Young Drivers too immature?

[AWD Chaser]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=96377

Do you think young people are too immature to drive?

[Trevor 57]

There is real evidence that the male brain doesn't mature until they are are 25 and the female brain until they are 23.

I have seen the results in NZ of letting 151/2 yo's on the road and it ain't pretty.

SA have a low driving age, but SA usually rates fairly low on the national stats, so go figure.

Mind you, age doesn't represent maturity, does it?

[TheSneakiness]

Depends really.

There are probably people my age who are too immature to hold a licence...
There are probably people older than me who are too immature to hold a licence...
There are definately people younger than me who are too immature to hold a licence...

You're probably thinking I'm full of myself, but simply put those three things I said have some fact about them. My brother who recently got his provisional licence caves at the first sign of peer pressure. My other brother flogs the crap out of his VX wagon, it leaves me wondering how much longer it's gonna last, he's only had it for 6 weeks.

In answer to the question, the majority of young drivers are too immature...

[al9]

I used to do some pretty dumb things as a teenage driver, eventually most people grow out of it

[max]

Well you just need to ask the insurance companies who they think is the greater risk. Money talks/stats speak for themselves. As in who pays the highest motor insurance premiums or gets a policy at all..... Often young males under 25 isn't it?

[AWD Chaser]

Should of added another one.... Are newley licenced drivers too immautre?

[big_pete]

you cant paint everyone with the same brush.......

that is all.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Same question coulkd be asked for sexual consent, legal drinking age, marriage age etc.

How long is a piece of string? Who knows - but it helps if you draw a line in the sand to assess the various pieces of string....

[AU:PROJECT:UTE]

I'll hold voting in this poll but I will post an opinion; there are always going to be the % of plain idiots that are going to try and ИИИИ things up for the rest of us (selfishness), then there is the person who just got their P's and are tearing around unsupervised for the first couple months or longer (enthusiasm), then there is people who want to be race car drivers in their parents Magna or other car not owned by THEM (unrespectful, ungrateful, generally irresponsive), I'll also go on to say that there is people out there like me that drive peacefully and try to be responsible and understand that there is a time and a place for speeding, sliding, donuts, etc but I can say that sometimes when you get some bloody commondore beside you at a set of lights you have to be able to hold your head high and give them a run just for pride I think alot of us fall down here.

To the best part it doesnt matter what age people are that hold a licence, I've got a grandmother in an Excel that redlines 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears all day long. Personally I agree yes young drivers take more risks and this is largely IMO due to lack of experience. Older drivers still take similar risks but have an improved ability to know when is the time to lay down anchors/go home/or give in, and it is this line that people that have been driving in many and varied situations can appreciate and better respond to.
I am all for young drivers and I am also all for advanced driving classes for young drivers, for me it was one of the most beneficial things that I have ever done.
But in the end we will still lose privelidges over someone who doesnt think before acting. :
Regards

Tim

[vino3o2]

Originally Posted by big_pete

you cant paint everyone with the same brush.......

that is all.

That is so true, I do believe that there are mentally balanced, mature youngens out there that are responsible enough to drive....I also believe that a lot comes down to the parents on how they raise them

[max]

Like I said the stats show, insurance companies know which way is up!! THE BIG RISK IS GUYS UNDER 25. Not ALL but enough to show a clear trend. You don't see too many female hoon drivers do you?? Yeah, they do put on make up/nail polish/pedicure/hairdo etc at the lights, but that's hardly immaturity as a driver. Just vanity. I've got my foil heat-shield up so I'm ready for the flames!

[BPXR6T]

I agree with that. Everyone is different, I can only speak for myself. At that age I would classify myself and those around me would classify me as a mature responsible person in most aspects. I've always been strong minded and done my own thing and never caved to peer pressure. But still, some of the stunts I pulled in my youth can only be classified as suicidal. All I really cared was that I didn't hurt anyone else, my own mortality didn't even come into the equation.

Not even loosing my licence twice for high range speeding offences snapped me out of it. I was shocked the first time my licence was taken away for six months as I was allowed to drive for 28 days after the offence. So I caught the bus for six months until my licence arrived in the mail. I hadn't learnt a thing. Within two weeks my licence was gone again for another high range speeding offence. Again I learnt nothing. As soon as it came back I was out on the street doing stupid things.

If you ask me when problem drivers like I was are identified they should be retrained. Forced to go and see the potential consequences of their actions and meet victims families first hand, and forced to go on an advanced driving course specifically designed for problem drivers before they get their licence back. It's all too easy at the moment. I'm just glad I wised up before killing myself, or worse someone else.

