I totally agree that the RCMP deserve bigs props! (City Police, on the other hand...)
And I also totally agree that a drivers license is earned way too easily. I took drivers ed with a private instructor.. while much more technical and hands on than the school course was.. the private training still didn't teach me everything I needed to know to be a safe driver. It took years of experience for that... At the time, I thought I knew it all (as I'm sure most 16 year olds do) but now I realize how much I really had to learn.
It's kinda scary to think about all those punk kids driving crazily around.. and it's especially scary to have them all doing it at the same time on friday and saturday nights.

I agree about not getting a license so easyily. Yet the kids that worry me when I drive (note that I am 22, male, drove a "hot-rod" car since I got my license but am a defensive driver and never had a ticket or accident) are not just ones who drive like they are all Mario Andretti, it are the ones whose parents bought them a big SUV.
The parents thinking is understandable, "I'll buy my kid a big SUV and they will be safer (compared to a Civic) if they ever get into an accident"... Yet what the parents fail to see in that situtation is that the big SUV is going to keep their kids safe when getting into accidents, but it is a lethal weapon to other cars when driven that fast.
And that is what scares me the most, kids who drive SUVs like it is a Corvette, because if they hit me in my small car, I am going to be severely injured while they may not even get a bruise (and probably won't even learn their lesson to drive safer).

This was a powerful post that reminded me of an accident I was in a few years ago. The car I was in was hit from behind at quite a high speed – enough to total the car, but there were no major injuries (barely any injuries at all, actually). That said, the experience has stuck with me vividly ever since. I still tense up when I see a car approaching in the rear-view-mirror.

The experience was overwhelming. I spent the entire weekend afterwards just sitting – exhausted, and a bit shocked. It was a terrible experience that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

As for the age of licensing, I agree. I got my licence when I was 16, and I was not mature enough to drive. 18 would have been better. This is difficult, though, especially in a place like Prince Edward Island, where there is no public transit, and a lot of teens have jobs.

Go listen to Killer Cars by Radiohead.

I love your idea of having a closed track session where drivers can really learn the limitations of their vehicles.

I have definitely slowed down as I've gotten older, and I can't believe that I once drove 80 through a 45mph zone to get to a movie on time. I am also fortunate to never have been in a serious wreck consider how insanely I used to drive. And I did think it was cool as heck to drive like a racer.

I'm from the UK, where you have to wait until you're 17 to learn to drive.
Our drivers-licence system goes something like this:
<ol>
<li>Apply for "provisional" driving licence</li>
<li>Wait 2-6 weeks</li>
<li>Receive provisional licence</li>
<li>Take driving lessons from a DVLA-approved (DVLA is a government body who deal with all things road-related) instructor</li>
<li>Learn driving theory</li>
<li>Take theory test. Attain 30 out of 35 to pass. Repeat as necessary. </li>
<li>Continue practical lessons until instructor feels you're ready for the final test</li>
<li>Take a practical, unaided driving test on the roads. 45 minutes of examination, testing skills like speed/distance judgement and basic emergency maneuvers. Fail if you make 1 "major" or 15 "minor" mistakes. Repeat as necessary</li>
<li>Receive licence. Drive.</li>
</ol>

Now, I'm not saying this system is any better or worse than those anywhere else, but I think it's more thorough than that of Canada and the US.
I think that, if the UK's licence system included more advanced driving techniques, it would be for the better.

Needless to say, of course, people still slip through this net - we still get awful drivers who don't pay attention to the road. Like you say, Dan, teenagers want to look cool above all else (I know I did - it was only 4 years ago that I passed), and I know of 3 people whose lives have been directly ruined because of incompetent teenagers trying to look cool behind the wheel.

Now that I am an really old fart, I can tell you I should have never been driving before 21. I licensed at 18 but was a freak the summer after high school. I remember one late Friday night booting up what I though was a short road in Truro to find myself in the space between two houses taking out Tonka toys and swing sets. I was driving a buddy's Dad's truck so didn't wait to stick around. Invincible. Dumb. And that wasn't one of the crusing and boozing night. One problem in PEI is the lack of Liquior Commission funding for no drunk driving ad campaign - the only province in Canada without them produced by the province. When they started around 1983 there was a big shift in attitude.

I had my beginners permit at 15 and had my license ready to go when I turned 16 from drivers ed. The class was packed, I only had to meet the minimum requirements, and I never took the test (unless the last class was a secret test or something).

When it comes to in-experienced drivers, there is no difference between male and female drivers as the insurance companies like to claim. We were all crazy ass dangerous drivers in our teens.

I took my driver training course in Charlottetown with a retired RCMP officer. He was tough and he failed me the first time even though I thought I had done pretty well. When I passed the second time I knew I was much better and quite ready to be a responsible driver.

He taught everything including passing on the highway which was something he told me the big driving school in Charlottetown that most of my friends went too wouldn't teach because you generally had to drive over the speed limit to pass and that was technically illegal. His reasoning for teaching it was, "You're going to do it anyway and you better learn to do it right because I don't want to get hit because you did it wrong."

I still recommend him to anyone who asks me who they should get to teach their kid how to drive.

