what are the pros and cons of learning driving at 16 instead of 18?

YAMtastic	While 16 is fairly young to be driving, I wonder why so many people rush to blame young people and say they cause a lot of accidents yet road fatalities (in Australia at least) have dropped consistently for the last few decades - This implies new drivers are safer

thud.fan	Pro - good physical shape (eye-hand-foot coordination), good reflexes. Con - Lack of discipline, judgment, experience...This is not the fault of the teen...It takes time to acquire the mental skills necessary to how to operate a very dangerous machine under constantly varying conditions. Driving only requires 5-10% physical ability, but it DEMANDS 100% mental focus.

Janis	I agree with Just Me. I also feel that there should be a system where we are re-evaluated for driving periodically, i.e., every 5 years. You know, take the whole drivers test again.. It seems that some people "forget" or choose to disregard the basic safety rules of driving such as coming to a complete stop at ALL stop signs, not passing on the right on the shoulder when the car in front of you is making a left turn, driving the speed limit, especially in residential areas, etc. When I see a car full of teenagers barrelling down my street (25 mph) I cringe. There are so many bad accidents involving teen drivers around here.

UCANTCME	Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year olds. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 3,490 drivers in this age group died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006 and an additional 272,000 were injured. Drivers age 15- to 20-years old accounted for 12.9 percent of all the drivers involved in fatal crashes and 16 percent of all the drivers involved in police-reported crashes. Twenty-five percent of teen drivers killed were intoxicated. In 2002 (latest data available) the estimated economic cost of police-reported crashes involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 was $40.8 billion, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov ). Among licensed drivers, young people between the ages of 15 and 20 have the highest rate of fatal crashes relative to other age groups, including the elderly. In fact, the risk of being involved in a fatal crash for teens is three times greater than for drivers age 65 to 69. Immaturity and lack of driving experience are the two main factors leading to the high crash rate among teens

Just Me	16 is just to young. 18 is not much better. The driving age needs to be raised to 21.

storygirl	18 year olds are more responsible, more focused, more intent on proving themselves, a lot can change in two years. Whereas, 16 year olds are in rush to drive, don't pay as much attention because of all the friends they pile into the car to go joy riding and so on.