Raise Driving Min Age to 21

[Magic Johnson]

never said i was

where and how were these statistics taken?

and my insurance isn't to bad when you take in to account my age and how long i have been driving so i know its not just 'da man' as you like to put it

besides how many years you have been driving technically doesn't mean anything, some one could have there license for 30 years and drive a grand total of 25 thousand miles

iv had my license for 2 and a bit years and driven over 30 thousand miles, who do you think is more experienced and safer on the roads?

Insurance companies obviously.

Yes it does, it's called life experience. You think a 17 year old and a 40 year old passed their test at the same time and they'd be equally adept in their decision making?

 

[jip0]

Insurance companies obviously.

Yes it does, it's called life experience. You think a 17 year old and a 40 year old passed their test at the same time and they'd be equally adept in their decision making?

translates you don't know

never said they would be, but take one 40 year old driver with little millage under there belt and an under 21 driver with lots of millage under there belt presented with a dangerous situation on the roads i'm willing to bet money that the younger driver with more experience will make a better more informed decision then the the older driver with less experience

as i said before good driving is a skill that is developed through practice not how many years you been around

I'm not on about maturity etc just pure driving skill knowledge and experience

 

[Magic Johnson]

translates you don't know

never said they would be, but take one 40 year old driver with little millage under there belt and an under 21 driver with lots of millage under there belt presented with a dangerous situation on the roads i'm willing to bet money that the younger driver with more experience will make a better more informed decision then the the older driver with less experience

as i said before good driving is a skill that is developed through practice not how many years you been around

I'm not on about maturity etc just pure driving skill knowledge and experience

Are you deliberately acting like a thicko? Oh, of cousre insurance companies just make it up, they selected a random age group and decided to make them highest risk for absolutely no reason.

You're failing to grasp the point I'm making. Obviously someone with more experience in a car will be better regardless of age, but that is not my argument, create another thread if you want to debate that one.

 

[JackFi]

They don't need the make the age higher, but make the tests (Theory/Practical) much harder as said, and harder punishment for people caught speeding/Driving stupidly in there first 2years.

I'm surprised so many young people can really drive, as insurances prices have gone up so much since I passed nearly 4 years ago.

 

[jip0]

Are you deliberately acting like a thicko? Oh, of cousre insurance companies just make it up, they selected a random age group and decided to make them highest risk for absolutely no reason.

You're failing to grasp the point I'm making. Obviously someone with more experience in a car will be better regardless of age, but that is not my argument, create another thread if you want to debate that one.

yeah that's exactly what i'm doing i love spending my Saturday morning annoying people online i don't even know . Have you not heard of high risk areas or high risk cars? it doesn't just come down to driver age.

im not failing to grasp the point at all your point is that all drivers under 21 are incapable of driving safely yes?

what im saying is age is one small factor of a very very big equation and i'm using experience as an example just to show you that age isn't everything.

something i experience a lot is
"i have been driving longer then you therefor i own the road im going to cut you up now coz your in a small car"

get a grip no one is better then anyone because they are older

 

[Venters]

If your using insurance company risk assesment to dictate age restriction then surely it should be 25 not 21?

 

[richydraper]

*facepalm*

this thread is going round and round... a little bit like my head... its not an age or experience thing i know people who have been driving twice as many miles as me and who i wont get in the car with as they're a danger to themselves let alone anyone else... is a matter of attitude and training both of which seem to be lacking in this day and age by the young right the way through to the old.

my ma's ol' man is a ****ING LIABILITY to every road user (if anyone lives around warrington look out for a silver Honda CRV driven by a white bearded old dude) but if, god forbid, you should ever mention to him that he was even slightly in the wrong he proceeds with his 'ive been driving for 50 years' routine and how everyone else on the road is a jumped up little prick who shouldn't have passed their test, yes even to his own children he will carry on this charade... in reality its actually HIS driving getting worse and worse.

one of my best mates is simply a bad driver, he maintains to this day that there was nothing wrong with the way he was taught and its sheer 'bad luck' that he has 17claims in 5 years. the guy in my eyes shouldn't hold a license and should never have passed.

another one of my best mates is one of the best 'young drivers' ive ever known. hes done IAM and ROSPA stuff along with track days in cars and on bikes, i actually trust him more than myself with my life. hes a bit of a nutter at the best of times and i personally think that the training he has chosen to involve himself in has been invaluable to his attitude and ultimately the safety of all road users.

to put it into context some of the most seasoned and experienced drivers i talk to day in, day out never fail to amaze with their stories of sheer stupidity on britains roads by young, old, male, female and varying ethnicities. these are the same drivers who will, in a heartbeat, remind you that every day they leave our gates they learn something about the road, how to use it/not to use it, and what stupid risks some people will take to shave 30secs off their journey.

its better to turn up late than not at all wouldn't you say?

no one 'group' of drivers is any less trained after all they have all gone through the wonderful DSA's official test *cough* which isnt a proof of someones ability to drive but proof of the ability to drive the way somebody wants them to for half an hour. if somebody wants me to drive like an absolute prick for half an hour i 'like' to think i could, equally if somebody wanted me to drive with out any fault inline with any organisation id like to think i could.