It amazes me that people from rural areas -- like Prince Edward Island or northern Ontario -- can get a drivers license one day, and fly to Toronto and drive on the 401 the next day, never having driven on a controlled-access highway, nor indeed any highway with a speeding limit over 90 km/h. I'm not sure what the answer to this one is, but taking ones "highway driving" training on Rte. 1 to Borden, even if the teacher is excellent and the principles of driving taught broadly, won't prepare one. I took driver training in Hamilton from the Hamilton Auto Club (the local CAA/AAA branch) and learned highway driving on Highway 6, which was only a 2-lane 80 km/h highway. I got my license, and then drove home on the 403. It was like the difference between go-carts and real driving. I "learned by doing" in an area of life that doesn't lend itself to this, at least from safety's perspective.

That said, I think moving the driving age to 21 would lead to social problems the likes of which we've never seen in rural areas: driving is freedom at a time when freedom is <I>everything</I>. Take it away, and all you get is imprisoned, frustrated teens.

I know what you mean Pete but imprisoned, frustrated rural teens need dances, jobs, public transit, soccer teams, maybe Vespa scooters but not ton o'steel, boombox, ride-in video games. Maybe they also need parents who will get off the sofa to drive them somewhere or set reasonable limits to late nights. Society acting like a teen is an idle adult just putting in time is part of the problem. Too bad Binns wouldn't even consider graduated licencing but that would take doing something.

I think the idea about testing the limits of your car before you get a lisence is excellent. I had my lisence for half a year before I had ever driven on snow, then during the first snowfall of the year I couldn't get my car to stop at stopsigns going only about 50km/h. I had no idea how all the other cars around me were managing to stop, and there I was sliding out into intersections.

Testing stopping distances and road conditions also reminds me of a time when I was in a car with someone who was late to get to school. She (yes girls speed too) was cruising down University Ave. at about 100 km/h on a wet road. When she tried to stop to make the turn into Ch'Rural she ended up skidding sideways into oncoming traffic and overshooting the entranceway by almost about 20 metres. Luckily no one was injured and the car didn't roll over. Needless to say, some break limit testing and wet road experience could have helped the situation.

I'm sixteen now, I just got my license a few months ago. I agree that there should be better testing systems.

I took a written test, failed, passed the next time and just barely passed the final driving exam. I needed more practice and more experience. It took me a few months behind the wheel to work out stopping distances, speeds and turning, getting them just right. I think only now should I have been let on the road (for the first few months I only drove around my neighborhood, no highways or city, until I was ready; I still only drive to school or work, both short distances), and maybe not even that.

And I'm probably one of the best examples: my parents took the time to help me practice, I'm not careless or wreckless and drive a small, safe, midsize car. It's scary to think that these unexperienced drivers (even some of my friends) are let loose without the proper training.

(Sidenote: When something like this happens, it just chalks up another point for teenage carelessness and stupidity; know that some kids don't know what they're doing, but also realize that some of us are intelligent and take the time to consider others' safety.)

Good point Taylor - the problem is not so much stupid teens as stupid people who do not get their lessons at the outset of adulthood. [I watched a golf course full of old wrinkly versions of them Friday watching fairways get watered during a blackout/water use ban.] There are many, many dense drivers who are not still in school. Consider lower Queen Street, Charlottetown at any point during school hours. But it is at the outset, in your teens, when you have the ability to screw it to people (hence all of punk rock and other teen angst-ity art forms) which should be done mercilessly where public safety and death is involved. Conversely, where the best reason for not doing something that adults and guidance counsellors can troop out is that it will be on your permanent record, forget that crap.

I agree with Mr Rukavina on the lack of driving skills here on PEI. By that I mean, the actual lack of places to experience "real driving". I took my drivers test when I was 18. I was very excited about the highway drive. At the time I thought it was a big deal. Cruising up to Borden was going to be a real thrill as I hadn't gotten a lot of chances to practice driving outside of town. But this is no highway. This is a two lane road where people can do 90/km and occasionally pass a big truck. Island drivers who spend all their time here have no idea what it's like. I lived in Halifax for school and got a good taste for bigger city driving while there. Although not an overly large city, it was enough to provide me with a better experience of proper lane changes, merging and over all kindness when driving.

I just love watching how poorly Island drivers are. Especially old farmers. You know the type, the ones who love 70km/h. They do 70km/h on a highway, and 70km/h in town. It's like it's the only speed their over sized GM cars can go. Once an Islanders gets their license, it's like all rules go out the window. I bet you guys see it in it's full colourful glory when you are Timothy's. Have you seen those nuts on Kent Street? You think with all this towns one way streets, someone would figure it all out by now. Last night I watched a car load of drunk kids go the wrong way up Kent Street. Luckly an officer was right on the corner and they were pulled over before things could have gotten worse

Teenagers are just the over all worst for anything. They are living though the stage of their lives when they truly believe nothing can happen to them. So they don't think twice about chugging back a few cheap wine coolers, smoking a nice big joint and then getting behind the wheel while 12 of their friends are packing in their mom's Sunfire. Who care if the kid in the trunk is taking a risk, we aren't going to die. They seem to forget though that in their fits of fun, there are other drivers on the road. But agreed, I hate to see the age of getting their license raised.

Overall I agree that there is not enough support out there for people who are drinking and having a good time. I'd hate to think of how many people really do get behind the wheel after a night of drinking. There needs to be something down to help people get home safe. Even the ones who live in rural areas.

Good post. I wouldn't mind moving the driving age to 18, but I think education and testing are bigger issues than age. Stupidity doesn't end at 16.

All I remember learning about in my school's driver's ed classes is about laws and guidelines, especially how much alcohol I'm allowed to have before legally drunk. It was mostly stuff I needed to know (like what to do at a 4-way stopsign) but I don't think we spent a day on driving theory. "Slow down when it's snowing" isn't enough.

