Is The Driving Age In MA Too Young?

[Tom Foolery]

bob wrote:

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[Frank]

Arlington Road wrote:

<quoted text>
Wait, please: You are telling me that COPS and AUTO MECHANICHS have the ability to analyze the frequency of accidents caused by completely uncapturable data such as:
- "incredible bonehead moves" (whatever the Fl_lCK that means)
- Highest number of drivers that make other drivers say "WTF!"
- Highest number of accidents related to exclaimations of "Why would ANYONE do THAT?"
What did they ask someone, "Did the other person say WTF by any chance?" before taking the car in for repair? Why on earth are they repairing cars and running detail. They should be curing cancer. What do you say Sun Reader? Time for a new job?
PS - Casual observation: You are right. Nine times out of ten I get cut off by some woman driving an SUV, talking on her cell phone.

I think what he means is that cops obviously know who is screwing things up out there, and the mechanics can back that up with certain mechanical evidence. If you're installing brake pads for a living, and you notice that your female customers go thru brake pads at a rate 3 times higher than your male customers then you can surmise that they spend much more time using their breaks, ie having to constantly brake to keep from running into someone. This happens because they drive much closer to the car in front of them than males do, and they have to constantly ride their brakes to keep from hitting the car in front of them. Its called tailgating, and its an epidemic among women.
I grew up around mechanics, just ask one about woman's brake pads. Every mechanic knows it. lol

[Frank]

Breaks, brakes, braches, lol

[Dalton]

eddie wrote:

i think it should be changed to 12 cuz they hit puberty by then

r u crazy it should be lowered to 14. At least that is reasonable

[Frank]

I saw something interesting today. I was at a gas station on DW Highway in Nashua NH. I was pumping my gas, and a woman was TRYING to get next to the pump that was on the other side of mine. There were no obstacles in her way, and the pavement was dry and clear. She pulled up to the pump, but when she got out, she was too far forward, and the hose would not reach. So, she pulled forward, and pulled in in the opposite direction. But this time, she couldnt get the hose around the back of her Tahoe. So, she got back in her truck, and pulled out, did a U-turn, and pulled up alongside of the pumps that were on the opposite side facing the pump she first tried to access. She got out to pump her gas, but once again, the hose wouldnt reach around the back of her SUV. So she got into her truck and BACKED UP, which of course made the gas cap on her truck ever further away than it had been. She got out was completely flabbergasted that she was still unable to pump her gas. So, she started her truck for the FOURTH time and pulled forward way past the point that the hose would reach. She got out, grabbed the nozzle, approached her truck, saw that once again she was not able to pump her gas. She was furious. "What the HELL is wrong with this gas station!!!" she yelled.
I offered to put her truck where it needed to be so that she could get some gas, and she told me to "Shut the hell up !! I dont need any help!!".
So I just stood there and watched as she tossed the hose on the ground got into her truck and sped off, darting back into traffic amid a chorus of car horns from people who were almost side swiped by her as she left.
I dont know what the problem was, and I dont know why she had such a hard time. I DO know one thing however. There was NO WAY it was her fault. No way. And, if she had slammed into someone on her way out, that wouldn't have been her fault either. No way. Absolutely not. No.
I walked over and put her nozzle back on the pump and returned to my car. As I was putting on my seat belt, some guy in an Escalade pulled up to that pump, got out, and started pumping his gas, oblivious to the drama that had unfolded in that very spot just moments before. Lol.

[Steph- Worcester]

I agree. Raising the age to drive is not the answer. The reason accidents happen to young, beginner drivers is LACK OF EXPERIENCE. This combined with innatentive drivers, driving while using cell phones, and (the worst offense) speeding and generally being reckless behing the wheel is what kills people. Kids arent really and truly understanding the awesome privilage it is to be able to drive a car. They also don't fully appreciate how careful you must be while driving. It is the most dangerous thing anyone can do and unfortunately inexperienced drivers increase their risk of dying or killing another because they DO NOT USE THE CARE NECESSARYWHILE THEY ARE DRIVING.I have experience and I am afraid of the way some drive a lot of the time while I am on the road. Almost every time I see a speeder and I can catch a glimpse of the driver, it is almost always a young man. Please remember beginner drivers-there are innocent kids who ride in cars out there. DOn't kill them with your recklessness. Inexperience is enough to deal with..

