Confusion over junior license's restrictions -

[How about it]

Take Responsibility wrote:

This problem can be solved by parents becoming parents and not allowing their teens to drive to school illegally. Make them take the bus or drive the kids themselves.
Parents are supposed to know the laws about junior licenses, and so are the teens, the information is in the manual. But, being lazy, and not wanting to drive the kids to school, and wanting them to be popular, they allow the 16-17 year olds to take the family car or worse yet they buy them a car.
NYS has toughened the restrictions on junior licenses and that is a good thing. It should force parents to be on top of things and it gives the teens more time to get experience behind the wheel before being allowed to have friends in the car or drive at night.
Schools cannot tell when parents are giving their kids cars illegally when they park off school property. If they are parked on school property, they must have permission and a sticker usually, having "registered" in the high school for the parking space. In that case, they must have the senior license.

Yes, but there is some question whether he really was driving illegally. You can get a full, unrestricted senior license in New York at 17 if you have taken drivers education (without the drivers ed, a 17 year old can only have a restricted junior license.) I think he completed the requirements for the full license but he did not actually recieve the paperwork yet.

[Astonished in St James]

How about it wrote:

<quoted text>
Oh yeah. Let's raise the driving age to 21 but give 18 year olds tanks and machine guns and send them to Iraq.

My sentiments exactly!!!! The only thing raising the driving age would accomplish is then we would have 21 year old inexperienced drivers on the road instead of 17 year old inexperienced drivers!!!! They aren't inexperienced because of their age, they're inexperienced because of their LACK OF EXPERIENCE, which would be the case regardless of the age at which they earned their license!!! Besides, how exactly would those 18-21 year olds get to college and work without a license? LI doesn't exactly have a stellar public transportation system!

[Drive safely]

It seems that schools either need to give more time for lunch, or decide that there is not enough time to drive off campus.

[former long islander]

junior operator license's should be abolished. They have done nothing but cause problems, especially on Long Island and I went to high school there in the 60s. And schools should be closed campuses -- end of story. there is no reason a student has to leave the school during the day. There is not enough time to leave school and get back safely during one period - again when I went to high school on Long Island in the 60s, we could not leave school during the day.
I love the quote from a student in the article about closed campuses that said he felt they should be allowed to leave after all they were there for 3 years!! Get real -- there are an awful lot of jobs where you cannot leave during the day, even for lunch -- grow up -- you are not entitled to anythine

[Be Real]

The purpose of the unior license is to allow for some degree of mobility of the individual. You can't get to work without a car, you can't get to college without a car, and if you do not qualify for buses you probably cannot get to school without a car.

Do not say walk to school, because depending on the area, it can be very scary along side a busy road!

[How about it]

Astonished in St James wrote:

<quoted text>
My sentiments exactly!!!! The only thing raising the driving age would accomplish is then we would have 21 year old inexperienced drivers on the road instead of 17 year old inexperienced drivers!!!! They aren't inexperienced because of their age, they're inexperienced because of their LACK OF EXPERIENCE, which would be the case regardless of the age at which they earned their license!!! Besides, how exactly would those 18-21 year olds get to college and work without a license? LI doesn't exactly have a stellar public transportation system!

Thank you! Experience is the key to being a good driver. This is why I plan on allowing my two children to get their permits at 16 and practice driving with me on a daily basis. I want them to be competent, confident, and responsible drivers who have had ample practice under supervision before they drive alone.

[please]

Missdee wrote:

I believe those lives were lost because the system failed. Years ago it was different when we got our license. We weren't out of control speeding, we were just cruising around doing nothing and not to mention the fact that the drug situation isn't that great on LI. I am a mother of a 26yr old (been there, done that), a 23 yr old (just about past it) and one 13 days short of her 16th b-day. I believe if they can raise the alcohol drinking limit they should increase the age to obtain a permit/license. Giving someone a piece of paper does not give them the knowledge or the experience to get behind the wheel that 2 ton piece of metal and go out there and think they rule the world. There should be stricter guidelines...A license isn't something you have coming to you, it's something you should earn and kids don't understand that. I think if the laws were stricter and safety courses and tests were needed to get a license we would have a lot more level headed children out there driving and more lives would be saved. It scares me to death with all the young lives being lost that I have to think that my daughter feels she has it coming to her when she turns 16 to get her permit and be allowed to just take drivers ed and that's it. I believe it's a privledge and should be earned and if more kids had to take more stricter tests we would probably see less of them on the road as such a young age and maybe we could hang on to them just a little bit longer. Their lives seem to be getting cut shorter and shorter. Just think of this 13yr olds family. God bless the families that lost a child and god bless those that took their lives. Lets do something to raise the age requirement and maybe we will be putting more responible adults on the road instead of children who want to speed and don't know how to handle themselves in a situation.

