Nobody has a right to drive. That's a driver's permit question. I should have put the word "right" in quotations. Everyone over the age of 16 has the privelege, but nobody has a right.
I believe the high accident rates are due to lack of experience and responsibility. Unfortunately, the permit process lies heavily in the parent's lap and if they don't make sure their child drives, they are putting everyone else at risk. Currently, it's 50 hours of driving experience during the day and 10 hours at night over a 6 month period. I spent the last 5 years driving that much during a week, as do most commuters. To think that a person would fully grasp everything about driving with that little experience is short sighted.
As far as responsibility, any older person can look back to when they were 16 or 19 and recall that they weren't as responsible as they are now. That's not an absolute, but that's a massive majority. 45% of the time that teenage drivers are killed, they have a fellow teen in the car. Most of those times, they illegally have someone in the car. The older I get, the more cocky I realize I was when I was younger. "I have faster reaction times.", "I raced 500 horsepower muscle cars since I was 14.", "I have a higher tolerance than most people." and "I'm a better driver in the rain." are all excuses that I have said and heard. They are all untrue. Well I did race since I was 14, which gave me an appreciation for a car's capabilities, but it wasn't until I was older when I realized my "showing off" in my 67 Malibu could have killed someone or myself.
I'm not all grumpy and I don't hate high school drivers. I have just experienced way too many close calls and funerals to support a 16 year old controlling a 2500 pound vehicle. I can't ignore facts. A 21 year old would be much better behind the wheel starting out than a 15 1/2 year old. That's 5 1/2 years more of watching others drive and learning as well as maturing. My parents made sure I had about 500 hours of driving experience before I went in to take my test. By the time I took my test, they at least knew that I had the experience, but I did not have the maturity. It's not that teenage drivers are the major contributors to accidents, but they are disproportionately the cause of accidents due to their percentage. 7% of drivers are teens, 14% of fatalities are teens and 20% of accidents are caused by teens. Teens have the lowest rate for wearing seatbelts. Car crashes are the number one killer of 16 year olds. The awareness and maturity of an 18 year old is different than a 16 year old. Even at 18, nobody is fully mature. It was debated to push it back as far as 21. I don't see why so many people have a problem with it. They can use public transportation. I did. I got to my destination alive and that's all that counts.
I don't hate teen drivers, I just want to see them alive.
Also, you are trying to say you think all highschooler's are little ****'s because a bunch of them waved at you? Sounds like someone needs to learn to control his anger! From a teenager's perspective, nothing is as lame and immature as seeing an adult get so fired up about such a small issue.
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