I'm going to send my children to a good driving school. Even though they're pretty expensive, I'd rather they learn in a controlled environment than a public road. But this kind of education should be open (and mandatory) to everyone.

This discussion is even more important given this news about a potentially avoidable teen driving death in PEI over the weekend.

Suicide is the principal cause of death for young peple. But I bet that on PEI it is car accidents. One of our structural problems as pointed out by Peter is the rural aspects of life here. In Toronto my kids walked out the door onto the subway. How do we balance the need for freedom and the need for safer roads?

When we are 16 or 17 we have the judgement of a gnat and we think that we are invincible. I doubt that this will change. So if we can get most of the kids safely to 21, we may be OK. My $5 bucks worth?

Bring in graduated licenes. Plus a L sign on the learner car. Make the focus getting to work/school. No night driving no more than 2 in the car. Big one - have a very practical test that demands the demonstration on a closed course that you know how to handle the car. All this written stuff is such a waste of time - after all you don't put much value on a music theory paper is you want to be a peformer. You have to know the theory of flight but you have to be able to fly!!!!! Make getting the licence more technically challenging.

Insurance is tough already but what about taking away the licence if you have an accident and it is your fault?

All this bull about Island drivers worse then somewhere else is nothing but crap. I drive through the Maritimes and around the world and there are just as many bad drivers no matter where you go. Granted, different areas have their different stupid moves, but all areas end up about even. Moncton, for example, has drivers who drive WAYYYYYY to fast and do not stop for red lights. All due to faster artery highways leading into smaller roads with lower speed limits, but the drivers don't care. Don't even mention Boston...there it is due to old roads that snack back and forth, making everybody frustrated.

Never mind picking on the local drivers, just realize stupidity knows no particular region. And pray for a graduated licensing system for teenagers, before it is too late for them...and us.

<p>Wayne, do you have this as a shortcut on your computer?<blockquote class="smalltext">All this bull about Island (<i>fill in gap</i>) worse then somewhere else is nothing but crap.</blockquote>

Snack = Snake.

Sorry Alan, but I just find these words blurt out sometimes, especially when they make a good fit. I happen to not believe that there is a unique bad character flaw found in unique communities. I do believe that PEI is a unique community with many positive characteristics, however. And find that some, in their weak moments, need to be reminded.

Across the street from a fairway, eh? Got the itch yet? I agree watering the fairways is a bad publicity stunt. No excuse at all, but I am sure you are aware of the pressure greenskeepers are under.

[The golf course is private, exclusive and very pricey - aggrevating the watering thing. You've never seen a course with fewer players on the course. It is also by a great designer. Looks good out my window.]

I do agree that PEI is largely the same as other Maritimes rural places for teens and driving but there are two unique factors. CBC PEI is very reluctant to point out drinking as a factor in driving accidents. They use the euphamism "late night Saturday single car accident on Kinkora road" as far as I can tell. Without being blunt people believe it is less a problem that it is. In Pembroke, I lost a client a year to drunk drivnig and when they happened the papers published the blood alcohol levels immediately. They even published the levels of the dead. In one accident, my client, a big burly nut case, crashed into a car full of teens. All but one died. Everyone blamed my client who had been in bars and whose levels turned out to be over. Later it turned out that the teens were all over and more over. Making the drinking the real news deters. The other factor is what I said - the particular car culture and the failure of the province and the LCPEI to push ad campaigns. Without the message being hammered into the public mind, it simply is not in the public mind. The only problem is one of public policy decision by each of CBC PEI and the Tories.

Alan, do you feel is it just a CBC issue or really a media issue? From the outside, it looks like the media are trying to avoid accusations of prematurely convicting the accused or being insensitive and offensive to the guilty. Parents invariably refuse to accept their childs culpability and turn blame over to the police...the system...whatever. (I hate that word) The real issue is about how the story is played out. I feel sex offenders, their accusers, drunk drivers, bank robbers all should have a level playing field until proven guilty. And it is important that the innocent remain considered so until proven guilty in a court of law, right? So, when is it a drunk driver is known to be guilty as far as the courts are concerned? Until then, the media must walk slowly. Posters and reality commercials about accidents caused by thoughtless drunks would do us all a great service in educating us about the dangers of drunks on our roads. But would be hurtful to families of the guilty...should this be given consideration?

Wayne and Alan. I appreciate your contributions but let's try and keep things on topic.

Not off, Dan...ok, except for the golf. There is a direct link between pubic attitudes you have set out in your original post and how the media and government characterize the problem. People are thick when an issues like driving attitudes and habits are not questioned in public.

I agree with it being loosely tied to the original point - howerver I was trying to be polite in asking you and Wayne to not barrage this thread with your usual banter. It honestly has ruined a lot of good threads on a few blogs in the past while.

With all due respect, this was my first comment about the media and it's decisions about content. And, it will be my last.

Bye

For those of you who would love to see Alan and Wayne go head to head they've now set up their own special headbutting space.

Its cold there.

Thanks for the linking, Dan.

I don't have a driver's license. 35. Drivers on PEI scared me into not ever wanting to get behind the wheel. Both my parents were bad drivers. My father was wreckless, my mother too timid. Now I believe she is a hazard to other drivers and pedestrians. I have asked about having her license taken away, but the City police have to catch her driving dangerously first.

I live in Toronto and bike to work, walk a lot, use public transportation and often take cabs. I like talking to cab drivers - many of whom have offered, unsolicited by me, their own racial profiling of Toronto drivers. I have been told that Asians are the worst offenders of violating proper city driving etiquette and that new immigrants from small villages are really bad at using their indicators (is that what you call those things that tell which way you are going to turn?) - perhaps PEI falls into the latter category.

