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What should the legal driving age be in the UK?

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Reply 20
Avatar for Reue
Reue
20
18. Children should not be allowed to operate such heavy machinery
Original post by Reue
18. Children should not be allowed to operate such heavy machinery


Child is relative. Are you saying you're a child if you're one hour before your 18th birthday but a fully grown up adult, able of "operating such heavy machinery" a hour into being 18?
Reply 22
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Reue
20
Original post by Pablo Picasso
Child is relative. Are you saying you're a child if you're one hour before your 18th birthday but a fully grown up adult, able of "operating such heavy machinery" a hour into being 18?


Yes.
Original post by Reue
Yes.


I'm not sure if you're trying to be funny
Reply 24
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Reue
20
Original post by Pablo Picasso
I'm not sure if you're trying to be funny


Not really much point continuing this conversation then.
You can't drive a 1L Corsa at 16 but you can can drive a tractor.

I love this country.
Original post by Reue
18. Children should not be allowed to operate such heavy machinery


A car is not heavy machinery, some of them can be lifted by a few people.
Original post by Reue
18. Children should not be allowed to operate such heavy machinery


You can drive a tractor at 16 if I remember correctly.

Do you have any actual argument as to why the driving age should be raised? "Children shouldn't do x" isn't itself an argument. Why should 17 year olds not be able to learn to drive but 18 year olds can? It just seems entirely arbitrary to do that.
Reply 28
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Reue
20
Original post by RF_PineMarten
You can drive a tractor at 16 if I remember correctly.

Do you have any actual argument as to why the driving age should be raised? "Children shouldn't do x" isn't itself an argument. Why should 17 year olds not be able to learn to drive but 18 year olds can? It just seems entirely arbitrary to do that.


I recall reading that accident rates are considerably higher for younger drivers. Whether that be due to age or inexperience I don't know, probably a combination of the two.

I'll refer to my argument about having the voting and drinking ages at 18 also: There needs to be a cut off at some point and it makes the most sense to have it at 18 when children become adults.
Original post by RF_PineMarten
You can drive a tractor at 16 if I remember correctly.


You can as long as it isn't over I believe 2.65m wide, off the top of my head.

So big tractor and sprayer wheels.
Original post by Reue
Not really much point continuing this conversation then.


Original post by RF_PineMarten
You can drive a tractor at 16 if I remember correctly.

Do you have any actual argument as to why the driving age should be raised? "Children shouldn't do x" isn't itself an argument. Why should 17 year olds not be able to learn to drive but 18 year olds can? It just seems entirely arbitrary to do that.


She doesn't have any valid point; delusional
Reply 31
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Reue
20
Original post by Pablo Picasso
She doesn't have any valid point; delusional


She :curious:

My point was that I believe being 18 and thus an adult should be the minimum age. You can disagree with the content of it, but it doesn't make me delusional for having it :wink:
17 is a good age. Gives sixth form and college students time to get their driving lessons in and hopefully pass before starting uni?
Original post by Reue
I recall reading that accident rates are considerably higher for younger drivers. Whether that be due to age or inexperience I don't know, probably a combination of the two.

I'll refer to my argument about having the voting and drinking ages at 18 also: There needs to be a cut off at some point and it makes the most sense to have it at 18 when children become adults.


Driving is a bit different because you have to learn for a while though. I started learning at 17 and passed about 3 months after turning 18, and I know lots of other people who passed when 18 or just before turning 18.

Not being able to take your test until 18 I could maybe understand, but when you're learning to drive you're not allowed out on your own, so I don't see any reason why people shouldn't be allowed to even have driving lessons at 17. If people can't learn to drive until 18, they will likely end up still having lessons and tests when they're at university or in work, which is a lot more difficult than doing it when you're still doing A Levels and you have more spare time.
Original post by RF_PineMarten
Driving is a bit different because you have to learn for a while though. I started learning at 17 and passed about 3 months after turning 18, and I know lots of other people who passed when 18 or just before turning 18.

Not being able to take your test until 18 I could maybe understand, but when you're learning to drive you're not allowed out on your own, so I don't see any reason why people shouldn't be allowed to even have driving lessons at 17. If people can't learn to drive until 18, they will likely end up still having lessons and tests when they're at university or in work, which is a lot more difficult than doing it when you're still doing A Levels and you have more spare time.


Wasn't there talk actually about not being allowed to take your test until 18?
Reply 35
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Reue
20
Original post by RF_PineMarten
Driving is a bit different because you have to learn for a while though. I started learning at 17 and passed about 3 months after turning 18, and I know lots of other people who passed when 18 or just before turning 18.

Not being able to take your test until 18 I could maybe understand, but when you're learning to drive you're not allowed out on your own, so I don't see any reason why people shouldn't be allowed to even have driving lessons at 17. If people can't learn to drive until 18, they will likely end up still having lessons and tests when they're at university or in work, which is a lot more difficult than doing it when you're still doing A Levels and you have more spare time.


I'd totally support moving the test to 18 but allowing earlier driving lessons.
Original post by The Blue Nose
Drop it to 16


Do not do this.

A lot of 17 year olds drive like absolute mangoes, 16 would be bad news.
Original post by Retired_Messiah
Do not do this.

A lot of 17 year olds drive like absolute mangoes, 16 would be bad news.


i would call it confidence
Original post by The Blue Nose
i would call it confidence


Call it what you like, it doesn't change anything.
Drivers under 21 should not be able to carry a passenger who is not in a child seat between 6PM and 6AM.

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