not being responsible. showing them that we care and are concerned will show them we are responsible. think of it this way, when your child was hurt, who took them to the hospital? they came to you for a kiss on the cut or a bandaid. my daughter wanted me to hold her while she gets a shot, even at the age of 18. so who is being responsible? showing them is a great way, remember afterall it is a priviledge to drive a vehicle and not a right!
Oh, and by the way – taking the time to plan and teach responsibility and maturity takes involved parents who will also model the behavior.
Teaching is not ignoring – it’s taking the time to point out the dangers, the consequences, the right and the wrong. Then you meter our responsibility as it is earned.
But when done right and started early (it’s never too early to teach responsibilty)16 is as good an age as any.
Watching the kid you love take responsibility and face consequences may be the hardest thing for any parent to do; but if you truly love them you will train them through it, not get them out of it. It’s the lazy parent that teaches their kid to avoid responsibility – cause it’s easier to complain than train.
To punish those of us that were ourselves taught and now teach responsibility and maturity because of lazy folks…well, you decide what’s right about that.