When I admit to not being a driver, many cab drivers have told me that I really should "get them" (that is a little PEI-ism joke).

In australia we have a fairly effective system.

Point form for convinience:

- 15 years 6 months begin driver training - not permitted to drive car.
- 15 years 9 months get bright yellow "L" plates, must display on both front and rear of vehicle. You may only drive at 80Kph (55mph) and a licenced driver with an active licence over the age of 25 MUST be present at all times.
- At 17 apply for Probationary licence. Extensive driver testing by Private agency, isurance agency and government transport authorities.
- If you get your 'P' plate you must display it at all times. It's a bright red 'P' about 8 inches on the front and back of the car.
- If you are pulled over for speeding, DUI, anything when on your P's, chances are you have to go to your L's for 24 months again (unless offence is very minor, such as 10kph (~7mph) over limit)
- At 20 you get your full licence - if no offences

I didn't get my licence until I moved here to PEI, when I was 22. Didn't miss it because I always had a dad, boyfriend, or husband to drive me around. (Husband taught me to drive, got tired of being a chauffeur I guess!)The reason I waited was purely financial. In rural Quebec where I grew up, it cost $800 for private driving school and you couldn't get your license without it. Ron the Crazy Instructor gave the test, along with defensive driving, driving in the city (Hull)and (from what I heard from my more affluent friends taking lessons)a chance to "open it up" on the gravel back roads with his car to see how you do with loosing control and regaining. I know of only one person in years of my high school, that ditched the instructor's car, and it was legendary. There are so many jokes/truisms about Quebec drivers, and it was sad that only those who could afford the course, got the licence, but it made a portion of the Ottawa Valley more safe for a generation of teens. I don't know if it's still like that, I doubt it. I think that such intensive lessons should be fronted financially by the province, and then paid back over 5 years by way of extra fees on teen drivers when renewing their licences. What's the cost of safety? Be interesting to see this become a topic of debate for the upcoming PEI election.

hey i'm a kid that lives in michigan and i love this column. thanks for putting it up. shows hows teens really care about there cars eh....thanks bye!

I eat my own poop

i am 17 now and got my g2 when i was 16.... i failed my test the first time and got it a week later.. however, i feel that i am a great driver, i have drove 25000 in 8 months and if i didn;t have my license i would not be able to get to school (cause i moved), work or have a social life at all... you cannot say that all teen drivers are bad, there are an equal number of adult ones except we tend to forgive those who are older.... i have seen more adults cut me off, dash ifront of me, and rearend me, then i have ever ever ever done my self........ so shut up about saying that teens are bad.... some are... but many are not..... changing the driving age would have ruined by life and also caused more people to drink and drive as more and more party being to mix the two in their higher years.

when I was 16 I took my driving test, it was tradition for test driver testers to fail all the teenage boys who took the test, I guess they figured some how that would make us better drivers, ya right I have seen so much stupidity when I drive to work, or on vacation that I just wonder if it just maby likly that a few of them get there drivers licence out of a cracker jack box, sure I have been driving now for over 12 years I don't favor raising the age when you can get your licence, I think that there should be a a graduated system where step 1 is the learners licence, only valid when with someone who has had there full drivers licence for over one year, then the next step is a licence only valid in the city/town during the daylight hours only with no passengers, third step is a licence vaild for highways, city/town all hours again no passengers, and the last step is your full drivers licence, and if you screw up you are stuck for one year more year at what ever level you where at.

But lets get things out in the open teenage drivers are not all bad drivers, and not all bad drivers a teenagers, I have seen my share of bad drivers from Vancover,B.C. to Toronto,Ont. it don't matter where you go it could be Winnipeg,Man. or Regina,Sask. idiots will be idiots but of all of them the ones I consider the most stupid are Drunk Drivers they should have there Driver Licence taken away for 5 years min. And let them start off right from drivers ed

I am from Massachusetts. The state which has aquired the name MASS-HOLES for our crappy drivers. I am doing a paper for my college english class right now on teenage drivers and the restrictions that have now started placing on the new drivers. It is easy to say that teens should not be able to have their licenses, however, in a lot of cases, there is no reason for certain teens to not have a license. I grew up in Vermont where everything is 20-40 miniutes away and you dont go out unless your parents are nice enough to truck you out to where you want to be. I believe that the problem with reckless drivers can't be easily stopped. However, I think one of the biggest ways that these drivers can be kept off the street is to not pass them in drivers ed and on the road and written exams. Not all teens are bad drivers. Thats a common misconception that is leading a lot of the country to believe that not letting teens get their license is the answer to accident issues. There's no reason to punish every teenager by not letting them get their license just because other drivers suck. There should be stricter drivers ed classes and the number of points you can get off on the road exam should be a smaller number. If you are a goiod driver and are of age, you desearve a lisence.

Very timely posts..always is I guess, there is always another horrible accident to read about. And, unfortunately it usually involves young (er) people and alcohol. I have three teens at home and cringe when they climb into cars with their friends. I never complain when I have to go out late at night to pick them up, I know they will get home safely. I went to a wake for a 21 year old man. His two friends aged 26 and 29 also died in the accident as well, and no seatbelts. Horrible. But, I have to trust and let mine grow up too. they want to go out with their friends. Thankfully, none of mine drive yet. No interest, all their friends drive.

