I've heard a lot about these 2 issues lately, but only from the 'safety of the pulic perspective' everyone in the media seem to think this is a good idea - nobody I heard criticised the plans.
I think this is an attack on young, law abiding adults who have done nothing wrong!
Answers:
The Americans will be confused with your question because the drinking age is already 21 in the USA and they don't know enough about any other country to understand your question must be from Canada or some other country with a drinking age of 19.
I always found it funny that we(in Canada) are old enough to vote and die in a war at 18, but we are considered mature enough to drive at 16 and not mature enough to drink untill 19. I think all of these are things you should be able to do when you reach an age where you can think for yourself and are responsible enough to use these responsibilities wisely.
If you don't think an 18 year old is mature enough to handle his/her drink, then why should an 18 year old be trusted in knowing enough about the political landscape to vote or why should an 18 year old be sent off to a foreign land to do things and witness things that would blow the mind of a 30 year old? If 18 and 19 year olds are considered responsible enough to vote, fight and drink at these ages, why are 16 year olds considered mature enough to be behind the wheel of a big piece of rubber, plastic, glass and steel? Personally, I was a much more agressive driver untill my earlier 20's before I mellowed it out. At the time I thought it was literally dicrimination against youth, that I had to pay such high insurance rates, but now in my 30's, after reading the stories week after week of young drivers being killed and killing others in street racing and other agressive driving(also cell-phone use), I think that the minimum age for drivers should be ATLEAST 18.
I understand how you can see it as an attack against young adults and I would have seen it your way when I was 18. Remember all the times your parents wouldn't let you out past a certain time, or wouldn't let you go to a certain place...they only did that because they wanted you to be safe. Being able to drive at 16 is maybe alittle old-fashioned. It is no longer the 16 year old driving the family's wood-panelled station-wagon, worried to death he will put a scratch in it and face the wrath of his dad. It is now the young kid driving his parent's BMW or his very own (parent bought) Honda Civic, that can go 0-60 in a twitch of the toe and can go in excess of 200 km/h. I think it's about time that the minimum age to drive be increased by atleast 2 years from 16. As far as changing the age of drinking, don't change a thing, and party on. It's also good for the environment to make teens wait untill adulthood to drive because that is 2 more years of public transit.
34, didn't bother to get my license untill 20 when I got my first car. Step-mom wouldn't let me drive the family cars. 95 Neon, what a nightmare!!
What country are you in because the legal drinking age in the states is 21. and yes kids shouldn't be allowed to drive until they are 18
i second the first answer
look at the statistics most people who die in accidents are young people through either drink driving or drug driving i think ts a very good idea also think people should be made to take a seperate test for motorway driving
You are obviously under 21 otherwise you would be agreeing with this idea. I agree that in the UK the drinking age should be raised to 20 and they driving age to 18.
in Australia yeah? well i haven't ever heard about this once. and it sounds stupid. you cant make people who have been driving for a year stop driving. sure the MINORITY of people abuse this but most of us need to drive to carry on with our lives.
the drinking this is laughable. you can drive a car, you can buy a gun, you can have sex, raise a family but you can't drink a beer?
When young people begin to act their age then maybe they wont have to keep raising the age.
The fact is most 21 year olds act like fifteen year olds so why should they have any privileges
a better idea is to outlaw alcohol then we wouldn't have as many of our youth killed as or because of a drunk driver.there would also be a lot less fights started over nothing and people wouldn't be so afraid to walk home past the local watering hole.i understand your point of the loss of entertainment for the innocent but after a few drinks anyone has the ability to get super stupid.
am 34 from uk and think its a great idea, i passed last year btw.
I'd like to point out that if these laws were to be passed, things would become A LOT more inconvenient for a VERY large number of people. I'm not just talking about high school students who need to attend extracurricular activities and whatnot. You need to think about the parents, too, who are going to have to sacrifice work time to pick up and drive their kids places. Or the various clubs and organizations that will have to provide rides or reschedule their events because a kid's dad doesn't get home til 7.
Yes, all those drunk driving/motor accident statistics other people have spouted are all true, and I agree, young people are a menace to the highways. Yet, as cold as this sounds as it deals with human life, when it comes down to cost and benefits, 18 is just not a practical limit for driving. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice, but it's just too impractical.
And I bet all those people supporting this measure without second thought would've thrown a fit if they were still 16 and this law was in place. But tis the selfish nature of stupid people.
I think its stupid. It wont solve any problems. The only problems we have is the government - if we changed them our country would improve.
Passed driving test: 17
Actually the UK, US, Canada, etc...YA! all get mashed together sometimes.
Im reading this from the US site.
They driving age should be 16 and everything else should be 18. Being able to fight in a war at 18, but not drink a beer is quite insane. Young people are smarter than you think. I am dependent on my car and I'm only 16 and like someone else mentioned, my parents cant cart me around to all my extracurriculars, and I live in a suburban area with not a great public transportation system. Of course if this law passed, it would not take away from people who already have their license and what not, but it would become effective at a certain time to certain people. Teenagers have minds and are not inferior to adults... you were once young too.
