5 ms·

I had a professor from Germany that strongly recommended drinking when young, and driving when old. I think there is a lot of wisdom there.

by jfoutz 5y ago

goodcanadian 5y ago
I learned to drive the ride on lawn mower when I was 6. I was small and light enough that the dead man switch sometimes shut off the mower when I went over a bump. I learned to drive the farm truck when I was about 12. I literally looked through the steering wheel rather than over it. At that age, it was still a big scary machine that I treated with respect. By the time I could legally drive on public roads, I was quite comfortable and confident with handling a vehicle. I already knew what I could get away with and what I couldn't. I think there is a lot to be said for learning to drive before you are a stupid teenager.
- pas 5y ago
  The problem comes when confident drivers meet their new best friend, alcohol.
  - JackFr 5y ago
    What do you mean? Self-reported ability typically goes way up.
    - pas 5y ago
      Yes, exactly that. After a few beers everyone's gangsta and feel like they are going to beat the Fast & Furious franchise on the road home. Even drunk driving takes experience, and young people don't have it, no matter what they start with (driving or drinking).
  - goodcanadian 5y ago
    There is a difference between confident because you actually know what you are doing and confident because you are a dumb teenager. I don't know, maybe I was unusually smart, but I never dared mixing alcohol with driving.
    - pas 5y ago
      Most people avoid accidents, so anecdotes are likely to skew toward "no effect". But the incidence of recklessness is still higher in young people, hence in countries where a lot of young people drive, there will be a bump in the DUI accident numbers for young people. My argument is that unless young people have experience with both, it's unlikely that there won't be an initial increase in DUI accidents until they get that experience.
      - goodcanadian 5y ago
        Yes, and my argument is that you can reduce the risks of that recklessness by teaching them about driving (or for that matter about alcohol) early, rather than treating them like children.

I had a professor from Germany that strongly recommended drinking when young, and driving when old. I think there is a lot of wisdom there.

by jfoutz 5y ago

I had a professor from Germany that strongly recommended drinking when young, and driving when old. I think there is a lot of wisdom there.

goodcanadian 5y ago

I learned to drive the ride on lawn mower when I was 6. I was small and light enough that the dead man switch sometimes shut off the mower when I went over a bump. I learned to drive the farm truck when I was about 12. I literally looked through the steering wheel rather than over it. At that age, it was still a big scary machine that I treated with respect. By the time I could legally drive on public roads, I was quite comfortable and confident with handling a vehicle. I already knew what I could get away with and what I couldn't. I think there is a lot to be said for learning to drive before you are a stupid teenager.

pas 5y ago
The problem comes when confident drivers meet their new best friend, alcohol.
- JackFr 5y ago
  What do you mean? Self-reported ability typically goes way up.
  - pas 5y ago
    Yes, exactly that. After a few beers everyone's gangsta and feel like they are going to beat the Fast & Furious franchise on the road home. Even drunk driving takes experience, and young people don't have it, no matter what they start with (driving or drinking).
- goodcanadian 5y ago
  There is a difference between confident because you actually know what you are doing and confident because you are a dumb teenager. I don't know, maybe I was unusually smart, but I never dared mixing alcohol with driving.
  - pas 5y ago
    Most people avoid accidents, so anecdotes are likely to skew toward "no effect". But the incidence of recklessness is still higher in young people, hence in countries where a lot of young people drive, there will be a bump in the DUI accident numbers for young people. My argument is that unless young people have experience with both, it's unlikely that there won't be an initial increase in DUI accidents until they get that experience.
    - goodcanadian 5y ago
      Yes, and my argument is that you can reduce the risks of that recklessness by teaching them about driving (or for that matter about alcohol) early, rather than treating them like children.