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Teenage Drivers
- Thread starter Fuzznip
- Start date
Uh, thats the system now bud.
This isn't all directed at you but its the one that started my response.
The people that get caught being irrensponsible usually get punished. It's not a perfect system but it probably works the best out of any other.
Fun fact: The United States has 31 states that have a bigger landmass than the entire country of England (11 bigger than UK)
The point: You NEED a car in America to be "a productive member of society". We are to large to have an effective train/subway or bus system in all but the biggest of cities. No car decreases your chances of getting a job decreasing your chances of being able to pay for education.
My summer job that I've had for the past 3 years requires that I drive a truck almost the entire day. I was a good driver before but I'm now at a "driving maturity age" far higher than most people my age now.
Couple things I've learned.
1. Speeding does jack shit in city and suburban environments.
We were encouraged by our boss to relax at work and drive slow. After all we are paid by the hour and not by how many sites we got done. Why speed? Getting there faster would mean more work for the same amount of pay. Last 3 summers I have barely sped and you know what? The asshole that just zoomed around you is almost always sitting at the next light waiting. If you want to speed for whatever reason whether that is because its fun or because you are late for work, know that is your choice and you have to deal with the possible consequences.
Speeding on the highway and on county roads will get you there faster. This is significantly more dangerous mainly because of the high speeds you are dealing with which cut down on reaction time and turn small mistakes into big ones.
Also not speeding usually will help with gas mileage as well. "In general, smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic cars will get their best mileage at higher speeds. Bigger, heavier, less aerodynamic vehicles will get their best mileage at lower speeds."
40-60mph is the sweet spot for most vehicles.
2. The worst drivers IMO on the road are again from experience are generally:
Hot shot young guns- You know these types. The thing is a good number of them outgrow it after they reach a certain age in their 20's. Some don't and never do. By the time most their age gain this level of maturity, their insurance rates drop. Coincidence?
Old people- Again anyone that has driven knows this. Lower reactions speeds and failing vision mean they can't prevent accidents as well as they could before.
Women- I really can't think of any reason I can say that isn't sexist but I'll be damned if I don't see more crappy dumb ass women drivers then I do hot shots. I want to treat the sexes equal ground but in general I've found men are better safer road drivers than women, even the ones that can't control their testosterone and feel the need for speed.
The advice that people are horrible drivers until proven otherwise is also good. Makes you a bit paranoid though :D
Fuzznip, sorry for your loss and thanks for sharing. You might have saved a life
Odd that women are generally given cheaper car insurance then.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3676476.stm
Anecdotal I know - but so is yours - and my female friends that drive (though I generally only hang out with one in particular) have spotless records minus aforementioned friend having her car stolen twice. The males I've driven with, on the other hand..
I look forward to being a terrible driver.
Most professors are at State Universities, and thus an integral part of the unproductive government sector. They only thing they produce is a fraction of the marks needed in order for a given student to graduate, and upon graduation that degree may or may not go to productive endeavors. It will however financially constrain the graduate and limit their ability to engage in productive economic activity until such a time as debts are paid off.
It has nothing to do with a bias against "book-lurnin[sic]," merely a statement of fact. Although with what they teach in universities today (pick-a-flavor leftist victimology and discredited socioeconomic theories), I'd say its a net drag on the economy in that respect as well.
What use is there in productive society for a Keynesian Gender Studies graduate? I'll take the high-school educated Stop & Shop bagger, please. At least they have the potential to move up in an actual company that facilitates the purchase of actual goods and services at a profit (and thus perpetually into the forseeable future).
As a preface to this, I am 16 years old.
To be honest, I don't consider myself a "good" driver. My glaring inexperience behind the wheel translates to a lack of confidence in my knowledge of the rules of the road (which I know very well, but I second guess myself on occasion). I have never gotten any tickets or gotten in any car accidents.
In the time that I have been driving, the closest I have ever been to accidents have been due to reckless adult drivers. For example, I am extremely cautious when making left turns at lights on busy streets; on occasion, people get extremely pissed off by my patience. I had a guy one time pass me on the right in the turning lane and turn left at the intersection, almost getting T-Boned by a mother driving a van. Most people just honk at me, but I ignore them simply because I value my safety and the safety of people around me more than their happiness.
That said, I drive my car to my high school on occasion as the need presents itself, and there are some really stupid drivers at my high school. One student died last year in an alcohol and speed related accident, and nobody learned. One guy confided in me (I can't fathom why he told me) that he drove home from a party while tripping on shrooms.
The bottom line is that unsafe drivers are 1) distracted drivers, and 2) drivers in a hurry. Teenagers are invincible in their own minds, so they often distract themselves and sometimes consider themselves in a hurry, or just speed because they can. Professional adults are just as unsafe when they distract themselves with their cell phones while late for work. I don't think one "group" of drivers is worse than the other; they are both two sides of the same coin, but teenagers get the brunt of the bad reputation.
