Teen driving ...

[ice4ice]

As an adult driver and in related to another topic about age - we'd love to hear from teen drivers this question :
How experienced do you REALLY think you are as a teen driver ? Do you drive fast and think you're indestructible behind the wheel ? Do you talk/text message while you're driving ? Etc ...

 

[skipperdz]

lol well im 26 and i text while driving....but hey i talk with blue tooth!

 

[fishygurl]

I dont think i am totally great. I do not text behind the wheel, although i do talk. (but i have to have an adult with me)
And OMG those instructors like WONT stop talking when you are trying to merge onto a busy highway they are like So how do you like school? or something. And they just keep talking and talking. Then they have you go and pick up another kid at their house and drive them back to your house. Its like putting another kid in danger... some people that are behind the wheel i do not trust them picking me up and driving me to their house. (this is in a behind the wheel lesson)
I do think there are some unneccesary stop signs like in this parking lot area next to some stores there are like 9 stop signs all like 100 feet away from each other its so stupid! y cant they just have a yeild to pedestrians sign...theres usually not even that many people there. Its just go stop go stop go stop go stop go stop go stop go stop go stop go stop.....NO USE!!!
I also think there should be more speed limit signs, since everytime i drive somewhere i dont know i have no idea what the speed limit is, since there isnt a sign till 5+ stoplights ahead, but what if you turn, then it could be another 5+ stoplights ahead etc etc. I have even pointed this out to my mom cuz she didnt believe me so while she was driving a couple places i counted out loud every stoplight in a row that didnt have speed limit signs, She thought it was pretty weird and said she just goes with what other cars are doing.
But what if there arnt any cars around then you could be going like 40 and it could really be 30 or 50 and you could get a ticket for going to slow/fast.
I dont drive fast...i usually try and stay at the speed limit but sometimes if i dont know the speed limit and follow cars i am sometimes going 10-15 mph over the speed limit which is when i slow down.(once i know the speed limit)
And everyone talks to you while you are behind the wheel. And i do not think i am indestructible behind the wheel.

 

[matt b]

I havent got my temps yet, but I think old people drivers are alot worse then teen driver with out a doubt!!

 

[nyyankeees]

I'm 28 and I agree that some elderly drivers are just as dangerous as teens. I also occassionally text while driving and it's not illegal to talk on your cell here, so I do that also. I'm not suggesting these actions are either safe or smart..... I'm just answering honestly.

 

[m0nk]

Wow, I can't believe people actually text while driving! That's the most dangerous/irresponsible thing I've ever heard.

 

[teen]

i dont talk or text while driving. i occasionally talk, but i never have long conversations and i put my phone on speaker phone and put it on my lap.
i do drive fast, but i know im not indestructible. im already on my second jeep, i rolled my first one and im only 19yrs old.
the worst drivers IMO are soccer moms with minivans, old people who cant see over their steering wheels, and any girl driver at my campus.
but honestly, what kind of questions are these? i know plenty of adult drivers who have totaled numerous cars and just cant drive. these questions apply to adults just as much as teens and i guarantee the answers of both would be similar.

 

[darknes]

I agree with teen that there are just as many adult drivers that are terrible at driving. I don't know how many times I get stuck behind some middle-aged women driving inbetween both lanes of the highway while chatting away on their cellphone, oblivious to what they're doing!

 

[zeke92]

i think adults are more dangerous drivers then kids in some ways. most teens are very nervous driving.
adults will drive with one hand, they will be drunk, they can be doing drugs, they can be doing way more things then kids have access to in most cases.
i'll be gettin my learners permit before long

 

[ophiura]

All I can say is that invariably the people I see around the neighborhood who are blowing the stop signs, screeching the wheels, and are generally obnoxious are some teens who have cars far in excess of what they should have. Sorry, it is an observation.
They should have the equivalent of a Pinto or similar, mostly rust, and the sheer inability to exceed about 40 miles an hour

So in short, there are, IMO some parents to blame for getting their kiddos a bit more ego than they can handle.

 

[zeke92]

yeah, I'm not saying there isn't idiots out there screeching wheels and flying through neighborhoods being inconsiderate to the squirrels they almost hit.
but overall, adults have access to alot more drugs and alcohol problems while driving then kids could. kids drive nuts because of ego and showing off. but adults got tons of reasons, stupidity, drugs, alcohol, and more drugs (in my area, lol), and more.

 

[kjr_trig]

I think anyone caught texting while driving should have their license taken away for a year!! So irresponsible.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
I think anyone caught texting while driving should have their license taken away for a year!! So irresponsible.