I'm in favour of it. I think the driving age should be 21 as well as the drinking age.
There are far too many yobbos, scumbags and boy racers out on the street ruining life for everybody.
I think there should also be a 7pm curfew for all under 18's. If you are out after dark you should be shot on sight. It is the only way to rid ourselves of the human filth (yobs, gangs of hoodies etc.)
Raising the age of drinking will make little difference because it's so easy to get hold of alcohol.And it might make teenagers drink out of rebellion which is surely worse tahn drinking legally.
Raising the age of driving surely won't make any difference either.Young drivers seem to get into trouble because they get "cocky" after they've passed their test.It might even become a worse problem because they've had to wait longer.
Its not the age that causes problems, its attitudes. Introduce kids to alcohol much younger, perhaps early teens and let them become responsable with it under supervision.
As for driving, the current attitude is learn to pass the test, not learn to drive. I say bring the age down to learn to drive on public roads to 15 or 16. Teach it to kids as part of their GCSE's, even if its just on simulators and on the playgrounds rather then the road.
Increasing the ages just means the same people die slightly older.
Phsycological testing for drivers as well and regular eye testing for drivers would go a long way to heling safety.
I am 21 and passed at 17.
The age for purchasing alcohol in UK is 18years normally 16 years with food which I think your referring to .The age for drinking alcohol in UK law is actually 5 years old.As the age of majority(legal adulthood) is 18 years it could cause problems for any government bring this law in as 18 year olds can vote and could cost the government to loose a large amount of votes.The driving age is OK as it is ,though many are immature it necessary that young people learn to drive as the skills gained are necessary for the sake of society in general.Drivers are needed to work in many essential jobs and of course services such as police and ambulance.
Since some American %26 Canadian contributors have joined this UK site I'll try to include %26 recognise their input.. So many factors are involved. Ironically in Manitoba, Quebec %26 Alberta Provinces the legal drinking age is actually 18 and Alberta is currently debating raising the drinking age to 19, a previous attempt a few years back failed. ( Google 'alberta drinking age ' for more info ) Youngsters rightly point out they can be taxed, go to war %26 use a gun but not be allowed to buy alcohol. Alcohol related trouble is now so often not 'just' a fight, but a fight to the death be it kicking, stamping, guns or knives. So many factors, I'd be inclined to leave the drinking age as it is but not allow unsupervised under 18's into pubs, they can legally go in unaccompanied at 16yrs in England even though they are not allowed to buy alcohol and can only drink alcohol with a meal and when accompanied by an adult who must buy and supervise them. In England we should make pub age ID entry cards compulsory, not just advisable, this is somethging America and Canada do try to enforce better than us. I'd increase a real Police presence, not community support wardens etc. and let the judiciary imposed real appropriate sentences across a host of ilegal anti-social activiites, not just alcohol related ones.
As for driving ages, lets recognise the difficulties of getting around, if research reveals real problems in raising the age instead restrict the power of the engine, make displaying a P plate compulsory and no passengers to be carried except those with a new 'senior' licence which would be issued at say 21yrs. Again real Policemen using discretion in enforcing and encouraging proper driving standards, not cash generating speed cameras.
It doesn't matter what the age limit is, someone will always try to break it.
Why should responsible drinkers suffer for the acts of moronic children? Maybe if the police enforced the existing laws more strictly we wouldn't need further legislation. It is illegal to sell alcohol to under 18s, or for anyone to buy it on behalf of minors.
Making it more expensive wouldn't make much difference, as we already have some of the most expensive drinks in the world. We have to alter attitudes to drinking, kids of 14 see it as a badge of honour to get bladdered, yet go to France, where children are introduced to wine at a very early age, there isn't so much of a problem, to them having a drink is no big deal and drink is a lot more affordable there than here.
It is also illegal to sell to anyone who is intoxicated, pubs and clubs are obliged to refuse to sell to anyone they suspect of being drunk.
Of course if they did this a lot of bars and pubs would go out of business. When the existing laws have been enforced properly we should examine the results and then think about altering them.
Maybe if an under age child is caught behaving badly through drunkenness, they should spend the night in the cells, then be woken very early the next day and put to work clearing up vomit, discarded pizzas, kebabs and broken glass; doing this kind of thing with a raging hangover might take some of the glory out of drinking?
Driving ages should be arbitrary, how about making it dependant on passing an intelligence test, completing 6 months of cycling then moped riding before being allowed to get a provisional car licence? people would learn more about road sense this way.
Also, any driver who has held a full licence for less than 12 months should have to start again as a learner if they are convicted of careless or dangerous driving, this to follow a mandatory 6 month ban.
People might take a bit more care if it came to more than a fine, after all, younger drivers have more disposable income than older people and a 拢60 fine doesn't really do much to deter them.
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