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Age Requirement To Drive

What is the minimum age requirement to drive in your country and are you satisfied that this is a good age for someone to start taking on such a responsibility?

Drive Requirement Age

It is 17 here in the UK.

I am of the opinion that parents should be the ones to decide *when* their children can play around in a car on their own property - or place others might allow them.

I do not think there should be a minimum age, but when a child is underage the parent must take responsibility and accept the consequences of tort.


Dubhdara.

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It is 17 here and I think that is an okay age for private, but not commercial vehicles. I am not for having the parents decide what age simply because not all parents are responsible enough. Consider your pregnant wife driving down the road while an oncoming car is being driven haphazardly by a 13 year old who got permission from his drunken father and it is approaching very fast. The car hits your wife's car, she and your unborn dies... the drunken father takes responibility by paying for damage and going to jail - so what - my wife and unborn are dead!

Drive Requirement Age

JB,

I don't believe that's a good argument simply because the woman could have been killed by someone perfectly legal in the eyes of the law today.

I also don't find much cogency to the argument of parents making wrong choices or being irresponsible because government can be irresponsible too. Indeed, government is more often than not very irresponsible.

Most of these types of discussions can be solved by identifying who owns the property in question (car, road, own land, etc.) and allowing them to choose.

Dubhdara.

Drive Requirement Age

No need to quote my entire post Just reply when you are the next person.

That is exactly my point. The car may belong to the father and he can let the child drive it, but once he comes on a public road then the child is now using a shared resource, and where there is multi ownership there must be some kind of privelage established as to who, where, when and why to operate on it. Otherwise, by your thinking I could simply give a 6 year old my car and say... "Drive son, it does not matter if you cannot see the road or hit the brakes, I will take the responsibility if you kill anyone or break anything."

Age Requirement To Drive

The age in California is now 18 to gain a full driver's license. When I was a teenager, we were able to have a learning permit at age 15, where we could drive with another licensed driver, over 18, for purposes of practice and so forth. After a year, taking a behind-the-wheel and a written test would get you a full license at age 16. Public high schools had driver's education courses, with "simulators" to help teach the basics.

Now, all driver education for teens is the responsibility of the parents, and there must be a log of so many hours behind the wheel before a full license is granted. Some people hire professional driving teachers, some just do it themselves.

I agree with the change. There are way too many accidents with irresponsbile kids behind the wheel -- showing off, racing, or just being wild.

Age Requirement Drive

It is 16 here in Michigan. They can start with Driver's Ed at 15 1/2, get a learning permit, and log a certain number of hours.

I grew up in Idaho, where the driving age was 14. That was a limited (daytime only) license. Since the majority of the youth at that time worked and/or lived on farms in Idaho, this made a lot of sense. I don't know whether that age has changed yet or not.

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Well, this answer leads to another thread

Essentially, I do not believe the owner of (at least most) roads should be the government.

Is it right that we should compel people by law to a certain age for marriage, driving etc? What if the govt decided to excercise that power foolishly given to it (though it is pretended) to set the minimum age of driving to 50?

Just some thoughts.

Dubhdara.