I agree that there are many accidents on the road, and that quite a few times teenagers are involved. However, when one is observed or heard about, I'm sure it can be agreed that it's always a bit more interesting when you know it was a wreckless teen that caused the commotion behind the wheel. Then you can recieve that surge of pride knowing that you're nolonger an adolescent and have to deal with the confusing difficulties, you can join the club and bash on them. When someone you might condiser as a 'responsible adult' is in an accident, it's usually excused as "...sometimes you just slip up and forget." But can teens simply mess up? No, they must have done something completely immature. Perhaps you people need to readress the problem. If you're twenty two and look back at your problems with driving at sixteen, think of how irresponsible you were, then think about if you just recieved your license at twenty one, right when you can legally consume alcohol. If you had three beers at a party and decided to drive home because you weren't shitfaced, there's still that chance of a fast car coming around a corner and you not being able to handle it because your reflexes were slowed from the beer and you're inexperienced with driving. There was someone in one of the earlier reports that said he couldn't be licensed 'till he was eighteen, but that summer he was wild. It's not the age that makes the difference in responsible driving. I'm concerned about the blind people like you who try and restrict things and put a leash on everything instead of letting it be. Do you ever know notice how a dog with a leash is a dog that pulls, but if you let it walk beside you with strong but gentle commands it will stay faithful? Deprivation is the key to desire.

I do think anyone at any age that wrecks a car and alcohol is involved gets "bashed" as well as the senior driver who is perhaps too old to have reflexes good enough to drive, as is the impatient driver who never uses their signal, cuts in front of, etc. We are guilty at any age of iresponsible driving but when you see younger people get into accidents and alcohol is involved its sadder, they had their whole lofe in front of them. And we have all been there, drinking and driving to some extent. I do agree that its more personality than age, people choose to be irresponsible or responsible at any age

I am a truck driver been so for the last twenty years i drive approx 160,000 miles per year.I agree with changing licence age limits but even more so is training.Ive seen more accidents (some verry serious)than most people and unfortunatly alot of them are the result of speed and un due care.It doesnt seem to be all young drivers we all develop bad habbits while we drive and cars are made more simple to drive all the time.I realy dont understand why its commonly beleived that its gods givin right that all human beings should have a drivers licence.Some people just plain dont have the skill or brain power to drive.There are some people that fail drivers licence multiple times but they still end up with a licence through persistance its not cause they have learned more about how to drive.Operating a motor vehical of any size takes skill it is also one of the easyest ways to die some even use it to commit suicide.My beleive is more intence training and ongoing training would help but to really change all drivers have to change there mind set about what a automibile is for that is a society problem and may never improve.

u kno what i have my licence and i drive fine and so do my homies just because 1 person was stupid doesnt mean every one is

me and isaac are homies we drive fine (most of the time) but people are not perfact.

i agree wit jussie

Great Story!

i agree with isaac and jussie

I am only 14-15 and I Know what you mean to drive saftly. I have driven on the road and on a cloased dirt course but it is still to easy to get your lience. In Australia it may not be as bad but the amount of accidents and fatalities are still redicules. Yhey should make the laws harder like the UK ones that the other bloke mentioned.

My previos email address was wrong sorry. yhey= they

I have been diving around on the farm since i was 10 and i have never been in an acident. acident are not always with teen is guessed that the sick out more when an 18 year old gets in an acident.

my name is Meagan Morrison. I am 14 and im doing a project on teenage drinking and Driving. i have to say its pretty sad and stupid that all teens care about is this they should set an example for us young kids. but ive already made up my mind about drinking while driving...i WONT do it!!!

Learn from a 14 year old!

i do not agree with what he wrote. I am now 14 and I know i can drive. just because he is stupid does not mean that everyone is.

what up duds?

I have to agree with Crystal, and hope you look at some other areas from where this problem comes from.

Amazingly, most parents that I've run into and talked with (as this is a concern for me, I've made sure to ask) are afraid of spending the time to teach their kids how to drive...but yet they'll get them a car and let the loves of their life drive untaught on city streets. Better yet, they'll get them a large vehicle so that others will pay the price for their fear.

Where is love, and how did selfishness and stupidity get so high? Oh, wait. Atkins diet.

But, parents have more than enough on their plates lately, and with the community breakdown I think the young couples (and formerly young) are without the guidance, support, and help they need from older relatives. Communities seem to work better when there's a mix of ages, and most of us are lucky if there's a relative there to help with the 3-year-old two days of the week anymore.

Not all crashes are cuased by teens alone, but also adults, too. All we need is a little common sence such as not speeding to get to a movie rental store before it closes or rushing home from work to beat the heavy traffic. I live here on Vancover Island, B.C. and Drivers here have over time learned to co-operate with each other by creating a "Gap" so others on side roads can enter the road way. Planning ahead could help curb the amount of collisions on our roads. If Stupidity does'nt kill, Speed Does!

-Life is too short, take the long way around-

i agree with you and what everyone else has said. When I took my driver's ed class, it was a sememster long, and then we had to find a prive driving teacher after that. Mom and dad allowed me to take the courses when I was about 16ish, however, I did not get my license until i was 17 years and 11 months old. That was pushing it, they didn't want me to get it until I was 18, and even then, they were nearly screaming all the way to the dmv. We were taught about stopping distances in cars vs trucks and suvs, and what all those black and other multicolored marks were on rounded ramps and edge railings.