[AWD Chaser]

Go trail bike riding. See what it's like to come off at 60Kmh in full armour hitting the dirt, then ask yourself, what would it be like hitting a pedestrian at 80k's with no armour, and hitting the front of your car....

[Fairlane]

I think its stupid, defining young people as hoons, it seems instantly as you turn 25 you turn into a perfect driver. Its just that P-platers are easy to spot, hell i get cut off my more soccer mums in Pajero's and insane tradies than P-platers. Sure i've seen P-platers do stupid things, but the fact of the matter is its usually in some one else car or a car that mummy and daddy bought for them and even if i factor in the proportion of p-platers on the road, i still get cut-off more by soccer mums and tradies..

P-Platers will always 'hoon' its a fact of life, we just need to get them doing it were its safe, so though dont kill themselves, i wont beat around the bush, but if P-platers do hoon on the streets thay are more likely to kill themselves then the insane tradie or the soccer mums

I drive 40,000 klms a year and am yet to have any sort of incident or speeding ticket (cant afford the insurance if i did), i have sped and im not a complete charlie church (can you say Old Pacific), but if they did build a strip up in my area (hunter/central coast- neast strip is WSID - 200klms away) i would never speed on the Old Pac ever again and im betting 99% of people with a brain wouldnt either leaving only 1% who still hoon in urban areas who should IMHO be nailed to the cross and be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.

*oh yeah im come from the maturity must be taught not instantly achieved over time school of thought

[4Vman]

I'll probably get flamed for this but id like to see:

-Mandatory pass score of advanced driver training for L platers to qualify to sit the licence to gain P Plates.

-Mandatory Power restrictions for U23 drivers.

-Zero tollerance for reckless behaviour of P platers. = loss of licence.

-@23 they can apply for an open power licence which includes further advance driver training, however @ 25 or after 7 years of licenced driving its automatically endoursed.

-Drivers convicted of serious driving offences such as drink driving, 30+ over the limit, reckless driving etc must do community service @ the TAC Rehabiltation centre with road trauma victims, these people must and also attend a morgue to view first hand the result of a road fatality.

[BPXR6T]

au3 chaser, that's a laugh. That is honestly the thing that made me wise up. I wrapped myself around a pole at 60+kph on my trail bike with no body armour. Then had to walk the bike five clicks to my sisters house. Broken leg, smashed ribs, busted ankle, and eight dislocated fingers amongst other things. The emergency room had a good time putting me back together, bones poking out all over the place. 6 months smashed up on crutches unable to drive gave me a good chance to wise up...

[LUXO_8]

Originally Posted by big_pete

you cant paint everyone with the same brush.......

that is all.

i tend to agree here.... a lot of young guys and girls are way more mature on the road than they're given credit for...

[Falcon Coupe]

Originally Posted by MADNC_8

i tend to agree here.... a lot of young guys and girls are way more mature on the road than they're given credit for...

True, but they are not the ones that stand out in traffic.

[LUXO_8]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

True, but they are not the ones that stand out in traffic.

of course..... they blend in with the rest of the traffic and generally go un-noticed.... its the few morons that stick out and ruin it for the rest....

which is a shame.....

[BPXR6T]

Simple age restrictions aren't the answer. Some of the shocking things I see from older drivers. Just last week I saw a fully laden dump truck doing 80+kph past a primary school at 3PM. That guy wasn't on his P's. I don't even totally agree that its a mental maturity issue. I think some people simply need a jolt to wake up to themselves before its too late.

Not so long ago I got my M.C. learners with stayupright. The instructors really drove home the vulnerability aspects of riding bikes and what happens if your irresponsible. A stark contrast to my car licencing.

[coyote]

One of the points that i have never seen is a stat showing the amount of km that each age group complete.
I suspect that one of the reasons that young people are overly represented and for that matter that our seniors are under represented in crash stats is that they spend more time in their cars, they have to get to and from sports, jobs and just for socialising, this is the age group that in my opinion would do the most driving and this maqy be the reason for their representation in the figures.

Certainly Young drivers do lack one of the most essential elements of driving skill, That is of experience, and experience can only be gained by time actually doing it. To address this is simple give them an oportunity to use their cars off the public roads, make driving facilities more accessable, and financialy feasable, and maybe they will be seen as the brighter stars of our driving demography.

