10 Things You Oughta Know About...
DRIVING
- Driving is a privilege, NOT a right!
- In response to very high rates of auto related accidents and death in teens many governments have introduced graduated licensing programs - despite the fact that teens hate these programs statistics show that they DO save lives (teens and others).
- In general the driving age in North America is 16, but it can be as low as 14 (in rural areas, and usually for farm equipment only) or as old as 19.
- Most states and provinces require parental consent in order for you to get a driver's licence before 18 and your parents are under NO legal obligation to sign a consent form - just because you are 16 doesn't mean you can drive.
- Driver training is a good idea - people who get formal training are less likely to get in accidents or succumb to road rage.
- Speeding is the number 1 cause of accidents in people under 21, alcohol or drug use is the second.
- Contrary to popular myths that label women and minorities as "bad drivers", the most dangerous "group" of drivers, statistically speaking, are males between 16 and 25.
- Automobile accidents are the number 1 cause of death in teens - and it is suspected that automobiles are a suicide weapon of choice for youth, although this is hard to prove.
- It is illegal to drive while impaired - be it from alcohol, drugs (legal and illegal), emotional stress or other causes.
- For teens, the number of passengers in a car directly effect the likelihood of an accident - the more passengers, the more likely there will be an accident.
