Teens and driving?

14 is way too young for someone to start driving. They do not even understand the rules of the road yet and are not responible enough to deal with everyday driving aspects. Have you see some 14 year old they are so short how are they going to touch the pedals let alone see over the steering wheel? I was quite young. but mind you for years I sat on my parents, grandparents as well as aunts, uncles and cousins lap while they worked the pedals for me and I did the steering. No I probably shouldn't of been driving at that age but really I consider it helpful down the road when I was able to drive by myself and was tall enough to reach the pedals myself. I understand the dangers of horsing around I did roll my truck on the highway doing highway speeds. I am now paying for it big time. I highly doubt no 14 year old would ever be able to be witted about what is happeneing to them. I honestly don't think there is a best age to drive. I can honestly say there are many people from all different age groups that shouldn't even have a licence but yet they do. I often wonder if the person who gave them a licence was on glue at the time.

Yup, his still too young drive, as we know lot of youth now got an accident because they lot to make race with there friend. just give him more time & explain to him what will be good to him.

Hi there rocketj1 Well first of all I passed my motorcycle test first, when I was 17 years old, which made me very aware of motorcyclist and cyclists on the road when driving a car. I then passed my driving test when I was 18. In the UK you cannot even get bhind the wheel of car until you are 17 years old and then you can start learning to drive.

Teens are usually engage with reckless driving,so it is fare for pepole

I totally agree. 14 is too young to drive a vehicle. I seriously thing 16 may be to young. I know I got my learners at 15 and my actual license at 16 and I can remember not being the most responsible behind the wheel. I would drive way to fast while my friends were in the car and do crazy things like swerve all over the road and stuff. At that age I don't think kids really understand the danger behind the wheel of the value of life. In my opinion, kids need to have a psychiatric evaluation from a licensed psychiatrist to see if they are mentally capable of driving a vehicle. Also, I didn't have drivers education in school. My father taught me how to drive (he did a great job too) because when I did what he told me and not what I wanted to do, I never got a ticket or in an accident.

I think it does depend a lot on the individual. I started learning when I was 17 and didn't take my test until I was nearly 19. I spent a lot of time learning with my dad and took things slow. Where I lived there was no real need to drive so although it was something I wanted to do, it wasn't a necessity. My dad made me drive in a variety of conditions and situations, things that there were no chance that friends who had passed within a few weeks of starting to learn had learnt. A lot of my friends had crashes soon after passing their test and one claimed she didn't know how to reverse park and just used to hope for the best. When I finally took my test I felt prepared and passed first time. Even after passing I still went out with my dad the first time I went on a motorway to build up my confidence on a different type of road. I don't think that learning to drive should be a race. I think that if I hadn't been as prepared as I had been and had passed my test at an earlier date that I may not have been able to handle certain situations as well as I have done and hopefully will continue to! I wouldn't have been capable of learning to drive when I was 14. I would have probably acted like I knew everything and could have probably been a danger. A few years later I knew that I didn't and that if I wanted to be able to drive I had to listen to someone who did actually know what they were talking about but I guess there are people that are mature enough at 14.

I think that the younger a child learns about driving and road safety the better. I have known people who learnt to drive (on private land) as soon as they could reach the pedals. They have always struck me as more sensible, safe and steady drivers than any others I know. If driving a car (like riding a bicycle) is just another skill you learn, then it becomes less of a 'big deal' and an initiation rite when you reach the legal age. In this country the legal age for a full license is 18 and there is talk of raising it to 21. I am not sure that this really addresses the reason that teenagers tend to drive fast and without due care, which is, surely, that driving a car is a 'masculine' thing to do. Kids of 7 or 8 do gokart racing and motocross and are often very expert drivers and riders. If it were legal to do so, I am sure that they would be excellent road users.