So we raised the drinking age and therefore the children don't drink. But we have soldiers that are dieing and they can't even have a drink. We only want to raise the driving age becasue we can with a class of kids that do not vote or we feel matter. Enough is enough, I say you can raise the age for children to drive when you make old people over 65 retake their drivers test. They cause accidents and they can no longer see and hear (some of them) yet we let them keep all the privalages because they cab vote. This was an accident that could of happened to an older person, but we would take thier rights away.

BTW their are less drunk drivers now, not because the drinking age but because we have stricter laws.

[Read the paper]

Pick up Newsday today. He had a valid senior license motor vehicle screwed up. He was legally driving. YOU ARE WRONG!!!

[Stupid]

This is a stupid law, it has always been a stupid law and as a law does nothing to ensure better drivers.

This is another example of the insurance companies ramming something down our throats in an attempt to increase profits. Anyone who has ever taken the 6 hour course to get the insurance discount can attest to the stupidity of insurance industry driven laws.

If a child is too immature to drive or is incapable of driving intelligently, the parents must bare the burden of restricting the license of their child, not the state.

[RochesterNative]

please wrote:

<quoted text>

BTW their are less drunk drivers now, not because the drinking age but because we have stricter laws.

Hogwash propoganda sold to us by lawmakers. Anyone who buys the bullsh!t, should open their eyes wider to see the reality.

[anonymous]

Missdee wrote:

I believe those lives were lost because the system failed. Years ago it was different when we got our license. We weren't out of control speeding, we were just cruising around doing nothing and not to mention the fact that the drug situation isn't that great on LI. I am a mother of a 26yr old (been there, done that), a 23 yr old (just about past it) and one 13 days short of her 16th b-day. I believe if they can raise the alcohol drinking limit they should increase the age to obtain a permit/license. Giving someone a piece of paper does not give them the knowledge or the experience to get behind the wheel that 2 ton piece of metal and go out there and think they rule the world. There should be stricter guidelines...A license isn't something you have coming to you, it's something you should earn and kids don't understand that. I think if the laws were stricter and safety courses and tests were needed to get a license we would have a lot more level headed children out there driving and more lives would be saved. It scares me to death with all the young lives being lost that I have to think that my daughter feels she has it coming to her when she turns 16 to get her permit and be allowed to just take drivers ed and that's it. I believe it's a privledge and should be earned and if more kids had to take more stricter tests we would probably see less of them on the road as such a young age and maybe we could hang on to them just a little bit longer. Their lives seem to be getting cut shorter and shorter. Just think of this 13yr olds family. God bless the families that lost a child and god bless those that took their lives. Lets do something to raise the age requirement and maybe we will be putting more responible adults on the road instead of children who want to speed and don't know how to handle themselves in a situation.

well i think that the tougher the restrictions and laws, the more the young drivers get worked up about it and do stupid things. as they say "age ain't nothin' but a number". It's who the person is and always every single young driver. And the PARENTS are a big part of this. If the Parents discipline their kids,then the roads would be safer.

[anonymous16]

Pete wrote:

They should raise the age for obtaining a Permit/license to 21. The biggest problem is teenagers who think they're invincible and can drive recklessly and deal with any situation they come across.

yea im sure this is easy for you to say since you are probably over 21 Already. but driving is required especially on Long Island!

