Currently the age limit for taking up driving is still 18 years old. However it was once stated that there is a need to up the age limit to 21 years of age. I strongly disagree on the increasement of age limit. I believe teens should be allowed to take up driving at the age of 18, and be well educated on the dangers and safety of driving. Therefore teens which has gotten their driving Licenses would not abuse it and cause harm to the public and themseleves.
However if the age limit IS to be increased to 21 years old, they would still be people driving recklessly. Take for example, when i was learning driving, i would normally drive close to 50 KM/hr, which is the speed limit for normal roads. However there would still be many cars(driven by not only teens, but ADULTS) speeding pass me. Most are travelling over the speed limit. You could say they were speeding.
My point is that no matter how high the age limit is, there would still be people would still drive recklessly. Therefor to prevent such things from happening, posters and movie should be made to tell teens the effect of reckeless driving; to spread the message that fast driving is not equal to being cool.
Isn't the limit at 18 years old now? But nevertheless, I feel that the age limit should be raised. Nowadays, teenagers are very influenced by the fact that 'Modified Fast Cars' are the in thing now. With movies like 'Intial D', 'Too Fast Too Furious', the current trend has move from having posh cars that costs hundreds of thousand, to cheaper Japan cars that allow the owner more expression space. The main thing is not that modifying car. It is that after they modify, they wan to go fast. Just like in the movies where the guy would be driving at high speeds turning with only 1 hand -_-" Youngsters now feel that going fast is cool. So once they get their license, they will tend to go fast. Causing countless unneccessary accidents. At 18years old, they are still easily influenced. At age 21, their thinking might mature, knowing that going fast means they got lesser control of their car and they might cause an accident. Therefore I feel it is better for the age limit to be raised to 21. Let's wait they are mature enough to think rationally, then should they be put behind the wheels. Afterall, the road is a dangerous place, not to other roadusers but the driver himself/herself too.
If you’re 18, and you’re deemed fit and mature enough to serve the country, why change the age limit to 21? Sure, you can argue that one might be 3 years more mature than at 18 and increase the age limit to 21. What difference does it make? You’re most likely single, you’re young and you want to have fun. Sure you can increase the age limit to 21, 25, and 30 if you want to play it safe, you still can’t impart three years of driving experience to learner drivers. A good driver is not merely one who is skilful in handling his vehicle competently but more importantly is one who is safe. So if Traffic Police Testers pass you on your driving test, they deem that you are a skillful and safe and responsible driver. So you can say, they are mature enough to think for themselves and are safe and responsible drivers. So who says 18 years old drivers are not mature? It’s a matter whether one wants to be or not. Why youngsters have not been law abiding is as much the youngsters’ fault as the Traffic Police’s. They have not been out there implementing rules, or on a flip-side, youngsters have been lucky enough to not be caught. Youngsters don’t have the experience of losing everything in an accident, the feeling of being charged with drink driving, the feeling of putting another in a wheelchair, if they had, none of this would have happened or caused by them. When they are about 27, when they are more or less settled down, yes, they would be safer drivers. That is when family members are important to them when they are ferrying their families around. Sure there are tons of accidents out there involving youngsters, but how many are caused and how many involves young drivers. How many are caused by reckless driving? How many are caused by drink driving? How many are caused due to the lack of experience? And how many are caused by drivers above 35? Branding youngsters the main cause of accidents due to their lack of safety and responsibility is a huge misconception. There are still many youngsters out there who are unwillingly involved in an accident because of others. However it is true that youngsters these days tend to speed and drink-drive. And Yu long, I think if it weren't for your instructor beside you, you would not have been traveling at 50km/h!
I would like to comment on the post by alvin sayomg that "I think if it weren't for your instructor beside you, you would not have been traveling at 50km/h! ". I would strongly disagree to what you had stated. No matter who would be beside me, i would still keep my speed limit at 50Km/h when travelling on normal road. Reason being that i am responsbile for my safety and the safety of other road users. I would like to stress the point that i am a safety driver; and not what you assume.
