ashbeeigh
10-30-2009, 11:00 AM
Better late than never....
I've always been a hyperobiendent individual. Never smoked or drank underage. So, driving without a license, underaged...doing anything illegal was always out of the question. But...lots of people (teens) do drive at an early age (and even some get legal permission to drive at at an early age). I remember recently on the west side (yes...the west side friends) there was an accident involving a 15 year old unlicensed driver who smashed the hell out of her mother's car because she and her friends had to go somewhere. My neighborhood's HOA fought with an underaged driver's family because he hit out entrance sign...he was uninsured and unlicenced. So...who was going to pay to get that fixed? Anyway...
Legally teens are suppossed to go through a tier like system to get their license. Here's a little snippet of information from TxDot's website
Applicants under age 18 must hold an instruction permit or hardship license for a minimum of six months prior to issuance of a provisional Class A, B, or C driver license. In addition, the minimum age of the person who must accompany any instruction permit holder during the operation of the vehicle is 21 years of age. Except for hardship licenses, a minor is not eligible to graduate to Phase Two (provisional license) for a Class A, B, or C driver license until they have completed this phase and met all other current licensing and age requirements.
Under the GDL program, there is no minimum time that a person must hold a restricted motorcycle or moped license before they can apply for a Class M license. Phase One does not apply to Class M or Hardship license holders.
Phase Two restricts the driving privileges of persons under 18 years of age during the six-month period following the issuance of an original Class A, B, or C driver license (Provisional License). These persons may not operate a motor vehicle with more than one passenger in the vehicle under the age of 21 who is not a family member. They may not operate a motor vehicle between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless the operation of the vehicle is necessary for the operator to attend or participate in employment or a school-related activity or because of a medical emergency. In addition, they may not operate a motor vehicle while using a wireless communication device.
ll original licenses, other than an instruction permit, issued to persons under 18 years of age will be marked "Provisional." The license will be vertical and will be dated to expire on the applicant's 18th birthday or next birthday occurring after the date of issuance. A fee is required to obtain this license. The renewal fee is required for each one year of renewal period. No renewal notice will be sent as it is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain a verification of enrollment and attendance from their school. If the instruction permit or driver license is not due for renewal, a fee is required for a duplicate instruction permit or duplicate license (i.e.: lost license, change of address, removal of GDL restrictions).
A lot of this graduated license info for based on previous experience and of psychology. Psychological studies and neurological studies (MRIs, CT Scans, PET scans, etc) also show that the human brain does not mature until the mid twenties. Which begs the question, is there a correlation between bad drivers and age? Or is it the lack of experience?
I got my license late, at 17. I didn't really start driving until after college just because things were close and I had friends who were fabulous. Sure, I missed out on a lot of things because I didn't have a car and couldn't run away from it all. But, then again, I was hyperobident and it didn't bother me that much.But, then again....I am in my mid twenties and am past that age where the insurance companies drop their rates for their "preconceived" age of risk. And yet, I just got my renewal rate in the mail from Progressive and they are single handedly keeping me from moving out of my parent's house by charging me $577 a month for my car insurance. Which is fair, because I have been in 5 accidents in since February 2008.
So, based on the evidence I've given you, the west side driver, the northside sign destroyer, and myself...do you think the driving age should be kept the way it is or should it be lowered back down the 15/16 range that it was way back in the day (aka early 2000s?)
I've always been a hyperobiendent individual. Never smoked or drank underage. So, driving without a license, underaged...doing anything illegal was always out of the question. But...lots of people (teens) do drive at an early age (and even some get legal permission to drive at at an early age). I remember recently on the west side (yes...the west side friends) there was an accident involving a 15 year old unlicensed driver who smashed the hell out of her mother's car because she and her friends had to go somewhere. My neighborhood's HOA fought with an underaged driver's family because he hit out entrance sign...he was uninsured and unlicenced. So...who was going to pay to get that fixed? Anyway...
Legally teens are suppossed to go through a tier like system to get their license. Here's a little snippet of information from TxDot's website
Applicants under age 18 must hold an instruction permit or hardship license for a minimum of six months prior to issuance of a provisional Class A, B, or C driver license. In addition, the minimum age of the person who must accompany any instruction permit holder during the operation of the vehicle is 21 years of age. Except for hardship licenses, a minor is not eligible to graduate to Phase Two (provisional license) for a Class A, B, or C driver license until they have completed this phase and met all other current licensing and age requirements.
Under the GDL program, there is no minimum time that a person must hold a restricted motorcycle or moped license before they can apply for a Class M license. Phase One does not apply to Class M or Hardship license holders.
Phase Two restricts the driving privileges of persons under 18 years of age during the six-month period following the issuance of an original Class A, B, or C driver license (Provisional License). These persons may not operate a motor vehicle with more than one passenger in the vehicle under the age of 21 who is not a family member. They may not operate a motor vehicle between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless the operation of the vehicle is necessary for the operator to attend or participate in employment or a school-related activity or because of a medical emergency. In addition, they may not operate a motor vehicle while using a wireless communication device.
ll original licenses, other than an instruction permit, issued to persons under 18 years of age will be marked "Provisional." The license will be vertical and will be dated to expire on the applicant's 18th birthday or next birthday occurring after the date of issuance. A fee is required to obtain this license. The renewal fee is required for each one year of renewal period. No renewal notice will be sent as it is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain a verification of enrollment and attendance from their school. If the instruction permit or driver license is not due for renewal, a fee is required for a duplicate instruction permit or duplicate license (i.e.: lost license, change of address, removal of GDL restrictions).
A lot of this graduated license info for based on previous experience and of psychology. Psychological studies and neurological studies (MRIs, CT Scans, PET scans, etc) also show that the human brain does not mature until the mid twenties. Which begs the question, is there a correlation between bad drivers and age? Or is it the lack of experience?
I got my license late, at 17. I didn't really start driving until after college just because things were close and I had friends who were fabulous. Sure, I missed out on a lot of things because I didn't have a car and couldn't run away from it all. But, then again, I was hyperobident and it didn't bother me that much.But, then again....I am in my mid twenties and am past that age where the insurance companies drop their rates for their "preconceived" age of risk. And yet, I just got my renewal rate in the mail from Progressive and they are single handedly keeping me from moving out of my parent's house by charging me $577 a month for my car insurance. Which is fair, because I have been in 5 accidents in since February 2008.
So, based on the evidence I've given you, the west side driver, the northside sign destroyer, and myself...do you think the driving age should be kept the way it is or should it be lowered back down the 15/16 range that it was way back in the day (aka early 2000s?)