Capital Summertime Ball 2024

[Mike]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6904821.stm

So what do you all think?

[Ema]

Ah well, will give me longer to save up for that car I guess...

[Guest]

I think it's as ludicrous as increasing the smoking age. What difference does it make if someone has a crash at 17 and dies and someone at 18 suffers a similar fate?

[Chris.]

As I said in the "Your Views" thread:

Well luckily I passed my test last week so much of it don't apply to me.

I can agree with the alcohol thing, but the thing I find stupid is banning passengers between 12 and 20 at 11PM to 6AM. What's the point in that? If that law was passed then that would mean I am legally not allowed to give my mates a lift home after 11PM?!

[Lucinda]

I think having a mandatory number of lessons might be a good idea. How do they intend to enforce banning new drivers from drinking for a year...? It is true that a lot of 17 year olds are over confident when they get their licence and a lot of people I was at school with had crashes within a short time of getting their licence. There is some sense in these proposals but most people haven't become much more sensible by the time they're 18.

Having said that, I'm 19, and have no intention to learn to drive, so this doesn't really affect me.

[Chris.]

I can understand the over-confident thing. What young drivers don't realise is that they have to drive just like they did when they passed their test. With every bit of effort and concentration.

I have no problem with most of the points the MPs have made. I personally think alcohol should be banned for ALL drivers. I support a structured syllabus and extra hazard-perception training.

What I don't agree with though is the illogical idea of "banning drivers from carrying passengers aged between 10 and 20 from 11pm to 5am for a year after passing their test". This to me sounds a bit blinded. Do they seriously want me to abandon my mates late at night and drive home alone? I think parents would much prefer their children getting a lift home from a mate late at night than walking the streets alone.

[Behelzebub]

Personally I think it's a bit stupid, what difference is one year likely to make anyway...?

[Timsk]

Why not target ALL drivers? I'd support regular retests as I think people that have been on the road a long time can be just as dangerous as a comparatively inexperienced teenager...

[DC]

the government just love to waste time it seems. they dont care about teenagers, it's just tring to make them look good. and making the do-gooders satisfied and all the old people who go on and on about 'their day' which is long gone.

[Eyl9]

I think it's stupid. By the time a person has learnt to drive they'd probaly be 18 anyway, so there's no point just changing it by a year.

If alcohol is a problem, surely raising the drinking age would make more sense

[DC]

not really becuase people still drink and drive in their 40's and 50's and so on.

[Timsk]

Very true. Though it is possible they might be less tempted to 'show off' to their mates at the time and hence they 'get away' with it, which might account for the lower accident statistics.

I seriously can do nothing but condemn anyone that drinks and drives having experienced first hand what can happen as a result.

[DC]

i wont do it, i am sure of that becuase i can give or take drinking. it dosent bother me, so i would just drive somewhere and drink coke. the problem is i dont want to suffer becuase of a bunch of old people trying to look good, especially if i have done nothing wrong.

[Timsk]

Unfortunately, that's the 'nanny state' we all live in right now, making no particular political commentary.

[Mike]

Don't even get me started on the nanny state bollocks

[Guest]

There is a nannying culture in government and proposals like this demonstrate yet further evidence of that fact.

[Mike]

I meant i hate the nanny state lol

[Bumble_85]

I'd increase it to 21.

[Mike]

Why?

If the age went up to 21 there would just be more car theft because people want to try it and feel they can't wait. i mean for crying out loud why don't the government understand that making something really hard to do because of age or whatever will just make peoples thirst to do it bigger?!

Not a very god explanation, but there we go

I mean, why should we have to have a certain ampunt of lessons, what if people are very quick learners? what about if they get a lot of practice. for christs sake why do the government always bobobobo over teenagers WHEN THEY HAVENT DONE ANYTHING WRONG!?!

As i said in your views earlier, people are always gonna want to show off and doing what the government intends to do is just to please the flipping aresholes who control us and who are power hungry. STOP TRYING TO PLEASE YOURSELVES AND MAKING LIFE CRAP FOR THE REST OF US, WHO ONE DAY MAY EVEN BE TAKING OVER YOUR JOB!

I can see this country getting to be like Germany in the Hitler Era.

People rebel, get over it for bobobobos sake, this is england and the more you try and take things away from us, the more we are going to rebel...

Someone let me loose on number 10, pleeeeeeeeaaassssseeeeeeeeee!

[Bumble_85]

I didn't know anyone at 17 who I would have got in a car with. People at that age don't think about things so much.

I don't agree that people are going to steal more cars if the age is raised either. It's like people drinking underage- if you have parents who let you try it etc. then you're far less likely to go out and get drunk when you're too young.

Also, one of my close friends was killed in a car crash by a driver who wasn't over the limit, he just drove like an idiot. She was 17.

A certain amount of time in a car learning to drive is a good idea, no matter how quickly you learn. It doesn't make you a good driver just because you can learn quickly.

Of course, if I had my way then public transport would be far far better and we'd all have less need for a car and then be helping the environment too.

[Mike]

Fair enough you have your own views die to personal experiences, apologies if i offended you.

If i had it my way:

16: Learn to drive

17: Test

21: Allowed to drink to the legal limit and drive.

I fail to see the way 10 - 20 year olds will not allowed to be passengers in cars at night. What a pathetic rule.

[Monitorabbit]

Why not target ALL drivers? I'd support regular retests as I think people that have been on the road a long time can be just as dangerous as a comparatively inexperienced teenager...

This would help reduce the carbon footprint as older people returned to the joys of cycling - most older drivers wouldn't take another test if they could help it. If the government wants to stop bad driving it should bring in compulsory re-tests for convicted offenders, it'd be a massive deterrent.

I hate generalisations based on age.There are many many different types of people from different types of background with greater or lesser susceptibility to showing off or being distracted.

You get some middle aged boy racers and some Mums who get ratty and distracted when their children are playing up in the back seat. You get some young lads and girls who want to show off in their cars too. But it's wrong to stereotype all young people or all old people or all middle aged people or all of a racial group or one or other gender or orientation. If we're honest we all do it in our heads, it's human nature. But it should be fiercly fought against, just like that urge to race after the guy who cut you up and signal your disapproval with a finger...

[Mike]

Gill, i completely agree.

[sinister]

The difference between a car & a hedgehog?

The hedgehog has the *ricks on the outside!

legs it out of thread......

[Timsk]

A certain amount of time in a car learning to drive is a good idea, no matter how quickly you learn. It doesn't make you a good driver just because you can learn quickly.

Good point - they do say most people only really learn to drive and cope with all 'normal' road situations about a year after passing their test...

It's terrible that most of us at some point are going to know someone involved in a fatal car crash, and anything that can be done to reduce this - for ALL drivers of all ages and levels of experience - can only be a good thing. I think any restrictive sanctions are better aimed at the whole motoring populace, not just younger drivers. Bring on the 5-yearly retests!

None of this will of course have any effect on those that choose to drive without licenses or insurance, on which don't even get me started...