Absolutely.
I live on a narrow 25 mph street and my house is right off the curb; no yard as a buffer. Now, I knew this when I bought the place, but I didn't realize that the kids in my town would go 40+ down the street, blasting their music, etc. It does make me nervous when I think about it, but it could be worse, and I have a gate so my son and I only go in the backyard and use the back entrance and exit (the garage is behind the house, too). But you can certainly tell it's kids doing the driving.

 

[dogstar]

Originally Posted by ophiura
They should have the equivalent of a Pinto or similar,
Pintos

That brings back memories....wasn't exactly a muscle car.

But on subject.....one has to first, have a mindset and a desire to be a safe driver, no matter what their age.
Now achieveing it, different story....Time and experience behide the wheel can only help though.
Now granted, most young people have the mindset that they are good, and know what there doing already. That has not changed since forever. Just have to hope they survire through that. As the saying holds true. Live and learn. Unfortuanatly, some never learn or live long enough to learn.
So Teens, Drive safely out there..

 

[tangman99]

I think back to when I was a teen and I wonder how I survived. I've always owned sportcars since I was 16 and I do drive fast. I still drive fast but I am much more careful when and where I do and I have a lot of experience now.
I know I can't go out in my Corvette without some teen in a ricer wanting to race. Now there are some fast ricers out there but not the ones they drive with a crappy looking front clip and a grapefruit launcher for an exhaust pipe.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by TangMan99
I think back to when I was a teen and I wonder how I survived. I've always owned sportcars since I was 16 and I do drive fast. I still drive fast but I am much more careful when and where I do and I have a lot of experience now.
I know I can't go out in my Corvette without some teen in a ricer wanting to race. Now there are some fast ricers out there but not the ones they drive with a crappy looking front clip and a grapefruit launcher for an exhaust pipe.

 

[dlauber]

Originally Posted by Ice4Ice
As an adult driver and in related to another topic about age - we'd love to hear from teen drivers this question :
How experienced do you REALLY think you are as a teen driver ? Do you drive fast and think you're indestructible behind the wheel ? Do you talk/text message while you're driving ? Etc ...
I just got my permit in July (07) so I drive everywhere whenever my mom goes somewhere.
I think Im a pretty goo driver but theres alot of things that I could improve on. I get nervous sometimes when I am at a 4way stop with no traffic signals, because I always forget who gets to go first. And I have trouble remembering where to turn when I am going places, like I might miss the first walmart parking lot then have to pull into the second one, its just hard to remember when theres alot of other things going on.
Generally I try to do the speed limit, where I live the cops pull people over for doing 3 over everyday. Its impossible to go somewhere without seeing someone on the side of the road.
But when I am with my mom she always makes me do AT LEAST 5 over, lol ( thats when im in a Ford Focus). Then when my dad comes up from VA (hes in the navy) and I drive with him, he yells at me for going over (but he drives a Ford F-250 truck).
Of course I like to speed through the backroads tho, I love hitting 70 going through an angled turn.

But overall I think Im a really good driver, I never stop paying attention to whats going on and I usually have my passenger adjust the radio, because I know I only have one life and dont wanna

[hr]
it up over something stupid, like wanting to listen a certain song.
I definatly agree though that adults can be just as dangerous drivers. Adults forget that just because they are experienced doesnt mean that everyone around them is. So they drive with their knees, talk on phones.
Adults have more experience, but It just doesnt seem like they put it to use even though they have it.

 

[zeke92]

yeah, there are some teenagers that give the rest of us bad names by blaring music and going twice the speed limit in convertibles.
but either age can be bad or good. but adults have more problems when it comes to driving, but then again, teenagers have ego

 

[dlauber]

Originally Posted by zeke92
yeah, there are some teenagers that give the rest of us bad names by blaring music and going twice the speed limit in convertibles.
but either age can be bad or good. but adults have more problems when it comes to driving, but then again, teenagers have ego

I dont think adults usually have just as much problems,but I agree they can have some of the same problems, and adults DO have egos too.
I think that adults will do something stupid like text and drive, and narrowly avoid an accident. Then they will blame not getting into an accident on experience. Their egos wont let them admit that they couldve not been narrowly in an accident in the first place.
They will get it going in their head that they are sooo experienced that they are the ones that are indesctructable, then when the do the same thing but really DO get into an accident, they wonder why it happened.

 

[jmick]

Just take a look at insurance rates for different ages groups and it will tell you everything you need to know. If I am not mistaken young men 16-early 20's have the highest rates because they are involved in the most accidents.