Driving Age

I have a different view of this subject mainly because of the things I've experienced as a Police Officer.  I see this as a postive move and I've been saying this for years.  Holding parents responsible is a good idea but unfortunately many parents are either unwilling to take responsibility or simply look at police action agaist their children as harrassment.  Recently we saw parents outraged because teens were detained by Pelham police after they broke up an underage drinking party.  One wrote a letter to the local paper comparing their poor sons detainment in a police garage to treatment in Afganastan.  Some people need their head examined.  Does anyone care that police actions in NH were to the letter of the law?  Had they let the kids go and someone died the same parents would want those cops crucified.  To some people the law is great until it's applied to their child. 

Parents have absolutely no idea what their teens are up to.  I've spent years visiting parents to inform them of their kids piled into cars, no seatbelts, speeding and attending parking lot parties in the presence of alcohol only to watch their kids driving around the next day with their friends piled into the car.  People, develop some courage and take the keys away.  Yes, there are responsible teens but having them wait a year really isn't that tragic.  We've all seen this past year that even "responsible" kids with great grades, etc, can make tragic errors in judgement.  Then we see the shrine and all the kids in tears.  Not to be callous but I've seen the kids crying one week and drinking in an empty parking lot the next. They don't get it and they won't until they mature. 

Immature teens at the wheel has always been a problem but now almost every child is given a car in high school, little supervision by parents and a declining respect for enforcement.  Look at this way, the high schools will no longer have a parking problem!

 

I'm not a police officer but as a parent of 2 teenage drivers, I've seen plenty over the last few years.  I've gone back and forth on how I feel about raising the driving age.  When I first heard about it, my feelings were definitely "yes".  But I believe there are other factors that contribute to their inexperience that need tweaking.  We all remember how we were upon receiving our licenses; our parents' words went out the window; we were invincible and teens today are no different.  And I am referring to responsible kids, who just feel empowered behind a wheel.  I agree that students need more driver training. 

I haven't read the text of this legislature, but if includes a 6 month probationary period as a Junior Operator, I would like to see the police be allowed to pull JOL drivers over who violate the passenger restriction portion.  The JOL makes good sense and is in place for their own safety, to allow them to gain the experience without their friends distracting them.  As it stands, the kids know all the loopholes and know they can't be pulled over for simply for this infraction.  I think if they knew they could be pulled over, and the consequences they faced, they would think a little more carefully about having kids in their car.  Maybe in a larger town this isn't as feasible, but in smaller towns, the police are pretty sure who the JOL drivers are.    I can't tell you how many times I've seen kids piled in a car with a JOL driver.    I've seen JOL drivers involved in major accidents, only to be be driving days later with kids in the car again.  My own kids knew [and one is still a JOL] that we would not hesitate to take their keys if they drove with kids in their caro as a JOL and as far as I know, they have not.

They also "shop" the RMV's when making appointments for their driver's license.  Some change their appointments 2 or 3 times because they've heard that certain registries were tougher, or required additional driving, turns, whatever.   My own kids went to the same RMV and had two completely different road exams.  The kids should know they will face the same test wherever they go, and if they fail - they're just not ready to drive!

 

The problem with pulling people over because you think they look young is a problem in itself.  I've patrolled at night during my career and you really can't see who's driving.  Unless you know who the owner is then you're just guessing.  Guessing isn't going to work and before long the police are accused of using it as a reason to pull over anyone they want, for any reason, etc, etc.  A better idea is to display a sticker or something similar that alerts LE that a JOL is operating the vehicle.  But, how do you administer this when most are driving their parents car?  This type of thing is hard to deal with and it's why we find ourselves debating the age itself.  The 17 1/2 age is good in that it takes the majority of high school age teens out of cars.  I've written a fair share of JOL passenger restriction citations, though it's not heavily enforced in my experience. 

I agree that the logistics of enforcing that portion of the JOL is tricky and would certainly present more of a challenge to larger towns or cities.  But again, does the current legislation propose eliminating the 6 month probationary period regarding passengers?  It's frustrating because I believe it is a very good measure that tries to give the novice drivers more experience, but we cannot find a way to enforce it?  My point was to suggest that maybe we should try and enforce the laws we currently have and add to it with more driver training, consistent testing at the RMV's, etc.  Why do the RMV tests differ from location to location, encouraging the kids to shop around for where they believe they'll pass the easiest?  I'll support anything that helps make the roads safer for our kids [and for all of us].  I'm just not convinced that raising the driving age is the way to go anymore, although at the onset I was clearly in favor of raising the age.   Just to "put a face" on how it would look at the high school parking lot; you're not kidding about seeing more available parking spaces at the high school.   Today there are 45 Juniors in High School who are eligible to hold a driver's license [and probably do].  That's just Dunstable, not Groton.  If the law today were 17 1/2, only 6 Dunstable kids would be eligible to drive [6 very popular kids apparently]. 

Since I wrote to advocate for stronger legislature concerning JOL, my teenager has been in a serious accident where the car has been totaled but luckily, she sustained only very minor injuries.  Her car spun on a wet, curvy road and hydroplaned into a stone wall and then a tree - right here in town.  The cause of the accident was primarily due to driver inexperience and wet roads.  Parents who have been on the end of this receiving phone call know what I am talking about - when your heart stops for that moment.  At the time of the accident, she was a JOL operator (licensed for 5 months).   The most damage was on the passenger side of the car.  The good news is that she is even more careful than before - and finally "gets" why JOL operators should not have passengers in their cars and why parents take a hard line if they  transport passengers during this JOL stage.