FOX2Mornings

YES 16 is to young to start driving. I am a mother of 2boys but very young so i dont have to deal with that problem for awhile. RESPONSIBILITY is the big questions, are they ready at that age to take on all the do's & dont's of the roads? Some parents will say yes my child is, which they may be but when kids get with friends or wrong crowds at that age is when the problems start and i wouldnt want it behind a wheel of a car with me on the road with my kids. Untill they understand how big of deal it is to drive and it'S just not ALRIGHT LETS GO JOY RIDING i say wait tell 18.

We see in the news every day i cant believe my child would do something like that.

So my thoughts? They can wait till 18.

I feel that age 16 is a proper age to drive. Be it 16 or 18 a new driver will never learn until they experience it. Experience is the number one rule of saftey. However, I do agree that anyone under the age of 18 should be restricted from having minors in their cars unless an adult is present.

My son is 16 and he still has not gotten his license. Although it is not a law, his mother and I feel he is not responsible enough. His grades are poor, and until he shows a marked improvement, he will remain sans license. He also needs a job to go with it - but because that could further hinder his academic progress, he will have to wait for that as well. YMMV

My, haven't we been through this before - about twenty or thirty times and for the last 30 or 40 years?

I specifically remember, when I was 15 and just about to drive, this was one of the first political issues I became involved with! I wrote my first (of many) letters to my representative telling him of my feelings (I still have the copy somewhere, and the reps reply!) 16 is PLENTY old enough to drive - for the average or above average person.

As I've stated in these blogs many times, we need to start making these decisions based on individual ability and responsibility more than arbitrary things like age. We need to stop drug and alcohol testing and start testing for intelligence. Maybe not ALL kids at 16 ARE ready - many NEVER will be (i.e. that woman just this morning too concerned about her cell phone call so she cut into and forced the car next to her out of their lane, then stopped passed the white Stop Line at a fire station at a red light - what a duffus!) But don't punish all 16-year-olds just because some just don't get the ideas of "cooperation" and "responsibility" so key to driving well.

Of course, I am aware that in heavily concentrated conservative middle-class areas, most would probably not pass an IQ test!

Well, the law never changed in 1970 so I don't see it happening now. Probably just another way for some out-of-touch conservative hack to score some points among the "ban-this ban-that" Christian conservative crowd.

Got my license on my 16th birthday! Bought my first car a few weeks later for $250!! (From a nice neighbor - the car

Added note.... I think a law that requires a student to maintain an A B average to keep his or hers license until they are 18 would be a great law....

Boy would a law like that open up a can of worms....

I agree with Mr Wild on both points. Parents should set the rules based on their child's maturity. It was sure nice that the kids could drive themselves to Band practice and school. We did limit them to local driving only at first until they had some experience before we set them loose on the world.

An A+ student can drive like an idiot just the same as the high school drop out. Grades have nothing to do with driving skills and the ability to respect other drivers.

The parents know best but can they be trusted to say yes or no to their kids?

I think that this is a law that I would vote for. My daughter and all her friends are 16 or approaching 16 and I do not think that they are ready for the responsibility of driving. One of her friends got into 3 wrecks with her permit.
I do agree that it depends on the maturity of the kiddo in question but I think that I want her to wait regardless of the law.

my kids worked when they were 13, and i would have to go and pick them up, i was glad to see them turn 16.... they both took their drivers test on their 16 b days and passed, i was so happy, but never hardly seen them anymore after they could drive so it may help the family time if it were 18 idk

Well, I think that a limited license for 16 year olds is fine. I have a 16 year old. He's got his license, a job, and pays his own way as far as extras go (insurance, cellphone, etc.) He's a good kid and, surprisingly, a good driver. My sister-in-law also has a 16 year old. Hers has been in two accidents already, which ended up with the car being totaled. My son drives himself to work, to his tutoring job, to his regular job, and he volunteers to take his brother to practices, pick up his sister, etc. Sound too good to be true? Well, he is. But, the road to independence has to start somewhere and most people got their licenses at 16 and some with a few bumps and bruises along the way. But, there's plenty of negligence related accidents and operator-error accidents at BOTH ends of the age spectrum. If we're going to address one end, why not address both?