http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/457677
The government are considering new restrictions to be placed on young drivers as there has been a rising concern in the number of young driver’s accidents occurring. The government are reconsidering the Ontario’s graduated licensing system as it may be deemed as not so effective. Recently, there was a car accident in Muskoka that killed three people, all of which were either twenty years of age or younger.
Some say that the Ontario’s graduated licensing system is one of Canada’s most powerful in being effective and restrictive as after it was implemented in 1994, the rate of young driver’s accidents dropped tremendously. This is agreed by both Mothers against Drunk Driving and the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Others disagree and feel that more restrictions and regulations need to be in place. There has been buzz about taking the new restrictions to a higher level such as the blood alcohol limit should be zero for all drivers under the age of 21, cell phones are to be turned off and out of reach as well as the amount of passengers a G2 licensed driver may carry.
Transportation minister, Jim Bradley, says that Ontario is second next to Northwest Territories for being the safest North American jurisdiction. However, the government will continue to strive to reduce the amount of young driver’s collisions even more so.
I think that adding any more restrictions on young drivers is not necessary. I mean, I feel like we already have a lot. G2 drivers already have a restriction on the number of passengers they can carry from 12am to 5am. It seems like the true rising concern is in the number of alcohol related accidents as oppose to young drivers accidents. There seems to be enough problems with enforcing the current laws and regulations already, without the proper funding, adding more restrictions won’t change anything drastically.
Let me know what you all think? Do you think young drivers need any more restrictions then the ones they already have?
-VL
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3 comments:
This is a very intersting issue. I do believe that individuals living in Ontario do have to go through A LOT when it comes to driving. It is very tedious and time consuming...I mean, why can't we just have one test and get it all over with, right? Citizens looking at it from an outsiders view see it as being very annoying, but when it comes to safety, having this 'multi-layered' system is very beneficial. It ensures that we know how to drive.
I do not think that we have to change our graduated licensing system...I think the issue is the drive test examiners.
I'll use myself as an example. I HATE driving and don't care to drive at all. I figured that I may as well get my license JUST IN CASE...I went for my G1, failed it once, went back to write it and passed. I was registered with Young Drivers, and had a lesson right before my exam, and my instructor took me on the route that I was going to be taken on for my test. He gave me all the tips and let me in on things that I should be paying attention to. Yes, it was absolutely great that I had such a nice instructor, to go through a trial test with me. I did pass my G2, however, just because I passed doesn't mean that I know how to drive well. I just knew how to do the ROUTE well. For my G test, I failed once, took a lesson afterwards, learned the route that the examiners would take me on, went AGAIN for my test, and passed. I passed because I practiced the route numerous times with my dad so it was engrained in my memory. Thankfully, my examiner was super nice and said "you don't look like you know how to parallel park, so I'm not gonna ask you to." Again, this was GREAT for me, but how is this effective testing? It's NOT!
Examiners need to be more harsh on young drivers. You pass once you get 70%, but maybe they should increase this to 90%...70% is not hard to get at all (except when you do horrible things like cut someone off on the highway...then that is an automatic fail).
The graduated licensing system itself is a proper procedure, and there shouldn't be anything more added to it. The testing should be harder and examiners should be more stern and law-abiding, (doing all parts of the test).
In the end, it really comes down to common sense. Young people tend to not have it when their driving. I'm pretty sure that the case in Muskoka was due to speeding and that is something that cannot be rectified by the licensing system.
This is a very good issue for a debate. I do not believe that imposing more boundaries on young drivers will limit the accidents that are happening on the roads. I agree with you and think that a lot of the blame for these accidents are because of people who are irresponsible and drink and drive.
Imposing these boundaries on those young drivers that do not do this is unfair.
The post above states that the blame can be with the driving examiners. I agree and disagree with this point as well. Some driving instructors are too hard and some are too easy. It would be better if it was somewhere in the middle. Examiners should make various routes of the test not just one in particular. Because it's true when someone drives the same route countless times they just memorize the route and know that they can drive that particular route very well.
A lot of young drivers do speed when they first get their license mostly because it's to show off and because they have more freedom.
I think that its the parent's responsibility to not give their son or daughter the car immediately after they get their G2. And also limit their time with the car, until their son or daughter feels that they are responsible enough to act appropriately with the car.
I am shocked that the graduated licence is getting such questions fired at it. The system we have in place is one of the best in the world. In other countries all you have to do is mail away for your licence and 4-6 weeks later receive it in the mail with no written or road tests required. Now that’s dumb. About the kids crashing in Muskoka, alcohol was a key factor in that and we will never fully be able to cut that out of real life – except if the Canadian government forces all vehicles to have blowing devices in them. I do not see a problem with that and the amount of alcohol related car accidents will diminish to absolutely nothing. For using cell phones while driving, I don’t think that calling is the problem. I think that text messaging and looking down every second to get the right letter is the problem and I actually know a few of my friends that have been in accidents from texting. I don’t think that cell phones should be prohibited while driving and honestly what cop would actually pull you over for talking on a cell phone? To serve and protect, not slow down and hassle (although a lot of times it is). Anyways our system of licensing is one of the best in the world and I wouldn’t change it a bit.
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