got a letter in the mail...

[WIDTIO]

Pretty sure this isn't just a money making scheme. Facts of crashes, not "accidents" don't lie..

You grow up A LOT between the ages of 15 and 20

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Pretty sure this isn't just a money making scheme. Facts of crashes, not "accidents" don't lie..

You grow up A LOT between the ages of 15 and 20

+1

Most people that don't think so are in that age group.

 

[Spitfire1975]

I would bet that 100 years ago your average 13 year old was more mature and "grown up" than today's 18 year old. Society has a special knack at extending childhood.

High School graduation is touted as some grand accomplishment. All you have to do is show up and turn something in and you will get your diploma. How many kids think this is now "difficult."

You can't work (for all practical purposes) until you are 18 because of the child labor laws. Try finding an 18 year old employee that is worth a damn. They are few and far between.

Now 16 year olds are not mature enough to handle driving a car.

We raise kids to be irresponsible and worthless and are surprised when that's what they become. Instead of making them responsible we simply believe they will learn these values by aging.

The problem is not the age. It is the lack of societal expectations and the enforcement of effective consequences.

 

[Chance]

I agree with that. When I got my provisional license I couldn't drive between 9pm-5am unless I had a job that had me working after/between those hours. I also couldn't have more than 1 person in the vehicle that wasn't family.

x3 don't be a pussy, it's not that bad.

We raise kids to be irresponsible and worthless and are surprised when that's what they become. Instead of making them responsible we simply believe they will learn these values by aging.

The problem is not the age. It is the lack of societal expectations and the enforcement of effective consequences.

I fully agree with this whole statement. I am technically still a teenager (for four more months) and I really am ashamed of my peers... the level of immaturity is incredibly high. It is extremely rare that I meet a mature person my age... Most 16 yo's now days I would never trust with a car.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would bet that 100 years ago your average 13 year old was more mature and "grown up" than today's 18 year old. Society has a special knack at extending childhood.

High School graduation is touted as some grand accomplishment. All you have to do is show up and turn something in and you will get your diploma. How many kids think this is now "difficult."

You can't work (for all practical purposes) until you are 18 because of the child labor laws. Try finding an 18 year old employee that is worth a damn. They are few and far between.

Now 16 year olds are not mature enough to handle driving a car.

We raise kids to be irresponsible and worthless and are surprised when that's what they become. Instead of making them responsible we simply believe they will learn these values by aging.

The problem is not the age. It is the lack of societal expectations and the enforcement of effective consequences.

My great grandfather used to chuckle that people had been saying this for as long as he could remember. He was 98 when he passed away in '06. On a related note, when they started doing drivers licenses he got one, and picked one up for my great grandmother while he was in town, no test, nothing. She was still back at home. Pretty much just name and address.

For example I gave a 93 year old farmer a ride home yesterday that had dropped his tractor off at our shop. We got to talking about cars (he has a old 60's Mustang and a 80's Firebird) he got to talking about how used to race his Model A in high school to see who could get up a certain hill in the highest gear. He also put a fancy radio in it for when he went cruising, he couldn't run it too long because the generator couldn't keep up with it. Sound familiar at all? Kids racing cars and playing with fancy radios?

If people were as perfect as everybody would like to think they were back then, then their offspring wouldn't be raising kids like they are today.

 

[Ozwynn]

Pretty sure this isn't just a money making scheme. Facts of crashes, not "accidents" don't lie..

You grow up A LOT between the ages of 15 and 20

it doesn't matter what age you get your license ....... 16 - 30 (and the older you are before you learn to drive the worse you are going to be) ........ for the 1st year or 2 you are still an inexperienced douche bag of a driver (this also applies to 1st and 2nd year CDL holders). Your lack of experience is going to directly and indirectly cause problems because until you have driven for a while you do not know how to handle every situation that can pop up. I am not saying a driver with 1 or 2 years experience has seen everything that will pop up ...... I have logged over 1.5 million miles and I see new things every day ....... but they have been driving long enough to recognize the type of situation it is.

I don't care how good you kids think you drive, you are no where near the level you need to be at. That applies to everybody in the world that has ever been taught to drive a motor vehicle..... at some point we were all rookie douche bags. How does this apply to this thread ........ These new NJ rules make no sense because they are assuming a 21 y/o that just learned to drive os going to be better that a 16 y/o that just learned to drive...... which is not the case at all.

I would bet that 100 years ago your average 13 year old was more mature and "grown up" than today's 18 year old. Society has a special knack at extending childhood.

High School graduation is touted as some grand accomplishment. All you have to do is show up and turn something in and you will get your diploma. How many kids think this is now "difficult."

You can't work (for all practical purposes) until you are 18 because of the child labor laws. Try finding an 18 year old employee that is worth a damn. They are few and far between.

Now 16 year olds are not mature enough to handle driving a car.

We raise kids to be irresponsible and worthless and are surprised when that's what they become. Instead of making them responsible we simply believe they will learn these values by aging.

The problem is not the age. It is the lack of societal expectations and the enforcement of effective consequences.

I think you hit the nail on the squarely on the head ..... it goes back to the states trying to usurp the parents (and their authority over their own children) and not allowing parents to raise their children properly..... and then there are also those parents that have no idea how to raise a child and and don't seem to get it or understand it....... then you also got the parents that just don't care.

I was in a truckstop in Bath NY on thursday. I walked inside to take a shower and this 3 or 4 y/o was screaming and kicking and generally acting up in public and his mother said to him I told you we were going to stop and get icecream and he was still screaming .......... that was more than I could take and still be able to keep my mouth shut....... finally the mother gave me an opening .... she said to this screaming child ...... you need to be quiet because all these people are staring at you (actually we were staring in awe of her in ability to control this child) and I said to the boy "Boy .... you are lucky ...... if one of my kids were acting like this there would be no icecream .... they would watch me while I ate my icecream in front of them" his father laughed and the boy shut up and they were able to get through the line an get on down the road. Another driver told me that child had been screaming for 20 min and nobody did anything about it........ whats that got to do with this thread ......... I hope that kid never gets a driver's license ....... because if he is a spoiled douche bag at 4 then he will be a spoiled douche bag at 20.

 

[Daedalus]

And when they figure out that 18-20 year olds are bad drivers with no experience and irresponsible driving habits, some idiot will try to raise the driving age to 21. Then you can drink AND drive for the first time together.

This is why it works so well in many European countries where you are allowed to legally drink years before you are allowed to get a drivers license. That why you get all your stupid drunkenness out of the way and learn your limits before you're ever allowed to get behind the wheel of a car....

Much better system IMO....