[anonymous16]

How about it wrote:

<quoted text>
Oh yeah. Let's raise the driving age to 21 but give 18 year olds tanks and machine guns and send them to Iraq.

good comeback lol makes sense

[anonymous16]

How about it wrote:

Age has nothing to do with the safety of a driver. I became a fully licensed driver at 17. I had also been driving for an entire year, under parental supervision, before I was legally allowed to get my license. I don't know about you, but I would feel safer sharing the road with a 17 year old who has been driving with her parents for a year than with a 21 year old who practiced for a whole 20 hours - the amount required by law.

true that true that

[Gregg in DEnver]

GiGi wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah, except you won't find many parents who would be willing to drive their children to and from work/college classes until age 21. At 18 you are legally an adult in this country, therefore you should have all rights, priviliges and responsibilties of an adult. Raising the driving age isn't going to increase driver responsibility, ust as it hasn't put a stop to underage drinking, binge drinking, or alcoholism in adults.
These kinds of things will continue to happen no matter what restrictions are put in place. You can't outlaw stupidity.

exactly it can't be prevented. Making all these new laws and regulations does nothing but punish everybody else. WE are already over regulated with all the laws. From the responses of many that want to call ofr chaning the age, banning kids from going to lunch, etc it seems they are part of the stupidity problem.

Lets ban everything since it could cause death under accidents. it's absurd.

[cindy]

i believe that the new jol laws in ma are far too srict. My son received a ticket in Jan '08 for speeding so i pay the ticket not knowing what would happen so here goes we get a letter in the mail a week later stating that he has his license suspended for 90 days ok fine we can deal with that....so he takes the scarr class the alive at 25 class which by the way are not free and are no where close to where we live and then i go to pay the 500.00 reinstatement fee come to find out that a ticket he received in '06 has made his license suspended for a year how can that be that law did not come into effect until '07 so now they dig up a ticket from a year before to make it that he has two speeding tickets and by the way the first one was going greater than conditions allowed bulls***t so now we have to go to a hearing at the registry to try to get a hardship license i suppose if he was caught drunk driving then he would probably have a license but speeding oh my no ....Now he cant start college because i have no way to get him there so tell me who really suffers in this case the junior operator or the parents who have to give rides and pay for things because they cannot get to their jobs to get paid bull CRAP

[anonymous 327]

anyway, so i totally agree with those saying that experience in driving is key to being a good driver. hell, i learned how to drive when i was 11 and my parents had been taking me just around the neighborhood to have some fun, after a while i got comfortable and they let me drive on major roads b/c they were comfortable with my driving. ofcourse i am progressing each and every day, learning new techniques and strategies and am 17 with a junior license, but with all the driving experience i have had, taking the car when the rents weren't home and teaching myself standard shift (aka "manual transmission") i have become more comfortable with the rules of the road and being able to maneuver a car especially in quick situations where you need to act quickly and there is not time to think about what you need to do, who wants to be sideswiped? a lot of people appreciate my good driving which has built up over the years, just the other day my friend's mom let me drive her hummer to the pizza place, i drive my mom's mercedes everywhere and my uncle let me drive his 90 thousand dollar convertible, it's all in experience which will eventually build up and lead you to be not only a good driver, but a great driver. also because i was driving without a license for a while, i became precausious with the cops, checking headlamps, tail lights, mirrors and looking at every turn. these are parts of the techniques i'm speaking of because though it may sound cocky, i have never been pulled over *knock on wood* and dont plan to *knock on wood again*. when i have children of my own, i won't lead them to drive at the age when i started but i will definitely teach them earlier so they have more time on their hands to practice b/c who has time these days to take their children driving every day? i would like my children to have the proper experience so that when the time comes that they need to take their road test, they'll pass with flying colors. i hope this helps a bit ;)

[kadeem]

i want 2 kno since im 16 and i have a full junior license,after drivers ed and my 17th b day can i get my senior license with out having 2 take another road test

[think about it]

wow. first of all don't say all junior drivers and second of all don't say we should abolish them. yes, there are some teens that abuse this privaledge but there are teens that need it to survive. some teens arnt born in the lap of luxury and need to get a job and provide income to survive. you need a car to drive to work to get a stable paying job and to get to school and to participate in sports. i know this. i need to get to work to save for college and i need to get to school. i can't walk because it is a long walk and a scary one at that because i am a girl walking alone.... and the bus takes long to get to my house and id be late for work. plus the economy is in a rutz now and it seems only the teens that have cars are more able to be hired because they don't have to rely on others to get a ride.