Coming back to the topic, fairus you stated that " posters, brochures were advertised " but they were of no use. You compared smoking with driving, which are not similar. The reason why people cannot quit smoking is because that is an addiction. Compared to reckless driving and speeding, that is a bad habit and carelessness cause by human nature. That's why posters and brochures might not work for smokers, but it might work for drivers. Imagine if there is a movie made about reckless driving causing teens to lost their love ones, that would most likely leave an impact to teens, as it is some how related to their life style.
kian hong, you keep stressing that the age limit be raised. However if the age limit would to be raised, then where are we going to get drivers to drive tanks,fire truck and other civil defense equipments when teens(18 years old) are at their national service? are you saying we should ask uncles to drive the equipments? the teens here are driving more dangerous vehicle, are you saying that they would drive recklessly since they are 18, as they are still not as matured?
Ehemm! Actually, the age limit that is going to be brought up to 21 is motorbike license n not for driving (according to an extremly reliable source :P). But nevemind. Since we are already discussing about the driving part, soo lets just continue with it :D
First things first, Fairuz, are u against it or for it?? this is because your u said "due to the reasons of the teen who abuses their license". That phrase is like against of bringing down the age limit to 18.. (pls clarify) Also, there ARE adult drivers who does abuse their license.
I agree with Yu Long when he said "if the age limit IS to be increased to 21 years old". This is because there are, still are, people who are NOT teens that drive recklessly and they still don't practice road safety while they on the road.. A very COMMON and very OBVIOUS example is following too near to the front car while driving on the expressways. This is very common for BOTH teens n adult drivers. In the expressway, you are travelling at a very high speed. Because of that, you need more time to react to the front driver's beaviour. If you are following too close, you won't have enough time to react SAFELY (especially if you are driving an automatic transmission car).
Alvin, you said to Yu long that "I think if it weren't for your instructor beside you, you would not have been traveling at 50km/h!" But from what i heard from you on what would you do while you are driving, eg. flashing your high beam continously to the driver in front of you, NOT checking your safety before changing lanes and wanted to try a Mitsubishi Lancer(a reasonable fast car), wouldn't you be considered as a reckless driver as well? Since you are in your teens, do you think you are mature engough to drive while your behaviour on the road is as such?
For Yi Jin's comment on "i think that 1 measurement is that all the cars' engines can be modified or reduced onlyto a speed of 60km/hour", I think that is nonsense. Driving at 60km/h on some roads where the speed limit is 70km/h or above(depending on the road situation) is called roadhogging, which means driving too SLOW for the road. You can be CHARGED by the traffic police if u do that. So, cars SHOULD NOT be adjusted to only the speed of 60km/h.
As for me, I think accidents occured NOT because of the age limit but it is due to the individual that is driving the vehicle. Road accidents dosen't "see" your age before it happens but happens when ANY driver is careless and reckless. Safety is the key aspect of preventing road accidents. I agree with fairuz that posters won't prevent road users from driving or riding recklessly. In driving schools, such as Bukit Batok Driving Centre, learners are thought the safety aspect while on the road by going through theory lessons, normal practical lessons and also in the driving simulator. That is why, soon, private instructors, no offence to Yu Long, will be phased out. So the point is, safety, Preception, Judgement and Reaction of a driver is the key to know if an accident will occur or not :P
I think that the age limit for driving should stay at 18. That is because raising the age limit does not mean lowering the risk of accidents on the road. Accidents are most usually caused by recklessness on the driver, or the split second of unattentiveness on the road, and thes mental attributes do not depend on the age of the driver.
In my opinion, one way to curb the risk of having more accidents on the road is to deploy more patrol cars on the road. I realise that many drivers are more aware of their driving when they see patrol cars near them, and some even urge their passengers to put on their seatbelt.
Although this method would not eliminate all risks of accidents on the road, it would certainly lower the number of road accidents by causing more drivers to be concious when driving near police cars.
On a side note, it would also be unfair to say the younger adults cause more road accidents, as the statistics and media only talk about young adults being INVOLVED in car accidents, and they do not make it clear whether it is indeed them who cause the accidents, or if they are just the victims of the other party's recklessness.