Speed does kill, if not mame for a life time, and this was instilled into me like the fear of God from my parents and teachers. And speeding in those d**m SUVs drives me nuts. It's over compensation for something you're lacking for, they are beyond a lethal weapon, but as much of a terrorist weapon as anything. Seeing people drive them around, cut me off (i drive a little pick up truck), and then slam on their brakes makes me want to get one and drive it right into their rear.

I plan ahead, watch all the traffic around me, and always EXPECT some one to make that stupid move, and countless times they do it, and i'm totally prepared.

Other than all that, this is a great posting, and I am enjoying reading all the posts there after.

Have fun, good luck, and drive safely.

Another topic that comes to mind is Cell Phone calls while driveing. Its almost as bad as drinking and driveing. Being on the phone at the same time could rob a driver of at least 3 seconds of responce time when a car happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Pulling over to recieve or make calls could save someones life. I could tell of a hair razer story, but it would be falling off the topic.

I enjoy this forum, too. Thanks Dan.

i agree with all of it i am 17 years old and i had an accident myself. We do drive crazy but that still is'ent to say we cant drive safly some of us just think we are good but then few of us are good. Also all you people saying stuff about teenage drivers drive are worse than we are. It is a lot of crap us teenage drivers get just cause we are young, and cant do things as well as someoe who has done it for 20 years

I think that it is so stupid to get in a car and not putting your seatbelt on. plus why don't people think about their children being in the front seat when they are under the age limit. People should think before getting into a car and driving.

Some teenagers are idiots, some are not. Most people who see me for the first time probably think i'm a pot smoker who does all kinds of drugs. Whats the reason they would think that? One is the fact that I have bags under my eyes, which I cant help much, and the other is that i'm a teenager. But i've never done a drug in my life, and personally think that beer smells like shit(so I probably wont want to even try it till i'm 21). Unlike most my age, I care about issues, but there ARE others like me. Upping the driving age would be idiocy. One problem is, if it went from 16 to 18, what would happen to 17 and 16 year olds who already have a license? Do they lose them or what? They need to figure out better tests and other better requirements. If your going to take away teenagers licenses, then you'll have to take them away from anyone who's over 70 as well. I can just guess how pissed the 18-20 year olds must have been when the drinking age was raised to 21. It took away part of their freedom, and thats exactly what this would do.

K....i am stupid. oh yah...U CANT SPELL!!
I have been in an Accident,I have been chased by tha Cops,and i have a Teenager,and Stupid People..welll,i am..HAHA
I rock you dont.
tha end.

Hi, I just turned 17 and I'm quite surprised about your views on teenagers and driving. Well, actually I'm not, more-so outraged. Not all 16 year olds are punk kids and just want to be cool. To me and MANY of my friends driving is not a joke or joy ride. It is not the easiest thing to achieve either. The written test was easy however but it is only the beginning of driving. It is just to jump start the knowledge and rules of driving so that teens are aware of these rules and learn them so they prepare themselves to get behind the wheel. When I first got behind the wheel of a car, I was in an empty parking lot, and was to scared to go over 15 km/h. After a year and drivers course, I feel much more confident driving as well as my parents. However, I do still have those uncertain times which is why I will play it safe( like when turning left or something). I do however agree that when teens get there G2 and have never been on a highway are suddenly allowed to is very unsafe. I believe that drivers education courses must be mandatory and also it must be mandatory for the instructor to take the student on the highway at least twice when they are prepared. I do not have my G2 yet but I am booking my test. I have been on the highway 3 times with my instructor and things went smoothly. After the 3rd time I was not as nervous as the 1st but still very aware and alert that I was travelling at very high speeds and the other vehicles around me.

So I will say it again, teenagers and driving is not a scary thing. It is not a joke, and we realize that we will not learn everything all at once. It takes time and hard work to learn how to drive safely. Driving has made me more mature and my parents see it too.
If anything, I wouldn't worry about teens driving friday and saturday nights. The countless 30-40 year old drunk drivers are much more of a anxiety.

All i have to say is recently i have been in a car accident. Im 16 and nearly died. It was an awful experience and i feel that the rules./laws need to be changed. In my driving class we did the same. Watched movies that really didnt help. Although i wasnt the one driving i was nearly killed from a small mistake. The gurl i was driving with wasent paying attention, and it nearly caused me my life. So yes they do need to change the rules.

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE ''SIGNS'' OR FEELINGS THAT YOU HAVE IF YOU DON;T THEN SOMETHING REALLY BAD MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOU!

you suck, you stupid suck.

Anyways, I've had this theory that shwangy wshanwys r the future you fucked up f

Intensify the test, make it really hardcore. then lower the testing AGE to 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm 18 tomorrow, I've been driving since 16...

I can say that already in 2 years I've learned a LOT about the road. And there are definately kids at my age who shouldn't be driving, but there are many more who do just fine. Problems they have are due to inexperience more than age. However, I do think there should be a limit on the number of teens that can be in a single car with a teen driver.(2 is okay, 3+ is bad)

I really do think the winter driving-like stuff should be taught. Vehicle control in adverse conditions is something you can only learn by experience. You can't read to people from a textbook about how to handle a skid. They always told me "turn into the skid" in my stupid drivers ed classes.. Well, thats just what I did when I found myself in one, and I ended up doing a 180 and planting my car into a snowbank(no damage or injury or anything, was driving under the 30mph speed limit). Turns out my vision of "into a skid" is opposite of what someone elses might be. Its all quite objective, really.

