I’m going to dovetail this post with this one on mandatory firearms training. Ken over at Popehat has a neat post up about driver’s license ages.
Seems the 16-17 death rate in auto accidents went down, but were replaced by 18-19. See the driver’s ed class doesn’t do much to teach you how to drive. Yeah you get some basics, but really most of the scenarios you encounter weren’t mentioned in class, and just need logic, practice, and just good old experience. I had a friend in High school who I believe didn’t get her license until she was 21 (she attended College in NYC so why bother?) She got a monster insurance break, and I believe she got to skip the Learner’s permit nonsense. Still even older she was a lousy driver until she logged some road-time. Just how it works.
She got a monster insurance brake
So how did it work at slowing down said monster insurance? Sorry, couldn’t resist. 😉
faaaak! Fixed! Thanks for the heads-up!
My daughter got her permit at 16.000001 years of age — yeah, she was in a bit of a hurry. My sons not so much. One got his permit at 16 but never got a job so it wasn’t until he was 18 that we let him drive our cars. The other didn’t get his license until he was 18 and in the Marine Corp.
I see many younger kids skipping the Permit at 16 stage and waiting. With high speed internet, on demand games and movies, social networking and lower employment opportunities; they really don’t need a license like we did.
I got my permit when I was 15 1/2, and got my license on my first try at taking the test pretty close to my 16th birthday. My twin brother, on the other hand, didn’t even try for his until he was 18, and only then because I had gone to college (I skipped 2nd grade as a kid; he didn’t, so I was a year ahead of him) and wasn’t around to drive him places. It took him 3 tries.