7 Comments:
Currently the age limit for taking up driving is still 18 years old. However it was once stated that there is a need to up the age limit to 21 years of age. I strongly disagree on the increasement of age limit. I believe teens should be allowed to take up driving at the age of 18, and be well educated on the dangers and safety of driving. Therefore teens which has gotten their driving Licenses would not abuse it and cause harm to the public and themseleves.
However if the age limit IS to be increased to 21 years old, they would still be people driving recklessly. Take for example, when i was learning driving, i would normally drive close to 50 KM/hr, which is the speed limit for normal roads. However there would still be many cars(driven by not only teens, but ADULTS) speeding pass me. Most are travelling over the speed limit. You could say they were speeding.
My point is that no matter how high the age limit is, there would still be people would still drive recklessly. Therefor to prevent such things from happening, posters and movie should be made to tell teens the effect of reckeless driving; to spread the message that fast driving is not equal to being cool.
Isn't the limit at 18 years old now? But nevertheless, I feel that the age limit should be raised.
Nowadays, teenagers are very influenced by the fact that 'Modified Fast Cars' are the in thing now. With movies like 'Intial D', 'Too Fast Too Furious', the current trend has move from having posh cars that costs hundreds of thousand, to cheaper Japan cars that allow the owner more expression space.
The main thing is not that modifying car. It is that after they modify, they wan to go fast. Just like in the movies where the guy would be driving at high speeds turning with only 1 hand
-_-"
Youngsters now feel that going fast is cool. So once they get their license, they will tend to go fast. Causing countless unneccessary accidents. At 18years old, they are still easily influenced. At age 21, their thinking might mature, knowing that going fast means they got lesser control of their car and they might cause an accident.
Therefore I feel it is better for the age limit to be raised to 21. Let's wait they are mature enough to think rationally, then should they be put behind the wheels.
Afterall, the road is a dangerous place, not to other roadusers but the driver himself/herself too.
If you’re 18, and you’re deemed fit and mature enough to serve the country, why change the age limit to 21? Sure, you can argue that one might be 3 years more mature than at 18 and increase the age limit to 21. What difference does it make? You’re most likely single, you’re young and you want to have fun. Sure you can increase the age limit to 21, 25, and 30 if you want to play it safe, you still can’t impart three years of driving experience to learner drivers.
A good driver is not merely one who is skilful in handling his vehicle competently but more importantly is one who is safe. So if Traffic Police Testers pass you on your driving test, they deem that you are a skillful and safe and responsible driver. So you can say, they are mature enough to think for themselves and are safe and responsible drivers. So who says 18 years old drivers are not mature? It’s a matter whether one wants to be or not.
Why youngsters have not been law abiding is as much the youngsters’ fault as the Traffic Police’s. They have not been out there implementing rules, or on a flip-side, youngsters have been lucky enough to not be caught.
Youngsters don’t have the experience of losing everything in an accident, the feeling of being charged with drink driving, the feeling of putting another in a wheelchair, if they had, none of this would have happened or caused by them. When they are about 27, when they are more or less settled down, yes, they would be safer drivers. That is when family members are important to them when they are ferrying their families around.
Sure there are tons of accidents out there involving youngsters, but how many are caused and how many involves young drivers. How many are caused by reckless driving? How many are caused by drink driving? How many are caused due to the lack of experience? And how many are caused by drivers above 35?
Branding youngsters the main cause of accidents due to their lack of safety and responsibility is a huge misconception. There are still many youngsters out there who are unwillingly involved in an accident because of others. However it is true that youngsters these days tend to speed and drink-drive.
And Yu long, I think if it weren't for your instructor beside you, you would not have been traveling at 50km/h!
I would like to comment on the post by alvin sayomg that "I think if it weren't for your instructor beside you, you would not have been traveling at 50km/h!
". I would strongly disagree to what you had stated. No matter who would be beside me, i would still keep my speed limit at 50Km/h when travelling on normal road. Reason being that i am responsbile for my safety and the safety of other road users. I would like to stress the point that i am a safety driver; and not what you assume.
