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Funny how we adults want to change the rules after we get ___________________(fill in the blank).
I'm one of those people who grew up driving cars without seatbelts and riding, or driving, with a car load. How oh how did we survive?
There are many more cars on the road now than there were when I (and presumably you) began driving.
There are cell phone distractions added to the mix.
I don't think there needs to be a one size fits all approach to teen drivers, but I do think parents need to set down common sense rules and make sure they are adhered to.
There are many more cars on the road now than there were when I (and presumably you) began driving.
There are cell phone distractions added to the mix.
I don't think there needs to be a one size fits all approach to teen drivers, but I do think parents need to set down common sense rules and make sure they are adhered to.
Which is what it comes down to. Even in 1970 PA had a graduated license which limited new drivers. I got my license two weeks after I got my Permit, a friend got his license the same afternoon. The test included and on the road component. I guess that's what learning to drive on a tractor gets you.
MD has gone to the graduated license the last few years, while increasing the time needed on a Learner's Permit until getting a Provisional License to 9 months. There are Legislators who each year introduce legislation to increase the minimum driving age to 18 or even 20.
The laws are too lax. They can have a full license at 16 and drive till all hours of the night and no limits on the number of passengers.
Not true. 16 year old drivers must be off the road by 11PM. 17 year old drivers must be off the road by 1AM. A driver must be 18 to have an unrestricted license in FL.
I have two young drivers (one is 18 and one is 16). In our state, they can take drivers ed. at 14 yrs. old and can get their licenses at 15. Both of mine did just that. We limit(ed) their driving to staying in town and being home earlier than the law requires. We have taught them the importance of seatbelts (and wear ours every single time)... we've done everything "right", but I'm not stupid either. I know that they are probably fish-tailing on the dirt roads around here, I know that they show-off for their friends, I know that they have had too many people in the car than the law allows...
My kids are safe drivers, despite the times behind the wheel that they act like teenagers, I know that they are aware of the dangers when they are in control of a vehicle. Driving is just one of those things, as a parent, that you have to have trust in your kid (and trust in a higher power) that they will be fine. Makes for some sleepless nights, but they are going to drive eventually. Would I worry less if an inexperienced 25 year old got behind the wheel? Probably not...
I just don't get this. What kind of parents allow a teenager free reign to drive with a carload of kids.
This happened yesterday in the Tampa area, FL apparently has no restrictions(unlike other states) on how many passengers drivers under age 18 can have in the car.
It was an SUV that flipped several times, and one boy not wearing a seatbelt was ejected and killed.
Aside from the loss of the life, the 16yr old driver is driving a car registered to his father. Don't the parents worry about getting sued in situations like this?
I just don't get it.
Do you have teens in your home?
The truth is that most parents do the best they can. Once a person has a license and is free to do what they like, they are also free to not tell their parents exactly what they are doing. They may not have told their parents where they were actually going and who was actually going to be in the car.
As parents we do the best we can to teach our children to make good choices. The sad fact is that not every child will receive the information.
The Tampa Bay area leads the nation in deadly teen crashes. There are also two FL cities on the Top 10 list.
Unlike other states like the posters from TN and WI who mentioned their states limit the number of passengers FL does absolutely nothing.
Other states have teens off the road by 9pm(unless they have a job that has night hours). Not FL, they and drive till I believe 12am or 1am, no reason for underage kids to be on the road that late.
It's the same thing on the news, tacky white cross on the side of the road(which are driving distractions), crying teens, plastic flowers, and teddy bears.
Been here a few years now and have seen countless stories over and over again, yet never any mention of raising the driving age, limiting the number of passengers and hours an underage teen can drive.
No mention of what caused the crash, why 7 teens are in one car. You don't flip an SUV doing the speed limit.
Having lived in more progressive states I notice FL is never proactive on any issue, always reactive.
Adapting laws that other states have and enforcing them seems too logical for the dumbshine state.
The FL Senate just turned down a ban on texting, despite several horrific crashes due to texting, and will not address it for another two years.
Where I live, they have the graduated driving rules but they only apply to those teen under age 18. There are also laws about seatbelts and texting while driving but a lot of kids pay no attention at all to the rules.
One big problem is that drivers' ed is not required once a kid turns 18 and an incredibly large number of parents will hand the car keys to an unlicensed driver under age 18. I would think a statistical breakdown of these traffic deaths of teens by drivers-ed/no-drivers-ed, insured/none-insured, time with parent behind the wheel/no time with parent would be interesting to see.
Some parents seem to think that giving a kid the keys but no guidance doesn't really matter, they will adorn that roadside shrine and make sure their kid's shrine has the most plastic flowers and balloons and cheap little knicknacks around the cross and that will prove their real love for their child.
I wish that the police would start to crack down on unlicensed drivers, drunk drivers, uninsured drivers and enforce the rules. The parents don't wish to make their children upset by laying down rules. They might care if their cars were confiscated when their child has been drinking and is barreling down the interstate at 100 mph. I think traffic tickets don't work because so many here don't pay them, it would have to be a $2000 fee to get their car out of impound or something like that.
The truth is that most parents do the best they can. Once a person has a license and is free to do what they like, they are also free to not tell their parents exactly what they are doing. They may not have told their parents where they were actually going and who was actually going to be in the car.
As parents we do the best we can to teach our children to make good choices. The sad fact is that not every child will receive the information.
If I thought my kid was lying to me -- then I would get a GPS tracking device. But I do what my own dad used to do -- check the odometer readings. If a kid says they want to use the car to go to the store and you know the store is 2 miles away -- than the odometer should show about 4 miles added. If the kid went cruising all over town, did a few drag races with the car, hauled a bunch of friends around town, the odometer reading should show that too. And it doesn't work to drive in reverse 20 miles.
Not true. 16 year old drivers must be off the road by 11PM. 17 year old drivers must be off the road by 1AM. A driver must be 18 to have an unrestricted license in FL.
That is still way too late. There is no reason to have underage people driving that late.
And FL like other states doesn't limit the number of passengers in the car.
Most of these crashes always have a car load of kids, the driver is showing off. If it was limited to one passenger the driver would be less likely to try and impress anyone.
Something is wrong when FL leads the nation in deadly teen crashes.
I grew up in NY, you had to be off the road by 9pm until you were 18.
If I thought my kid was lying to me -- then I would get a GPS tracking device. But I do what my own dad used to do -- check the odometer readings. If a kid says they want to use the car to go to the store and you know the store is 2 miles away -- than the odometer should show about 4 miles added. If the kid went cruising all over town, did a few drag races with the car, hauled a bunch of friends around town, the odometer reading should show that too. And it doesn't work to drive in reverse 20 miles.
If I thought my kid was lying to me I wouldn't let him take the car. It's my car and I didn't think I could trust my child I just wouldn't let him drive my car. No GPS necessary.
However, the OP's comment that parents just let the kids do whatever they want fails to acknowledge that sometimes kids just do stuff without their parents knowledge. My son wrestled with a kid who had a copy of his parents car key made without their knowledge. He took their car all over the place and he did not have license. They found out when the police called them. Had he gotten into an accident it wouldn't have been because his parents let him do anything.
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