Comments on: Hartevelt on bashing the yoof

By: A Nonny Moose

A Nonny Moose — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:10:22 +0000

I was talking with a work mate about this policy and he commented that he remembered getting driver training at school (he’s now in his 50s), and where did that go? Does anyone remember when driver training was scrapped from schools?

By: tc

tc — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:41:54 +0000

tc you touch on and important point. You can learn at 15 – or 16 – or 17 but you are still a learner. Attitude on the road from my girls whom I taught at 15 & 16 was far better than many of my mates aged 40-60, the only thing that saves them is driving skill.
Attitude = patience, good manners, knowledge of road code, respect for others.
Young people pick up driving skills very quickly but are often far ahead in attitude right from the get-go.

By: tc

tc — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:46:09 +0000

Peter’s got it in one….age’s a number, responsibility an individual quality. I know some 30 somethings behave like 12 year olds at the wheel and some 16 year olds who drive with more patience and experience than 40 year olds.

Yet another pointless ‘look at us….aren’t we good’ initiative…….and annoying the farmers into the bargain…excellent. keep it up clown…..what next…..monorail to match your cycleway…..Tossers.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:21:15 +0000

I remember very clearly being 15 yrs old and driving my own car (am 45 now), yes I made mistakes, but that is all part of life. some 15 yr olds shouldn’t drive until they are 18 or 19, and then some people of WHATEVER age should only be allowed on the road under supervision.

This proposal is clumsy and doesn’t address the issue.. And I seem to recall that the Nat’s made a big show of NOT being a “Nanny State party”…

Still, we get the politicians we deserve

By: tc

tc — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:42:46 +0000

see how easy the clown has everyone all over this whilst he rips open our parks for some of Gerrys tourist attractions, sells out akl and generally does F all else……beware the white noise people

By: aj

aj — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:53:18 +0000

I’d like to see the age remain, but with extended and increased restrictions. Don’t permit a full liscense until 17 years. Don’t permit ownership of a car until 17 years. To my mind part of the problem is the cheapness and accessibility of cars. Ownership restrictions won’t stop parents purchasing cars in their names but it puts a layer of responsibility above the young driver. Parents need to hammer home that the freedom to drive a car comes with huge responsibility.

I can’t believe these captchas – ‘FAST”

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:41:37 +0000

When Brendon Hartley as a 16 year old can drive a Formula 1 car (almost) as well as 40 year old Michael Schumacher then car control is about training not age. There has been research about how the inexperience accident rate moves out with the age profile but LTSA won’t acknowledge it. The critical point is that 15 and 16 year olds are under a lot more parental control than a lot of 17 and 18 year olds who have left school and earning their own money and possibly living elsewhere.

By: Lanthanide

Lanthanide — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:11:49 +0000

“Possibly the biggest one though is it’s not a good idea to line up receiving a full license with being able to buy booze, this is not often discussed, but in my opinion its pretty key.”

Unless you’re proposing to seriously push out the age of alcohol, say to 25 or so, then really there’s nothing you can do about this. So if someone gets their full license at 18, but needs to be 21 to buy alcohol – it is likely they will have friends that can buy it for them.

By: Killinginthenameof

Killinginthenameof — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:47:11 +0000

Being a car nut myself, I see plenty of people doing silly things in cars at all ages. If you think about it rationally rather than through a kids-these-days point of view, driving skill is far more likely to correlate with level of driving experience than absolute age, with a few steps along the way.

There is the whole, “well I just got my restricted license, dads not in the passenger seat, I wonder what happens when I push my foot allll the way down?”.

Then there’s getting your full license and taking out all your friends, I don’t think this means too much more risk as anyone who caves to peer pressure and does something stupid for their mates has probably been taking them out on their restricted license anyway.

Possibly the biggest one though is it’s not a good idea to line up receiving a full license with being able to buy booze, this is not often discussed, but in my opinion its pretty key.

By: Armchair Critic

Armchair Critic — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:27:34 +0000

Perhaps a fairer comparison would be of the rate of accidents in the first year of driving, both within a country (because not everyone gets their licence as soon as they can) and across countries.
Wouldn’t take into account things like the differences in driver training (which could be a bigger factor than straight out age) or licencing schemes or road design standards, but could give an indication of how much of a factor age actually is.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:11:01 +0000

I remember reading an article in New Scientist Magazine a few years ago, that reported that the number of car accidents for new drivers was the same, whether they got their licences in their early teens or later.

I haven’t been able to relocate the article, but from memory it quoted Swedish statistics, when they raised their driving age to I8 from 16.

I agree with Eddie that this is just more of the same shallow scapegoating by this government who have no real solutions to the real problems.

Like the National Standards fiasco, the only purpose these things seem to have, is to make it look like National are doing something.

By: Marty G

Marty G — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:56:46 +0000

sure. Are you going to let the State remove that choice from me?

socialist.

By: ieuan

ieuan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:45:41 +0000

Marty G, do you have any children? Honestly are you going to let them get their license at 15 (if the law still allows)?

By: Marty G

Marty G — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:12:25 +0000

I remember getting my licence at 15. I remember attending the funeral of a 40 year old driver, silly accident.

By: ieuan

ieuan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:35:14 +0000

I can remember being 15 (just), I remember watching some of my school mates getting their license, I also remember the funerals. Silly accidents that were totally preventable, too much testosterone and not enough common sense.

What is wrong with making our young people wait another year until they can get a license?