Teenage driving

My opinion is that a 16 year old should be allowed to get their license. I am a mother of a 18 year old and my son got a job, at 16, attended school and also received his license at that age. If someone is allowed to go out and get a job, they should be allowed to drive. I do believe there should be rules and laws that give stipulations on when and where a 16 year old can drive. I think that teenagers need guidance and direction and should not just be handed the keys, but the longer they can practice under the care of their parents, the better they should be able to drive as they age. Also, there should be strict laws in place for teenage offenders. For instance, if a teenager gets caught speeding, they should receive a penalty such as a suspension of their license instead of just a ticket. Maybe if we had harsher penalties it would help.

I am the mother of a son who will be legally able to drive in a little over 4 years from now. I don't think 16 is an appropriate age for children to start driving. They are simply going from Chuck E Cheese to "I need the keys". They are not at an age that makes them mature enough to handle such a huge responsibility as driving. They gamble not only with innocent peoples lives but they gamble with their own. Sixteen year olds think they are "invincible". They think that they know it all and no one can tell them better. They are just looking for the need for speed and to be wreckless does not exist in their vocabulary. Way too many children have died in car accidents in the past year alone. One is too many, but over 24 in CT!!!! THAT should be enough convincing to prove that 16 is too young of an age to take on such a big responsibility. I think the age limit needs to be raised to 18. I also think that in car surveillance should be manditory and the teen driving laws that are supposed to be on the books should be enforced. I also think that not only should the teens face a fine and punishment, but their parents or guardians should as well. I also think that at least a year of training in the classroom and on the road should be manditory and the post licensing laws should be even more strict. We need to wake up and realize that our futures, our children are dying. Let's save lives. Raise the driving age to 18...when our children are ready and mature enough to be adults.

Judging by the content of your post, I could already tell your a very controlling parent who loves her children. You said, "I am the mother of a son who will be legally able to drive in a little over 4 years from now." Well until your child reaches 16, I don't think there is much you can say. First, wait until your child turns 16. He will have school, sports, a job, and want to hang out with friends by this time and driving him around will eventually get you crazy. Also, a person, especially a teen, can change a lot in four years so it's hard to determine if he will be responsible by then. Obviously it is a tragedy when teens lose their life to driving, but for the most part, most teen drivers are safe and responsible. It's time to stop the prejudice against the teen driver and time to maybe take some time and really find out for yourself about the teen driver.