 

[Bookish]

Completely agree with the above :yeahthat:

I past my test first time at 17 then my pass plus and then at 18 my IAM advanced driving course.....definately drivers attitudes and not age.
although to be honest I was the youngest member by quite a few years in my advanced group


ps I am now 30 and not still a teen

 

[pooroldcodger]

I also agree with richydraper's comments.
What really would me up about the original comment by MJ was his assumption that because he was a self-confessed reckless danger on the road when he was younger, that means that nobody should be allowed to drive until they are 21. He also doesn't seem to understand why that attitude has would so many others up as well. Not the debate about young drivers so much as the assumtion that it is impossible to be a sfe driver at a young age, because he wasn't, and by extension that he is now superior to all the young drivers on this forum because he has improved by virtue of age and experience. It is a fact that if you start off at the bottom you can improve more than somebody who wasn't so bad in the first place!
I

 

[volxstu]

Wouldnt it be better to look at statistics for this argument? If drivers under 21s are having accidents above other age groups due to immaturity then raise the age it should be.

 

[hf turbo]

statistics would show men have more accidents than women even though most accident are probably caused by women drivers.

does that mean men should be banned from driving?

 

[volxstu]

That's a bit of a Genral sweeping statement that has no credibility. If you had said Old drivers doing 20mph under the speed limit cause young drivers to make irrational manoeuvres you would have an argument. But as a general rule of thumb People over 25 are less likely to take that risk.

 

[306maxi]

Wouldnt it be better to look at statistics for this argument? If drivers under 21s are having accidents above other age groups due to immaturity then raise the age it should be.

depends whether it's immaturity or inexperience.

 

[volxstu]

I would assume that is the governments problem? Do they have Statistics and research proving immaturity and inexperience cases. It wouldn't be difficult to find how many accidents are caused by silly manoeuvres in new drivers.
I'm sure the younger drivers figures will be significantly higher.

There has to be a happy medium. Maybe a minimum speed limit? They have those digital things that tell you if your speeding, maybe some strategically placed on blackspots of this nature telling people to speed up will raise awareness in older drivers.
New drivers are taught to not hesitate and to keep with the flow. Older drivers haven't had this way of thinking pointed out. The 2 driving styles don't mix.

It still doesn't change the argument that it's quite possible the percentage of immature young drivers out weighs the mature by a long way warranting a rise in eligible age.
One good thing about being able to drive younger is Alcohol. At 21-22 you are far more likely to be in the habit of having a drink where ever you go than 17-18. Raising the age could increase the number of inexperienced drivers being over the limit.

 

[sludgeguts]

Put cameras in all cars and actively encourage people to report bad driving (£5 for each clip) and take action against the bad drivers - starting with a £5 fine for the smaller offences. I only have to drive along my road - cars blocking the pavement, double parking, cars tearing up the verges, cars parked close to corners, cars parked on double yellows... all not allowed according to the highway code but all overlooked.
When everyone becomes an extension of the traffic police then the minority of nutjobs who spoil it for the rest might justy calm down a bit.

An added bonus to this is that there's a higher chance of uninsured or untaxed or banned drivers getting caught out.
As earlier posts have said, it's not the age - it's the attitude. There's also the stereotypical white van man, BMW and Audi drivers not to mention those in the chelsea tractors.

 

[Mrsam21]

I totally agree with richydraper's comments! I am nearly 18 and passed about 11 months ago. I know I am not the best driver out there but I know many drivers who are a lot older than me who are useless!

I was following a lady to work who must of been 40+ the other day and she was all over the road, over the line, going really slow then putting her foot down ect... and then about 2 miles later at a roundabout a middle aged women had caused an accident! This is just what I saw in 10 mins. I see so many bad drivers daily and not all of these are the 'Young Boy racer's'.

Being 17 people look at me in my car and think he is just out there to floor it everywhere but I don't. Most of the time I am just like many drivers who want to get from A to B as safe as possiable. Yes I have some fun and put my foot down and few times and I do sometimes think I shouldn't of maybe cut that person up, but we all make silly mistakes.

I think the young boy racers normally learn the hardway and normally have a big crash but then you see so many older people have crashes so I don't think the age should be risen and I bet the people who were young when they passed have either done a lot of stupid things or even had the odd crash here and there!!

 

[ChrisUK]

BMW and Audi drivers not to mention those in the chelsea tractors.

Oi! I resent that comment :nerner:

 

[DlightSwitch]

I was following a lady to work who must of been 40+ the other day

If that's what you're into.. Not sure if you should post about it on a public forum

 

[jimboy]

No surprises how threads like these descend into ever more circles. It's a well known fact that there are good, bad & indifferent drivers across the board. Because there are more young drivers on here we tend to hear their thoughts & theories why the rest of the road users are usually wrong.

Indeed you can manipulate statistics any way you want, but the insurance companies do their homework. I would go as far to agree there are some older drivers out there that due to their driving style shall we say do tend to interfere with other drivers. I see this on a daily basis. Another thing I tend to see is the discerning young gentleman's auto mobile complete with passengers bombing through estates in parts of the city just for the hell of it.

I've mention before how statistics state that there are fewer deaths on the roads, but up here anyway, it would seem, a young driver is killed every other day. Post code lottery plays a big part obviously. As far as I can see too many young male drivers are killed on the roads full stop, & this is the difference.

 

[Gaz37]

Very true that statistics and averages are a dangerous thing, for example if you stick your head in liquid nitrogen and your feet in a blast furnace your avrerage body temperature is within acceptable levels.

I don't think anyone could reasonably argue that 17 year old male drivers aren't the highest risk group but if we increase the minimum driving age to 21 it stands to reason that 21 year old males would then become the highest risk and there would outrage every time one of them crashed and killed someone.

I'm not too sure that I was a great deal more responsible at 21 than I was at 17, in fact at 17 I thought I was the best driver on the roads, at 21 with 4 years experience I knew I was the best. Now that I'm a lot older than that I realise what a total d**k I was, however I've no idea at precisely what age I became responsible