PS I am 41 years young

[Falcon_Phill]

im on my red p's. today going up a hill (doing my 90) a truck comes up in the overtaking lane, and a guy on the passengers side yells some ИИИИ out to me for doing 90 (my limit) in the 110 zone. So i get ИИИИ at me for going to slow, and if i speed im a 'bloody p plater'. Cant win.

[MickyB]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

I'll probably get flamed for this but id like to see:

-Mandatory pass score of advanced driver training for L platers to qualify to sit the licence to gain P Plates.

-Mandatory Power restrictions for U23 drivers.

-Zero tollerance for reckless behaviour of P platers. = loss of licence.

-@23 they can apply for an open power licence which includes further advance driver training, however @ 25 or after 7 years of licenced driving its automatically endoursed.

-Drivers convicted of serious driving offences such as drink driving, 30+ over the limit, reckless driving etc must do community service @ the TAC Rehabiltation centre with road trauma victims, these people must and also attend a morgue to view first hand the result of a road fatality.

Agree with pretty much all the above, but I believe all should be subject to some form of repeat testing/training. A bad driver is a bad driver, it doesn't matter if they are 23 or 43.

[jonbays]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

I'll probably get flamed for this but id like to see:

-Mandatory pass score of advanced driver training for L platers to qualify to sit the licence to gain P Plates.

-Mandatory Power restrictions for U23 drivers.

-Zero tollerance for reckless behaviour of P platers. = loss of licence.

-@23 they can apply for an open power licence which includes further advance driver training, however @ 25 or after 7 years of licenced driving its automatically endoursed.

-Drivers convicted of serious driving offences such as drink driving, 30+ over the limit, reckless driving etc must do community service @ the TAC Rehabiltation centre with road trauma victims, these people must and also attend a morgue to view first hand the result of a road fatality.

I am with you on this no flames from me.

give em a mpoed or low power bike licence first then a low power car.
All power to weight stuff no silly turbo rules either.

[Lukeyson]

alot of younguns have way too much confidence behind the wheel i reckon

[HOON69]

its all about the attitudes they take whilst driving
i reckon alot of young drivers are better then most whom have been doing it for 25 years and some just shouldnt have a licence or a car period.

but yes i reckon not all are immature theres alot of mid lifers whom have had 30+yrs to grow up and still havent.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by vino3o2

That is so true, I do believe that there are mentally balanced, mature youngens out there that are responsible enough to drive....I also believe that a lot comes down to the parents on how they raise them

I agree 100% with what you and Big Pete have had to say.

Im 17, but by most of my Family and Family friends i have been told im more mature than most people they know around and under 25, i know and have people in the 18-21 age bracket that are idiots on the road, but i also have people who are some of the better drivers on the road.

[RAREV8]

Driving is a privilige, not a right. Until they tighten up the insurance laws here and the penalties, little will change.
Aged 17, I couldn't get insured on my parents 2.2 litre Pugeot 505 GTI. Not really a performance vehicle but many insurance companies present the arguement that 1st time drivers do not need a large car-they have based their arguement upon accident ratios of young drivers V more performance orientated cars.
Sure, one of my schoolmates had a Porsche 928 V8 as his first car and before anyone would insure him, he had to do a complete and certified advanced drivers course. Fair enough too.

Of course, one can kill oneself in a stock Corrolla but regardless of what people say, it is easier to do so in a faster machine irrespective of the fact that said faster car should be easier to handle at speeds (that arguement bores the ИИИИ out of me) for reaction times are less, chance of becoming airborne/skidding etc are much higher.

So, whack up the premiums for insurance, make it mandatory to have it (cannot believe you don't have to here...) and make the penalties severe for broaching these conditions.

This post might upset some of the younger drivers here but take it from someone who went through this system- i had a great deal more respect for my car and everyone elses too.

P.S. This is not just aimed at younger drivers- this should apply to drivers of all ages- if you have your licence revoked/gain points for dangerous driving, you should be penalised for this by the insurance agencies too.

[AWD Chaser]

My personal opinion is not to put limits on drivers but rather the opposite. Reward them if they do good. I think the introduction of a rewards program would work very well... people always want something for nothing....

[RAREV8]

Originally Posted by au3 chaser

My personal opinion is not to put limits on drivers but rather the opposite. Reward them if they do good. I think the introduction of a rewards program would work very well... people always want something for nothing....

Its a good idea- Ive heard this being bandied around before and would like to see it come to fruition- I imagine that it would be hard to police though; maybe you gain a point each year you retain a clean licence?

However, you still need to limit drivers too as i mentioned before, driving IS a privilige.