I think that every child is different and it should be the parents choice to allow them or not to allow them. I got my learners license at 16 but I have always been more mature than my friends. I just recently got my full license (only because I had no one to let me drive). When it comes to the learners license I don't think 14 is too young because of the fact that they have to be with responsible adults well here anyway. a new driver has to be accompanied by someone at least 25 yrs old and someone not in their first 2 years of having their license. they cannot have more than 2 passengers including the responsible driver unless it is immediate family. And they cannot drive after dark. With the proper restrictions I don't see much of a problem with it.

In Ohio, you have to be 15 years old before you can get your permit and take driving classes. When I was 15 and in high school, I took a driving class in school and my mom had to pay $50. Private classes are very expensive. I do believe 14 is way too young. I was 15 when I got my first permit and learned to drive but I was very careful, and a little afraid, lol. Mu honest opinion is that I don't think some teens are mature enough to even drive at the age of 16 even though that is the age when a teen can get their drivers license. I just think the way teens are so reckless at 16 that maybe they should be made to wait until the mature more before being allowed to have a drivers license. Of course most teens at the age of 18 are not very mature either so it is a hard thing to figure out when the best age really is. :)

That does seem way too young to be driving . I don't think I would be able to convince myself this was a good idea if my son was asking for his license so early . I went through a student education program when I got my license . I was sixteen at the time , because you have to be sixteen to get your license in my area . I beleive it was my mom and dad that paid for this , it was not through the school or anything and I don't beleive they have anything through the school here even now . I did believe I udnerstood the dangers but obviously not well enough because I ended up ditching my car a couple of months after I recieved my license . It was only a ditch but I wrote off my car because it twisted the fender ( I think that is what it was ) . It was due to road conditions as it was around a bad turn and there was no sign indicating a bad turn ahead and there was gravel on the road . I ended up on the other side trying to take the turn and when I did I saw a car coming at me and all I could see was a baby in the backseat of the car and was so worried about hurting a child that I cut the wheel to sharp and landed in the ditch . The ditch was quite steep and all that were with me were fine , but I still believe that had I had to have more experience driving when I was younger this never would have happened . The good part of this though was that they now have a checker board sign to let others know about the turn ahead and when there is loose gravel on the road there is a sign to indicate that as well . There are so many accidents where we live and the majority of them are teens that feel nothing will happen to them and it really is a scary thought to picture any of my children behind the wheel of a car because even if I felt they were responsilbe enough , it doesn't mean that everyone else on the road is and that is the scary part for me as a mother .

I think 14 is too young.I personally got licence when I was 20 but 18 is the perfect age i think.

Hi rocketj1, I feel that 14 is far too young to drive. Here in Canada a person has to be 16 to get a beginners permit and start learning to drive, they cannot get a licence to drive until they are 17. Many young people are not ready for the responsibility even at 17, and that is not being critical of young people today, we were all young once. Blessings.

Here in our state it is 15 for a driver's permit and 16 to get the license. The kids now have to take driver's training in high school in order to go for their license. Both my daughter's older children got their learner's permit at 15 and started driving at 16. Her son got a job and now her daughter has a job. But of course, they are now 18 and almost 20. When I started driving, I never got a permit. I took my written test, made 100 and was going to take my driver's test. Mother's car had a light out, so I didn't get to do it then. Later, we went back for me to take it, and it started raining, and they stopped giving the driver's test that day. I was 16 at the time. I didn't even go back until I was 18 and out of school and working in town. Went that day, had to take both tests again. The trooper that gave me my test could not believe I had never driven in town, so he just asked me to go around again. I passed with a 97! I guess I was old enough that driving fast never appealed to me. Most of my friends didn't drive fast. Now some of the boys I knew of would get out on a country road and race, but most back then were responsible drivers - probably mostly because they all had to buy their own cars.

Wow! 14 is really too young. I started to learn how to drive when I was 16. My dad was teaching me how to drive a van in a small village here in Makati City, Philippines. He never let me go out onto roads with lots of people and lots of cars. I think 16-17 years old is the ideal time to learn how to drive because around this point in someone's life, they are already mature enough take on the responsibilities of driving. I think before learning to drive, the dangers of driving, road rules and driving etiquette should be taught.

i was young when i started driving, probably too young. my dad helped me some but he did not have much patience teaching you anything. they are going to drive so if they can be taught properly it will probably pay off in the long run.