(I'm working at an unpaid internship, so don't call me an unproductive member of society :P)
To be honest, I don't consider myself a "good" driver. My glaring inexperience behind the wheel translates to a lack of confidence in my knowledge of the rules of the road (which I know very well, but I second guess myself on occasion). I have never gotten any tickets or gotten in any car accidents.
In the time that I have been driving, the closest I have ever been to accidents have been due to reckless adult drivers. For example, I am extremely cautious when making left turns at lights on busy streets; on occasion, people get extremely pissed off by my patience. I had a guy one time pass me on the right in the turning lane and turn left at the intersection, almost getting T-Boned by a mother driving a van. Most people just honk at me, but I ignore them simply because I value my safety and the safety of people around me more than their happiness.
That said, I drive my car to my high school on occasion as the need presents itself, and there are some really stupid drivers at my high school. One student died last year in an alcohol and speed related accident, and nobody learned. One guy confided in me (I can't fathom why he told me) that he drove home from a party while tripping on shrooms.
The bottom line is that unsafe drivers are 1) distracted drivers, and 2) drivers in a hurry. Teenagers are invincible in their own minds, so they often distract themselves and sometimes consider themselves in a hurry, or just speed because they can. Professional adults are just as unsafe when they distract themselves with their cell phones while late for work. I don't think one "group" of drivers is worse than the other; they are both two sides of the same coin, but teenagers get the brunt of the bad reputation.
(I'm working at an unpaid internship, so don't call me an unproductive member of society :P)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I54mlK0kVw
An interesting video from the Gwent polic that I feel is relevant of the situation.
An interesting video from the Gwent polic that I feel is relevant of the situation.
No I don't think that is odd. The aformentioned hot shot drivers are more likely to cause worse accidents again due to higher speeds. It's a shame that they ruin it for the rest of us.
I'm 22. I have a perfect driving record never being pulled over, no accidents. I have been driving since I got my permit when I was 15. I have taken defensive driving classes as part of my summer job. I currently drive a 96 Dodge Caravan. I have fairly good grades. My insurance is under my parents who have great driving records. All of these things and I STILL have to pay $53 dollars a year due to being an under 25 single male. LAME... I pay $736 annually which I have no idea how that compares but I believe that is pretty good
My when my mom and dad got married his car insurance rates dropped phenomenally. Again they have probably found that the hot shots have cooled down some if they can settle down enough to get married.
Eh I have more to say but I have class now.
Oh, come on; this is incredibly stupid. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to gain tenure? If you don't produce (i.e. publish), you don't get a job, especially in the humanities and social sciences where there can be literally hundreds of applications for a single position. Now, I know that your real quarrel here is with some nebulous 'leftist ivory tower elite indoctrination program', but still, try to be reasonable. Just because you don't like or consume their product (publications, lectures, etc.) doesn't mean others don't. (This leaves aside the more tangible benefits from scientific research.) If your sole criterion for productivity is necessity then we have little reason to rise above the level of subsistence agriculture. Turning universities into little more than vocational schools, which is what you are effectively advocating, is retrogressive to the extreme.
I don't know where you live. Some guy got off 3 times drinking and driving, and finally got put into jail when he injured someone DUI.
I live and works in saudi arabia and have never seen soo many terrible drivers in my life.
These guys do 180 kmh everywhere, drive on the wrong side of the road, run red lights and its scary being in a car over here. More people die on the roads then are born here.
They drive so reklessly because they believe Alah will protect them. Idiots. Almost every time i go anywhere i see at least one mashed up car with body bags on the ground. Its horrible.
Therefor i believe local arabs are worse then teens. lol
These guys do 180 kmh everywhere, drive on the wrong side of the road, run red lights and its scary being in a car over here. More people die on the roads then are born here.
They drive so reklessly because they believe Alah will protect them. Idiots. Almost every time i go anywhere i see at least one mashed up car with body bags on the ground. Its horrible.
Therefor i believe local arabs are worse then teens. lol
I don't know how it is in your countries, but here, car insurance is cheaper for drivers that are 25 or older, because statistics show that drivers in this age bracket have far less traffic accidents than those under 25.
Seems like maturity on the roads hits at 25?
Seems like maturity on the roads hits at 25?
I think you're just chivved that most professors aren't conservative. I won't mind if you say it; I might even commiserate, but this is really just a shitscreen.
Also, I don't understand how a society is to be productive if everyone bags groceries. There simply aren't enough grocery stores to engage everyone in this fashion. This type of economic theory would work almost as badly as long-term supply-side economics.
Leaving your lights on in the daytime (not your brights) reduces the chances of you being in an accident. They teach you that in drivers ed in WA. It allows other cars to see you more easily.
To be completely honest, while teenagers can me immature, I do not believe they are the major problem on the road. Adult drivers get drink and drive, too. We don't usually here about these stories because we figure adults should know better. We think of teens as immature, but young and innocent so they get the headlines. When teens get into wrecks while sober, this generally isn't because it's their fault, but because an "experienced" driver was careless and the teen didn'y know how to safely respond. At least, that's what I believe.