Coming back to the topic, fairus you stated that " posters, brochures were advertised " but they were of no use. You compared smoking with driving, which are not similar. The reason why people cannot quit smoking is because that is an addiction. Compared to reckless driving and speeding, that is a bad habit and carelessness cause by human nature. That's why posters and brochures might not work for smokers, but it might work for drivers. Imagine if there is a movie made about reckless driving causing teens to lost their love ones, that would most likely leave an impact to teens, as it is some how related to their life style.
kian hong, you keep stressing that the age limit be raised. However if the age limit would to be raised, then where are we going to get drivers to drive tanks,fire truck and other civil defense equipments when teens(18 years old) are at their national service? are you saying we should ask uncles to drive the equipments? the teens here are driving more dangerous vehicle, are you saying that they would drive recklessly since they are 18, as they are still not as matured?
Ehemm! Actually, the age limit that is going to be brought up to 21 is motorbike license n not for driving (according to an extremly reliable source :P). But nevemind. Since we are already discussing about the driving part, soo lets just continue with it :D
First things first, Fairuz, are u against it or for it?? this is because your u said "due to the reasons of the teen who abuses their license". That phrase is like against of bringing down the age limit to 18.. (pls clarify) Also, there ARE adult drivers who does abuse their license.
I agree with Yu Long when he said "if the age limit IS to be increased to 21 years old". This is because there are, still are, people who are NOT teens that drive recklessly and they still don't practice road safety while they on the road.. A very COMMON and very OBVIOUS example is following too near to the front car while driving on the expressways. This is very common for BOTH teens n adult drivers. In the expressway, you are travelling at a very high speed. Because of that, you need more time to react to the front driver's beaviour. If you are following too close, you won't have enough time to react SAFELY (especially if you are driving an automatic transmission car).
Alvin, you said to Yu long that "I think if it weren't for your instructor beside you, you would not have been traveling at 50km/h!" But from what i heard from you on what would you do while you are driving, eg. flashing your high beam continously to the driver in front of you, NOT checking your safety before changing lanes and wanted to try a Mitsubishi Lancer(a reasonable fast car), wouldn't you be considered as a reckless driver as well? Since you are in your teens, do you think you are mature engough to drive while your behaviour on the road is as such?
For Yi Jin's comment on "i think that 1 measurement is that all the cars' engines can be modified or reduced onlyto a speed of 60km/hour", I think that is nonsense. Driving at 60km/h on some roads where the speed limit is 70km/h or above(depending on the road situation) is called roadhogging, which means driving too SLOW for the road. You can be CHARGED by the traffic police if u do that. So, cars SHOULD NOT be adjusted to only the speed of 60km/h.
As for me, I think accidents occured NOT because of the age limit but it is due to the individual that is driving the vehicle. Road accidents dosen't "see" your age before it happens but happens when ANY driver is careless and reckless. Safety is the key aspect of preventing road accidents. I agree with fairuz that posters won't prevent road users from driving or riding recklessly. In driving schools, such as Bukit Batok Driving Centre, learners are thought the safety aspect while on the road by going through theory lessons, normal practical lessons and also in the driving simulator. That is why, soon, private instructors, no offence to Yu Long, will be phased out. So the point is, safety, Preception, Judgement and Reaction of a driver is the key to know if an accident will occur or not :P
I think that the age limit for driving should stay at 18. That is because raising the age limit does not mean lowering the risk of accidents on the road. Accidents are most usually caused by recklessness on the driver, or the split second of unattentiveness on the road, and thes mental attributes do not depend on the age of the driver.
In my opinion, one way to curb the risk of having more accidents on the road is to deploy more patrol cars on the road. I realise that many drivers are more aware of their driving when they see patrol cars near them, and some even urge their passengers to put on their seatbelt.
Although this method would not eliminate all risks of accidents on the road, it would certainly lower the number of road accidents by causing more drivers to be concious when driving near police cars.
On a side note, it would also be unfair to say the younger adults cause more road accidents, as the statistics and media only talk about young adults being INVOLVED in car accidents, and they do not make it clear whether it is indeed them who cause the accidents, or if they are just the victims of the other party's recklessness.
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