I grew up in Germany. Driving has never been part of the curriculum offered in public schools. There are plenty of driving schools one can attend, which is a requirement. You need a certain amount of theoretical and practical lessons with a licensed teacher in order to be allowed to take the exam. It's even stricter now than back then. I had to learn to drive in city traffic, back roads, interstate, parking box and parallel, night and day. Then I was allowed to take the exam, which besides the lengthy written test also required a half an hour driving test in the city and on the interstate, three-way-turn and parallel parking. As I stated before, the rules are even stricter now and the requirements they test on. Anyhow, at the time you could start driving school at 17 in order to pass the exam in time for your 18th birthday. Rite of passage was going to the drivers license office on your birthday to pick up your license;) As to knowing what is needed... lol, we knew that latest by the time we turned 16. I'm sure your son and his friends have been discussing this probably since they are twelve eagerly awaiting the perceived freedom the car will provide to them, lol. It's such a grown-up thing and soo cool... And I have to agree with you, it's way too early for these kids. Many of which are not aware enough of the dangers involved and are way too easily tempted to show off in front of their peers. That said, I actually learned how to drive on deserted parking lots when I was thirteen. My brother taught me. Was just a fun thing to do. Not that my parents knew, that is, until I managed to get a bump into the car. It came out when they saw my brother fixing it (it was his car and he was a mechanic). I think 18 is a proper age to get the license requiring intensive supervised training and exams before the license is issued. After that there should be a two year probationary period before it becomes a full license. They have started to introduce something here where I live now. They just changed the rules and adult supervised driving is possible at 15 with the proper license. There are a multitude of graduations to the next level and requirements of who can be in the car and at what time they are allowed to drive. Still scary when I see some of the neighborhood kids. Anyhow, good luck saying 'no' to your son for a long time... Just make sure he gets proper training and you feel sure he can handle the car AND the traffic, then he can take the exam;)

14&8months seems very young to me. But children mature at different times. Around here kids of 12 are driving tractors and those 4 wheelers. Why not allow you child to start to learn responsibility. Tell him $350.00 for drivers ed is his to pay. Also find out how much car insurance will be and let that also be his bill. That's what we did, but I must say all our kids were 16+ before they could drive. LOL

Well, until now I don't know how to drive yet. I'm almost past to the calendar. I am petrified and totally scared of driving. Sorry can't help you much.

I think i agree with others when i say that 14 is too young as well as maybe even 16. I didn't get my liscense until i was 17. Then, i was nervous about begining to drive, but very excited. I broke many traffic laws so as not to be seen as a "safe driver" by my friends. Believe it or not peer pressure takes place in driving too, it's just a little "quieter". On the other hand, i believe they should also be more subject to governing laws about how old you can be to drive. The other day i almost got in a wreck because an elderly lady was trying to pull out of her driveway. I don't know if she was looking or not, but i was only traveling about 35 mph on a small town street, and she just pulled out straight in front of me. I've also been in situations where the driver in front of me happens elderly, and driving TOO SLOW, even below the minimum speed limit. Although the government does a well job of "trafficking" driving laws, there are some things that should be taken into consideration.

I agree with you. Our teens are dying every day in wrecks that could have been prevented with more training. I have three children and they have to wait unti their 18 to even think about driving. My oldest went thru her school for her training now the youngest ones have to go to a driving schhol, which I can not afford. I do not understand why at the age of 14 you can start you training in some states. My children are not allowed to ride with inexperience driver either. I got mine at 18, but I drove on our family farm until I got my permit. Our laws for teen drivers need to strict to prtect them and others around them. My children have lost school friends due to wreckless driving. It's the saddest funnerals to go to because you then worry more about your own children. They are to fearless in a car.