I think people also need to learn about the real rules of safe driving. For example, keep pace and keep to your lane on the freeway. Whether you tend to drive the speed limit or 10 mph over, there is a lane for you! The scariest situations I find myself in on the freeway is when there are cars in front of me driving the same speed next to each other, blocking the way, and more cars are coming up from behind wanting to go faster. The fact is, there are going to be speeders. Just because you are driving 55mph in the 55mph zone doesn't mean you're doing the right thing.

Also about the SUVs... I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an unbiased statistician, but when I'm driving and I notice someone that makes me think "wow, they're a bad driver, they're gonna hurt themselves or someone" it seems like so often the vehicle is an SUV, and if I see who the driver is, they usually look middle-aged! I'm talking about the people tailgating, changing lanes indiscriminately, excessive speed, etc. Teen accidents get the most press, and are statistically the most likely to happen, but the fact is there are many less teens on the roads than there are adults, and when you talk about SOMEONE ELSE GETTING YOU KILLED, it's just as likely for them to be of any age.

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

I just want to say that the driving necesseties for obtaining a G2 are downright idiotic. When there are hundreds of people on a highway travelling at 120-130km/h and i have to do 100km/h and switch lanes it's absolutely dangerous and stupid. I think driving excessivly slow is just as dangerous as driving excessivly fast. I am used to going at the speed of the traffic to avoid any accidents and when i must go 30km/h slower and pull in front of a guy it is sheer stupidity. Furthermore no-one on the road let me in!!!!!! I think that this whole idea of obeying legal speed doesn't work if no-one travels at legal speeds so why enforce it on a driver exam? I was surprised that I passed the test after missing my instructed turn by three streets. I'm not sure if this guy was drunk or mentally ill but the fact that hes an instructor giving out licenses to people who make mistakes like the one i made is terrifying.
I attended rally school for a few days which taught me to drive much better than any other school(plus gave a nasty beating on my engine) and helped me learn about oversteer and understeer and how to avoid and use it. I would like to point out that while I understandably see a lot of teens making mistakes the stupidest mistakes i see are by grown drivers (a lot of them on cell phones). I drive a Subaru WRX and in the winter I often see large SUV's in RWD traveling at speeds that even i don't dare go at and driven by a grown adult with children in the back. This is perhaps also why i see so many SUV's in the ditch. So just to make a point while teens do drive stupid I never saw a teen in a Honda civic traveling at 130km/h on ice and ending up in a ditch just down the road but i saw pleanty of adults.

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please contact me. I am very interested in your cause. My name is Christoher Linge
and my home phone is: (386)763-1578. My work phone is: (386)322-7771. My drivers license number is:
L520106700180. My SSN is: 594 34 8210.

Eat Shit and die Mr.Campbell

Eat Shit and die Mr.Campbell

Eat Shit and die Mr.Campbell

Eat Shit and die Mr.Campbell

Please contact me. I am very interested in your cause. My name is Christoher Linge
and my home phone is: (386)763-1578. My work phone is: (386)322-7771. My drivers license number is:
L520106700180. My SSN is: 594 34 8210.

Eat Shit and die Mr.Campbell

Please contact me. I am very interested in your cause. My name is Christoher Linge
and my home phone is: (386)763-1578. My work phone is: (386)322-7771. My drivers license number is:
L520106700180. My SSN is: 594 34 8210.

Please contact me. I am very interested in your cause. My name is Christoher Linge
and my home phone is: (386)763-1578. My work phone is: (386)322-7771. My drivers license number is:
L520106700180. My SSN is: 594 34 8210.

Eat Shit and die Mr.Campbell

Please contact me. I am very interested in your cause. My name is Christoher Linge
and my home phone is: (386)763-1578. My work phone is: (386)322-7771. My drivers license number is:
L520106700180. My SSN is: 594 34 8210.

Please call me at 810.629.5369/Mark Taubitz: General Forman, Fenton Heading Div. Fenton Michigan

Please call me at 810.629.5369 - Mark Taubits/General Foreman

Please contact me. I am very interested in your cause. My name is Christoher Linge
and my home phone is: (386)763-1578. My work phone is: (386)322-7771. My drivers license number is:
L520106700180. My SSN is: 594 34 8210.

I am 18 years old. I have had my license for over two years. Dan does make some interesting points but I do not think that all teenagers should be penalized for the stupidity of a few. There are bad drivers everywhere, and of all ages. I do agree that something has to be done about drivers education and driving tests. When I went for my driving test I drove for fifteen minutes and that was it. I went right to the DMV and they issued my license. By the way, when I was taking my drivers test I was suppose to have my learner's permit with me but I didn't and the driving instructor let me take the test anyways, which he shouldn't have done. To the point that Dan made that teenagers should not be allowed to drive, I find this statement quite offensive. For example, I was driving one day, doing the speed limit I might add (which was 80km in that speed zone), when I seen a truck on my side of the road. I slowed down to 60 km. The driver went back to his side of the road but I maintained the speed of 60 because I didn't trust the driver. Sure enough he pulled into his driveway that was right infront of me. I would have run him off the road if I hadn't slammed on the breaks. When I looked back (I was stopped by the way when I looked back) I seen the driver. He looked to be in his early 40's. The lady who I use to live beside, who is the ripe age of 65+, was driving into our driveway, when she clipped the tree in her yard and drove right into the front porch of her house. By the way, she is still driving. So you see, teenagers are not the only bad drivers.

I think that ANY licensed driver should have to take a driving test every two years, or everytime they need their license renewed. This way, if a driver may have forgot something he/she will remember it.

Dan, I know you have your own opinion, and you are very much so entitled to it, but this is my opinion. I just hope next time you will consider this before making a biased remark.

