Minimum driving age: Is 18 too long a wait?

Maky · 12th April 2013, 14:09

I feel that reducing the age limit will not help change the attitude of drivers who drive rashly on the road by educating them on it early on, I think people who drive the way they do has little to do with when they started driving but rather it has more to do with the mentality of the person in question.
If there is a reduction in age limit It will only lower the barrier of entry for potential imbeciles.

gops2009 · 12th April 2013, 14:44

I tend to agree with some of the suggestions of drsingh in this thread. While we have a number of rules , most of these are not enforced and used mostly to squeeze money from the public by law enforcement agencies ( read police, RTO et all). Most recently I did a random check on two drivers who work for my colleagues,they were not able to identify many of the traffic signs in the city!!. Even the "educated" class do not respect rules ( observe how people in pin stripped shirts and tie jump traffic signals) Given this scenario, I would opine that we need to have stringent norms for people to obtain as well as retain their licences and I do not believe that 18 is too long to wait, maybe we should have attendance to a one week course on road safety and a certification mandatory before one can apply for licence- maybe this could address some of the issues of ignorance of law- for ignorance of law is also an offence

sgiitk · 12th April 2013, 16:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by anurag.somani

Teens = Highest Risk Group: For every mile driven, teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times as likely to be involved in a car crash

I remember a UK report ages ago. The highest incidence of road accidents was amongst drivers with 3-5 years experience. Confidence but not the skills / maturity.

mkpiyengar · 12th April 2013, 16:36

NO need to reduce the age for driving, 18 is fine.

Things that are more important to have better road sense are:

1. Proper driving tests to ensure that the rules are understood and only then license is granted. Heavy fine to drive without license. Only if both are together implemented will it make an impact.

2. Strict enforcement so that it gets ingrained that if you break rules then you would be punished.

3. For eg. If you drive from Pune to Mumbai and towards South Mumbai you could see remarkable change in driving sense from chaotic to better.

Also, there is more police on the roads in Mumbai at junctions and that instills the fear that if you break the rule you would get caught.

Lastly, mass media should be used to improve road etiquette and courtesy to fellow drivers. Then slowly things would change.

Cheers
MKP

View Poll Results: Minimum age:
16 years	75	27.08%
17 years	10	3.61%
18 years (As per current law)	133	48.01%
21 years!	59	21.30%
Voters: 277. You may not vote on this poll

12th April 2013, 14:09	#136
Maky Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,297 Thanked: 1,721 Times	Re: Minimum driving age: Is 18 too long a wait? I feel that reducing the age limit will not help change the attitude of drivers who drive rashly on the road by educating them on it early on, I think people who drive the way they do has little to do with when they started driving but rather it has more to do with the mentality of the person in question. If there is a reduction in age limit It will only lower the barrier of entry for potential imbeciles.
	() Thanks

12th April 2013, 14:44	#137
gops2009 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 116 Thanked: 92 Times	Re: Minimum driving age: Is 18 too long a wait? I tend to agree with some of the suggestions of drsingh in this thread. While we have a number of rules , most of these are not enforced and used mostly to squeeze money from the public by law enforcement agencies ( read police, RTO et all). Most recently I did a random check on two drivers who work for my colleagues,they were not able to identify many of the traffic signs in the city!!. Even the "educated" class do not respect rules ( observe how people in pin stripped shirts and tie jump traffic signals) Given this scenario, I would opine that we need to have stringent norms for people to obtain as well as retain their licences and I do not believe that 18 is too long to wait, maybe we should have attendance to a one week course on road safety and a certification mandatory before one can apply for licence- maybe this could address some of the issues of ignorance of law- for ignorance of law is also an offence
	() Thanks

12th April 2013, 16:36	#139
mkpiyengar BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 331 Thanked: 143 Times	Re: Minimum driving age: Is 18 too long a wait? NO need to reduce the age for driving, 18 is fine. Things that are more important to have better road sense are: 1. Proper driving tests to ensure that the rules are understood and only then license is granted. Heavy fine to drive without license. Only if both are together implemented will it make an impact. 2. Strict enforcement so that it gets ingrained that if you break rules then you would be punished. 3. For eg. If you drive from Pune to Mumbai and towards South Mumbai you could see remarkable change in driving sense from chaotic to better. Also, there is more police on the roads in Mumbai at junctions and that instills the fear that if you break the rule you would get caught. Lastly, mass media should be used to improve road etiquette and courtesy to fellow drivers. Then slowly things would change. Cheers MKP
	() Thanks