Jennifer Yergeau wrote:

It isn't the age of the driver in any case. There are 16 year olds who are very capable of operating a motor vehicle. It's a dispute over responsibility and experience. Even if you move the driving age to 20 years old, those drivers won't have had the experience necessary to drive. It's a learning process. The reason 16 year olds get in more accidents is beacuse they don't have enough experience behind the wheel, but changing the age isn't the solution. Perhaps more drivers education onroads? In theory, there are elderly people who don't even have to take another road test to get their license, just an eye and reaction exam to have it renewed. Should they be behind the wheel of a car? Not all. It is also a matter of responsibility and caution of the driver. There are irresponsible drivers in all age ranges that drive recklessly. It's not just new drivers.

[Davey too]

I agree totally!

[Enough]

A driver's education course should be Mandatory for all drivers period. I took drivers ed at 16, along with scouring the junkyards for parts to rebuild the old family car. I got most of my early driving experience driving a taxi for the city. Cell phone use while driving should come with a hefty fine. A young person should not be allowed to drive until he or she can also buy their own insurance and fuel. You tend to treat you're equipment better when you have to pay for it yourself. Drunk driving is absolutly wrong at that age. Driving an automobile is a privilege, not a right, and privileges are earned.

[Enough]

Correction....Drunk driving is absolutly wrong at ANY age!!!

[Frank]

Enough wrote:

A driver's education course should be Mandatory for all drivers period. I took drivers ed at 16, along with scouring the junkyards for parts to rebuild the old family car. I got most of my early driving experience driving a taxi for the city. Cell phone use while driving should come with a hefty fine. A young person should not be allowed to drive until he or she can also buy their own insurance and fuel. You tend to treat you're equipment better when you have to pay for it yourself. Drunk driving is absolutly wrong at that age. Driving an automobile is a privilege, not a right, and privileges are earned.

How about having drivers ed taught in schools, and having the classes start when a kid is 13 or 14? Two or three years of drivers ed instead of the usual 2 or 3 months.

[Enough]

Frank wrote:

<quoted text>
How about having drivers ed taught in schools, and having the classes start when a kid is 13 or 14? Two or three years of drivers ed instead of the usual 2 or 3 months.

Not a bad idea. But drivers ed classes have always been an expensive class to take. wear and tear on the cars, neverminding accidents. Simulator training at first could be an option.

[Frank]

Enough wrote:

<quoted text>Not a bad idea. But drivers ed classes have always been an expensive class to take. wear and tear on the cars, neverminding accidents. Simulator training at first could be an option.

The first two years could be all in the classroom. They could learn about basic driving skills, and watch videos of examples of tings to avoid while you are driving. Also, they could be taught the basics of automotive mechanics, like how brakes work, and what the engine and transmission do.
Im not suggesting that 13 1nd 14 year olds be taken out to drive. There are hundreds of hours of discussion and instruction that would benefit these young drivers. Right now they only get a fraction of that.
How about a two week course on tailgating and how to avoid it? And an in-depth study of merging, and how a merge situation is NOT supposed to be an opportunity to pass the car in front of you.
All the stuff that you hear people complain about could be addressed in more depth BEFORE these people get on the road.

[tom]

joe wrote:

i am 13. I need to have a car when i am 16 and one half. My family needs money and i need to get a job, and make a living for my family. I hope they do not raise the driving age. I feel responsible enough to follow the rules just as much as any adult, and I know what is right and what is wrong

Don't be an idiot, your family can get welfare. Go to school, get good grades and go to college. This is America, don't think it's your responsibility to care for your family. LOL!

[MA Driver]

mikehunt wrote:

i dont give a shit i hope u raise it cause i dont live here ha ha ha

Let's ALL make sure "mikehunt" NEVER gets a passport! We certainly don't need HIM driving in our country, however old he may be!

[josh]

quit bitching

[Unimpressed]

I'm from the berkshires. I was driving in Chicopee on mon. Some fat loser screemed at me like a crazed lunatic. Although I'll admit I was making an illegal turn but he was crossing double lanes, no seat belt and on his cell phone, I think he was arguing with his boyfriend. Lighten up Chicopee you can't tell me you don't have a second to spare.

[Miss Concerned]

joe wrote:

i am 13. I need to have a car when i am 16 and one half. My family needs money and i need to get a job, and make a living for my family. I hope they do not raise the driving age. I feel responsible enough to follow the rules just as much as any adult, and I know what is right and what is wrong

yes, but not all teenagers are capable of driving and following the rules as you say. i am turning 15 soon and even i believe it should be raised, only because i don't believe that all of the teenagers can handle being behind a wheel. it might be safer for all of us on the road.