http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/ Autoblog Comments for AAA: Teen crashes cost society $34 billion per year http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
I would also like to see break outs between number of miles driven and age.

Otherwise it can be just another hype article to support one cause or another]]>Apr 10th 2008 7:34AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
This coupled with the continuing trend of eliminating high school driver education, which only has the long-term effect of increasing the number of poorly educated drivers on the road each year.

Yeah, I know, there are maturity issues when dealing with teens and cars, but I can't help but think we're seeing an increase in accidents and monetary damages taking place as these programs become increasingly popular across the country.]]>Apr 10th 2008 7:51AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 7:57AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 9:01AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
If you try to raise the driving age everybody cries about how much of a burden it is to the parents and unfair to the kids because THEIR kid is a great driver, it's everyone elses kid that's the problem.

Driving school costs money and everybody wants something for free. We pay less in taxes than just about any industrialized nation yet all you hear is b1tchin about how screwed over we are. Our streets crumble, our schools have outdated textbooks and low test scores, and there's not enough police to patrol the streets, but if you try to address any of those by suggesting people pay more in taxes the outrage begins.

If you don't like the driving laws, the poor test scores, the lack of police, the crumbling bridges, etc. then be willing to pay for. Otherwise just sit back and cork it.]]>Apr 10th 2008 10:54AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/>> If you don't like the driving laws, the poor test scores, the lack of police, the crumbling bridges, etc. then be willing to pay for. Otherwise just sit back and cork it.]]>Apr 10th 2008 11:36AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
Where did I say anything about not being willing to pay for it? I have a German driver license which currently costs about €2,000 ($3,000) to make. Yes it's a ton of money, but you learn more than just how to parallel park.
Your remark regarding living in a democracy and people wanting their kids to drive at 16 is a totally invalid argument. There are a lot of things that people want, yet cannot because they are illegal. If the driving age were to be raised to 18, there wouldn't be any great uproar just as there wasn't when the drinking age was raised to 21. The fact remains that the teenage driving problem is increased by having uneducated 16 and 17 year old drivers operating vehicles that they are too immature to do so. The two easily available measures to lessen accidents and fatalities is by better education, meaning real driver training, and raising the age at which one is allowed to drive. There is a reason why the traffic fatalities per 100,000 miles driven are substantially higher in the US than in Germany where over 50% of the Autobahn is without speed limits.
]]>Apr 10th 2008 11:59AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
]]>Apr 10th 2008 8:01AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 8:13AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
perhaps healthcare, legal, and infrastructure costs play a bigger role in the "big picture" ?]]>Apr 10th 2008 8:14AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/- 14 Yrs: Learning Permit - Can drive 6AM - 10PM (must always have adult passenger)
- 16 Yrs. Junior License - Can drive 6AM - 10PM (must have adult passenger after 6PM)
- 18 Yrs. Regular License - Standard driving privileges (God help us!!!)]]>Apr 10th 2008 8:34AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 9:06AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
I'm 18, a car nut, but don't have my license yet... Why? Can't afford driving school. I care too much about cars to want to risk ruining mine. And I don't plan on buying a beater either. Something I like will make me want to take care of it, rather than a cheap throw away.]]>Apr 10th 2008 9:06AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
I'm in Canada, and I didn't study for G1 (written) which took under 5 minutes and got perfect at 16 yrs old. My G2 (driven) test took 5 minutes and my full G (driven) took 8 minutes.

I had countless exams in high school exceeding 2 hours on useless things like Shakespeare and To Kill a Mockingbird, yet, for me to get my full driver's permit it took me under 20 minutes for all 3 government tests.

Even if you raise the age of when you can get a license, there will still be the same problem... new drivers need to be more educated and should have more strict testing. ]]>Apr 10th 2008 9:29AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 9:35AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
Forcing archaic, boring drivel like Shakespeare on teenagers at what amounts to gunpoint has done more to keep them out of the libraries in their adult lives than all the shows on the idiot box put together.

Like taking someone who has never tasted alcohol before, starting them off on shots of Laphroaig, and then wondering why they never drink again. ]]>Apr 10th 2008 10:56AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/
]]>Apr 10th 2008 9:32AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 9:32AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/Apr 10th 2008 1:59PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/aaa-teen-crashes-cost-society-34-billion-per-year/In 1982 I got my license at 16. Drove my mom's 1972 Olds Delta 88 4 door! Real big tank but could fit 6 people easily. I used to cut my grandparents lawn when I could reach the pedals on the riding mower.
I think that really help me learn to drive. I also got to drive the cars around my grandparents yard that had a big oval driveway.
That too was a good lesson in driving. When I was 16 I got to drive my parents and everyone else around and they were real comfortable with me driving and I even drove from North Carolina to NYC a few
times with just me and my sister when I was 17 she was 15! I think
getting started early in life from the little electric cars, riding mowers and such helps with driving when you get your license. I even drove big farm tractors when I was 12 on the road.
My sister on the other had did not cut the grass or really care about
driving until she was 16 and was a very scary driver. Right now I
have a 2 and 4 year old. I have a good size yard to let the kids
roam around in there peddle and electric cars. When they get older
they will cut the grass on a riding mower and we will move up to go
carts and such. As a parent I want to prepare my kids for the real
world as much as I can. I might cringe when they drive at 16 but I have to let them try as they will be out the door soon and on there own, hopefully with a little knowledge and respect for the road and others around them.
Later,
E]]>Apr 10th 2008 9:53AM