When my daughter got her license it was her driver instructor that issued the test. When I took driving this was impossible. I think it's a conflict of interest with potentially lethal consequences.

I do not agree that all teens should not drive. Nor do I think all teens drive like maniacs. Stupidity is not age specific. There are many teens who make better drivers than some people who have been on the road for years. What is needed is to educate teens to the danger that exists behind a wheel. The present laws of a one year Learners status and a two year New driver status will have an impact on creating a safer roadwise driving population.
When I got my licence the school provided driver education and the cost was reasonable and affordable. I think it is appauling that it costs nearly a thousand dollars (in this town at least)to get the training that is so neccesary for new drivers. We are a society of drivers and with the distances some of us must travel daily it is vital that affordable training be available.

HI!!!

I dont think that it is fare how adults always think its the teenagers fault. Yes, some teenagers are not responsable, or try to be cool and end up causing accidents but, some teens are actully responsible and maybe even scared of the accidents we hear of on the news. Most adults got there lisence around the age of 16 and probably made the same mistakes some teens make now(SPEEDING!!!!!!). I do not believe that any adult should descriminate teenagers when they probably did the same. Alot of you say that you learnt with experience, well if teenagers arent given the chance to get the experience they'll never learn.

My sister was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver and I am glad that you all have a sit on things like this. People like me we need a place to say what we want to when we want to.

Thank You for your time,
Volleyball
Girl

I think the bill is stupid!!!!!!!

I totally agree with Emily

i think 15 and 16 year old people
shouldnt drive!!!!!!!!!!

I think they should let 15 or 16 year old kids drive only if they have a drivers permit

SPEED SLOWLY

try putting some real thought into that.eventually you will understand just how much sense it makes...

Hello, my name is Rick and I have a little story to tell about what happened to me. First of all I'm 43 years old and I've been driving for 27 years, and the last 16 years I've been driving an 18 wheeler all over the place, mostly in the USA.
This one day I was delivering with my big truck in the town of St.Jerome PQ. It was 5:30am and I was looking to park my rig on the right hand side of the highway in front of a restaurant.
Well of course there was no parking space available so I parked my truck on the left side and crossed the 4 lane highway where there was absolutely no one in sight, and went to have breakfast. After I was done eating I then proceeded to cross the highway to go to my truck. But there was a lady about to proceed on the highway at my left, so she decided to allow me to pass in front of her vehicle and so I did but to my disadvantage there was a teenager driving his mother's Sport Car for the first time roaring around this woman's car after she allowed me to proceed in front I got ran over by the teenager at a speed of 70km/hour. Beeing a big man with enormous strength, weighing 300lbs, and I had worked at a friends house two days before hauling a heavy wheel barrol of dirt all day for him so when I got hit in the back left side My rear end landed on the hood of the car and the winshield broke my back in two pieces, then my legs went flying back and me two feet stayed stuck in the car's rear winshield. I am now a parapalegic, I had 25 operations and nearly died 10 times while I was in the hospital. Its been three years since my accident and every night I scream in pain because Of my back pain and I forgot to mention that they had to amputate my left leg because it had been broken openly in three places. So my advice to teenagers driving on the road, take it easy and don't do something you will regret and have to live with the circumstances the rest of your life. And by the way, the teenager was not drunk he was on his way to work, but being in a Sport Car he just had to fool around at the wrong spot and end my truck driving life, sex life, and ect.

I didn't see anyone bring this point up, so I will....What happens to the teenagers who do not have access to someone who is willing and able to be an accompanying driver or a supervisor under graduated licensing? This system would make it almost impossible for someone who has parents who do not have licenses themselves, do not own a car (can't practice driving with something you don't have), and are unable to afford driving lessons (which don't really provide you with much actual driving experience, at least where I live in Ontario). There are people who literally don't have access to anyone who is willing and able to provide these kids with driving experience so they can get their license...

im a teenager and honestly we should not be driving because of the high risk accidents with teenagers involved

I just would like to tell of an event that happen to me becasue of a teen age driver.
I was in a building when a 16 year old on a lerner's permit came through the wall
I had multiple injuries. I now have lost eye site in one eye. had 2 pelvic fratures, an elbow fracture, a shoulder fracture a fracture over an eye and a gash under my eye that took 11 stitches. I had months of therapy, a cracked rib , This girl was no where near ready to drive and to top it all off I find the parents are not responsible, the insurance will pay but not nearly enough of what I had for injuries and suffering. anyone know how come you can't get compensated by the parent also?"

im conclusion of applying for an online payday credit but theres so profuse locale's which is the subdue locality to get a credit i dont wanna get ripped off!! any suggestions? divert add links
hold responsible you :)
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you are a very wise man to think that way that is good information to me i am only eleven going into the last grade of elementary school but when i get my drivers lisence i will not drive that fast becuase i do not want to die or be seriously injured for the rest of my life and what i think of people driving like that is they shouldn't have their drivers lisence till they have learned
how to drive properly there was one time that i did something that i shouldn't of done when i was ten i stole my dads car and wrecked into the neighbors car i almost went to jouvi but since it was the first time i broke the law i got away with it but i should of went to jouvi i should of learned my lesson but now i know when i get my drivers lisence not to drive that fast and if i lose my car i will not steal some body elses car cause i would go to jail for that thank you for the information that will help me very much thank you

hi everyone!!!!!!!!

i have a girlfriend and she is two years younger than me.

i am petting my cat

i love chocolate