It has been suggested my another member that teens are unjustly stereotyped as being bad drivers. Personally I don't believe this because it conflicts with the current general consensus that the stereotypical bad driver is either a woman or a minority.
My contention is that teens aren't bad drivers, but they are inexperienced drivers. The sad truth statistically is that the largest amount of teen deaths is because of automobile accidents, and most of these accidents are related to speeding. There are always going to be contributing factors involved, such as distractions, the time of day, and of course drugs and alcohol.
The general trend at the moment is for a graduated drivers license. This is being practiced in all but five states, Arizona may reduce that number to four in the near future as they are trying to pass legislature for their own graduated driver license program. The restrictions these programs impose vary from state to state.
How do you feel about this approach, do you think the restrictions imposed are strict enough or not strict enough? What changes would you like to see?
Well not necessarily, some drivers are maniacs but others do have a brain cell and do obey our laws very well ~ learners can be annoying though ~ stalling at lights ~ driving 15mph in a 30mph zone etc..
But i will be one of them soon so i cant complain
I accept that teens are bad drivers but not all of em. In my country to get a driving license all people have to do is just bribe the officials who's incharge of the test and in few minutes you can see a driving license in you hand :@ . i am an indian and i hate my country for doing such illegal stuff , the death toll keeps increasing every year because of automobile accidents. The worst part is almost 80% of them are teenagers and drivers who dont have proper driving skills :(
P.S. For all the indians out here. Well that is the truth and you guys know it.
My contention is that teens aren't bad drivers, but they are inexperienced drivers. The sad truth statistically is that the largest amount of teen deaths is because of automobile accidents, and most of these accidents are related to speeding.
That makes anyone abad driver. A good driver will rarely, if ever, have accidents. Although here in St Louis a teen is more likely to get killed with a gun then with a car.
I like to consider myself a good driver. Having said that, I'm 19 and have been in 2 wrecks... neither of which were my fault. One Christina and I were hit by a drunk driver; the other a woman thought it would be a good idea to pull out in front of a 50mph teenager (me).
Serunson wrote this in another thread "also why is it that men automatically get the 'bad speed daemon' title and have to pay obscene amounts compared to women on car insurance?"
Statistically the most dangerous group of drivers are males between the ages of 16 and 25.
pty...I didn't get my first decent break in the cost of my insurance until I turned forty, and just realized my second decent break at the ripe ole age of fifty five. I have a friend that waited until he turned fifty five so that he could better afford the insurance on his dream car, a 2003 fiftieth annaversay issue Corvette.
One of the issues that the graduated drivers license is experience, for a detailed outline of what the NHTSA and the AAMVA has suggested read this .
mmm
i see a patten emerging
I was being driven back from college the other day and this woman came pelting around in her black Merc going like 50 in a 30 and was sooooo close to the boot i could see the colour of her eyes! ~ she was that close
I HATE people who do that ~ they should all be jailed or summit ~ or failing that forced to drive fiat 500's :D
While I resent the stereotype that young men are crazy drivers, there is some truth to it. I know I wasn't afraid to speed through areas, although I claim that I only did so to a safe extent. The only accident I've been in was not my fault (I was T-boned when I had an obvious right of way - I was turnin left into a parking lot, and this gal was turning left out of it). On the other hand, I almost freak out when I'm riding with most any of my friends driving, speeding or not. Inexperience is probably the largest part of it, and it helps that I'm the only one of my friends that has actually owned their own vehicle (they all borrow their parents' cars on occasion; I'm on my 4th car :P).
Unfortunately, the only way to cure inexperience is to, well, get experience. On the other hand, there's also a lot of people who do things without considering the possible circumstances. I still make stupid decisions here and there, I'm just lucky enough to have not had an accident from it.
I will also note that, after a couple speeding tickets, my driving has been mostly tamed. :P
4th? Wow, you're lucky. :) I've only had one car, but I will be getting a new one on my 18th birthday. (I'm quite excited)... =p
Lucky? Maybe. I had to pay for everything car related (drivers ed, car, car insurance, etc...), and they weren't the nicest cars in the parking lot. I started with an '86 Toyota Tercel station wagon bought from a co-worker, then a '95 Ford Escort bought at an auction, then a '92 Nissan 240SX (sweet car if I'd been able to sink money into it) from a neighbor, and just recently a '97 VW Jetta (only because the 240SX was wrecked).
Definitely puts a different spin on it when you have to pay for everything though :icon_wink:
