musicman Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 (edited) For generations, driver's licenses have been a ticket to freedom for America's 16-year-olds, prompting many to line up at motor vehicle offices the day they were eligible to apply.No longer. In the last decade, the proportion of 16-year-olds nationwide who hold driver's licenses has dropped from nearly half to less than one-third, according to statistics from the Federal Highway Administration.Reasons vary, including tighter state laws governing when teenagers can drive, higher insurance costs and a shift from school-run driver education to expensive private driving academies."I'm disappointed, but if I had my license, Mom probably wouldn't let me drive anyway," Kelsey said. "But even if I did, I'd have to drive our minivan." That prospect, she said, "is just totally not cool."full article Edited February 25, 2008 by musicman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDeb Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 When I was 16, driving mom's minivan was a hell of a lot cooler than my 10-speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 When I was 16, driving mom's minivan was a hell of a lot cooler than my 10-speed.LOL. guess having your own chauffeur is the trend now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehou Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 These kids today... There's no way I'm letting my son NOT get his license when he turns 16. Hell, at 18 he'll be going away to college. He needs those two years of driving at home to get the necessary experience before he goes away. Plus, he needs to do the grocery shopping for me When I was in high school, all my friends got their license as soon as they turned 16. There was no question. You just did it. You wanted to do it -- really badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Graduated driver's licenses are the way to go... First you limit the hours (day only), then occupants (no one else in the car), and tie those factors to age (17, 18). Less risky for everyone: the driver, the parents, the occupants of the car, and the insurance company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 When I was in high school, all my friends got their license as soon as they turned 16. There was no question. You just did it. You wanted to do it -- really badly.sounds like you went to my high school...oh wait you did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I didn't get a full-fledged driver's license until age 18 (I was in my second semester of junior year (3rd year) in high school at the time).In TX the state permits parents to teach kids. My dad taught me and my sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 We all learned to drive very young. You have to see it in a positive way. Most parents let their kids practice at the nearby K-mart parking lot. It was big and not ever very crowded so it was just right. You never know in an emergency if one of your teens might need to drive you somewhere. I got mine at 16 in High School. Sooner the better (thats if you are a responsible teen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 AFAIK teen driver licenses are not as necessary in the city (ESPECIALLY so in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.) because of public transportation. In most of Houston if you know the basic orientation of the city you can use public transport to get back.However in rural areas and many suburbs teen driver's licenses are needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfre81 Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Due to the preponderance of cellphones and other various gadgets that get messed with by adults and teens alike in the car at the expense of safety, this is probably good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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