3 ms·

It's funny that you bring up licensing being hard to get; sometimes I wonder if we're not actually (still) too lenient in who we give drivers licenses to. Maybe

by rpcope1 12y ago

It's funny that you bring up licensing being hard to get; sometimes I wonder if we're not actually (still) too lenient in who we give drivers licenses to. Maybe it's just that I'm past the point where my pre-frontal cortex is fully developed, but I can't imagine that continuing to tighten the training and requirements needed to get a license is a bad thing (and this is coming from someone who really enjoys his cars).

CalRobert 12y ago
I tend to agree. It was interesting comparing the experience of getting a license in California in 2001: very few restrictions if you were 18, which I was, a laughably easy practical test with no training required, no waiting period after getting a permit - you could take the test the same day if there was a slot available; to getting one in Ireland in 2014 (12 hours of instruction required regardless of your age, must have had a permit (or foreign license) for at least 6 months, and a test with a 40% pass rate where you have to bring a standard transmission vehicle if you want to drive stick legally). Even after 13 years of driving, those 12 hours of training were actually pretty helpful. Not just for cleaning up bad habits, but for techniques I'd never properly learned in CA, like stick shift starts up steep hills with a stiff clutch. My city driving has improved as well.
epc 12y ago
I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing (that I survived my teen driving years is entirely out of luck) but when we've built up a culture (suburbia) entirely dependent on being able to drive from point to point, we can't be surprised that making it more difficult to drive turns teens and 20 somethings off from staying in that culture. If you can't drive or your driving is restricted as a matter of law, would you rather be stuck in suburbia or in a more urban area where mass–transit or cycling is possible?

by rpcope1 12y ago

CalRobert 12y ago

I tend to agree. It was interesting comparing the experience of getting a license in California in 2001: very few restrictions if you were 18, which I was, a laughably easy practical test with no training required, no waiting period after getting a permit - you could take the test the same day if there was a slot available; to getting one in Ireland in 2014 (12 hours of instruction required regardless of your age, must have had a permit (or foreign license) for at least 6 months, and a test with a 40% pass rate where you have to bring a standard transmission vehicle if you want to drive stick legally). Even after 13 years of driving, those 12 hours of training were actually pretty helpful. Not just for cleaning up bad habits, but for techniques I'd never properly learned in CA, like stick shift starts up steep hills with a stiff clutch. My city driving has improved as well.

epc 12y ago

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing (that I survived my teen driving years is entirely out of luck) but when we've built up a culture (suburbia) entirely dependent on being able to drive from point to point, we can't be surprised that making it more difficult to drive turns teens and 20 somethings off from staying in that culture. If you can't drive or your driving is restricted as a matter of law, would you rather be stuck in suburbia or in a more urban area where mass–transit or cycling is possible?