# Do you trust teenage drivers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626 "2013-10-07T22:04:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TashaKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TashaKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TashaKitty)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/1 "2013-10-07T22:04:58Z")
I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/2 "2013-10-07T22:10:14Z")
Context, here. When I’m out on my bike, I don’t trust _any_ of the drivers on the roads, because any one of them can flatten me if they’re not paying attention, and I have no way of knowing in advance which ones aren’t paying attention. I would, however, trust certain specific teenagers whom I know to be driving. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/3 "2013-10-07T22:53:52Z")
Going by what I remember of myself and my friends at that age, absolutely not. We _should not_ have been allowed to drive. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/4 "2013-10-07T22:59:53Z")
Going by how hard it’s been to teach my 18 year old to drive, I don’t. She hasn’t even grasped how to use the turn signal yet. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/5 "2013-10-07T23:00:32Z")
I don’t want them on my lawn either ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/6 "2013-10-07T23:48:15Z")
I don’t trust any drivers, regardless of age. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/7 "2013-10-08T00:13:20Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/8 "2013-10-08T00:47:54Z")
We live a mile or so from my kid’s high school. I’ve been watching kids leave school or drive in the neighborhood for years. They are remarkably selfish and dangerous. And waaay too fast. So, no. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/9 "2013-10-08T00:51:05Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > Going by how hard it’s been to teach my 18 year old to drive, I don’t. She hasn’t even grasped how to use the turn signal yet. I’m at the front end of teaching my 16 year old son. So far I’ve been astonished at how cautious he is. I would not vote against raising the age, however. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/10 "2013-10-08T00:52:26Z")
No, but pretty much all drivers suck. I can’t count the number of people I’ve seen texting while driving, talking on the phone while driving, eating food that requires two hands while driving, putting on makeup, etc. in the last 8 weeks. People ignore yield signs, speed even though the roads are wet, and just in general drive like death doesn’t apply to them. Teens are just a specific subset of sucky drivers. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/11 "2013-10-08T00:58:03Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > I don’t trust any drivers, regardless of age. That’s my answer, too. You never know what _anyone_ is going to do out there, whether they’re a teenager, a 30 year-old, or somebody’s grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/12 "2013-10-08T01:14:57Z")
I trust them to be teenagers - self-centered, more interested in “winning” than avoiding trouble. Never trust one to stop just because there is a big, red sign reading STOP. It’s just basic defensive driving, but turned up to 11. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/13 "2013-10-08T01:23:30Z")
I got my driver’s license when I was 14. When I look at 14 year olds today I am horrified (retroactively) at the very thought of it. Not all teenagers are wild, stupid drivers, but one thing they do all have in common is a lack of experience. Combine that with teen boy testosterone and you’ve got a disaster in the making. Interestingly – and this has been discussed on the board – more and more young people place a low priority on getting their license and access to a vehicle. My son (now 20) and his friends all had a decidedly meh attitude about it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/14 "2013-10-08T01:24:22Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > Going by how hard it’s been to teach my 18 year old to drive, I don’t. She hasn’t even grasped how to use the turn signal yet. I will butt in here and advise that you get good professionals to teach your 18 year old to drive - it’s an investment that will pay off countless times in a lifetime of driving, to be a good, defensive driver. I don’t trust teenage drivers; I don’t trust _any_ drivers. I blame a system that doesn’t require people to have excellent training before they hand them a license and say, “Go pilot that ton of metal at high speeds and do whatever you please with it! Try not to kill anyone, or whatever; we really don’t care.” ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/15 "2013-10-08T05:15:46Z")
No on trusting any driver. 50% of the time I don’t even trust myself. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/16 "2013-10-08T06:05:15Z")
My 16 year old has a learner’s permit and we’ve been working on teaching him to drive for 4 months now. He is generally thoughtful and cautious, but makes mistakes due to inexperience. But there is no way to get experience without actually driving for a while. If he didn’t start driving until he was 20, he’d still be inexperienced before driving for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/17 "2013-10-08T06:57:01Z")
I don’t trust teenagers to spell correctly, let alone drive. Raise drinking age to 30 and driving age to 25. Fuck them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/18 "2013-10-08T15:14:43Z")
I actually have never noticed a teenage driver being a problem. I’d say 99% of the time when I see someone driving recklessly it is an adult with a phone to their ear. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/19 "2013-10-08T15:42:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I actually have never noticed a teenage driver being a problem. I’d say 99% of the time when I see someone driving recklessly it is an adult with a phone to their ear. Or a senior citizen who should have handed over the keys a decade ago. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626/20 "2013-10-08T15:49:10Z")
Having been a teenage driver myself, I can definitively say: HELL, NO! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-teenage-drivers/670626.md?page=2)