driving age

[nutbrown91]

do you think the legal driving age should be highered, lowered?

[electricblue]

Highered!!VERY highered!!!Accidents?reduced!!VERY reduced!!

[NORMANTHEDOG]

should be raised to 21

[Toureman]

New motorcycle licencing is going to be introduced in the future because on new eec rules.

These will mean you will have to be 25 before you can drive a powerfull motorcycle, the motor cycle tests are at the moment more complicated and harder to pass than for a car.

I think the car test should be made harder and even when passed should be restricted. As norman, said, at least 21, higher for the powerful cars!

[zipadeedodah]

Although I suppose at times I would say it should be highered, and I know there are some idiot people aged 17-21, but there are a huge number of very sensible people of that age, who are much safer drivers than many older people. I'm 20, and living in the country with a rubbish bus service I would have been absolutely stuck the last couple of years not being able to drive.

[gammaray]

You should raise the age to 25 and also prevent anyone over 60 from driving - particularly in a hat!

[Toureman]

Well gammaray, I am 65 and I will give you a race anywhere any time and see if you can keep up with me when I am on my Kawasaki!

Why do you stereotype older people?

Prat!

Dave.

[madman06]

i think drivers should be allowed to drive cars to there age 17-20 no higher than 1100cc and so on

[sukkie]

I think the learners licience shoul be allowed at the age of 18 and drivers licence at 20. I also think the first two years the licence should be restricted to a maximum of 1200 cc to gain valuable experience. I do not believe banning over sixties from driving is the way to go either. I am in my forties and young people are so impatient but wait your turn will be coming and you will get old, you cannot stop it and I am sure you would not like the way you are going to be treated as the rules for the old that you are advocating will apply to you one day!

[Coobeastie]

I think thats part of the problem toureman...people tend to generalise about certain age groups.

Part of the problem with the accidents is inexperience which you will always have no matter how high you set the starting age.

I think 17 is perfectly fine but the test should be tougher and maybe a limit on how powerful the car is. Also maybe make it a case of if you can't pass after so many attempts then you can't retake.

[gammaray]

Don't forget your hat!

Old Prat

[Catso]

Increased. This would mean less accidents - probably a much greater reduction than that (alledgedly) created by speed cameras and anti-drink-driving put together! I think if the government was serious about reducing deaths on the road (as opposed to raising money via fines) it would have done this long ago.

It would also (should) have the happy side-effect of lowering the insurance premiums for everyone else.

However, I'd have nothing against anyone learning to drive at 16/17. Just don't give them a full licence, so they hsve to be supervised by someone with a licence.

Don't some American states have the minimum age of 21? They manage to live with it!

[theren_911]

I don't think limiting the engine capacity of the car will have a huge impact on road safety.

There's cars with 900cc engines that can wipe the floor with almost any car on the road.

The point is that it's not what you drive - it's how you drive it.

[gouldc]

Working for an insurance company tailored for "women", I can happily say they should leave the age as it is, but put conditions on it similar to those on bikes.

17-19 nothing higher tha na 1.3, no turbo's, and no modifying allowed.

20-22 nothing more than a 1.6, no turbo's, no modifying that increases the normal power output by over 10%

22-25 anything, but no modifying that increases the normal power output by over 20%

25+ anything, cos let's face it, you've grown up enough not to worry about go faster strips, and should have settled down wit ha family!

Before anyone starts, I'm only 27 myself, but having worked in insurance for most of my working life (I left school at 17), I can safely say that inexperience causes far more accidents than speed, regardless of what any safe driving groups say (obviously speed doesn't help, but the courts don't hold speed as an act of negligence on it's own)

[DirtyHabit]

Don't start me on on Womens Insurance...........sexual discrimination ?? Only insurance companies can get away with it.

[Catso]

It is discrimination, but it's fair enough, I think. Do you object that life insurance for a smoker is more than for a non-smoker? They're just calculating the odds and putting a value on it.