NORTH DAKOTA: License to drive…maybe?
December 28, 2011 at 4:44 pm in Grand Forks Herald
No talking on phones for teens; other restrictions take effect SundayNorth Dakota teenagers are about to see some major changes when it comes to getting a driver’s license.
Starting Sunday, teens will need to wait longer before they are allowed to apply for a license, and they will also need to have driving experience in certain conditions to get a license. Continue Reading
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I think it is more geared towards the factor we call “maturity”, not skill. Maturity comes with age. Skill will develop with the same amount of practice and experience, whether they be 14 when they get their permit or 18.
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BEJ
My grandma is mature but her driving skills suck. Sorry Granny!
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BEJ, my guess is that while you granny may be a hazard on the road, she makes wise choices as to when to drive. She likely avoids diving at night, when road conditions are bad, or during rush hours. In short, she has the maturity to recognize her limitations. That is something the kids don’t.
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My response was meant for How I Cit, not BEJ.
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That would be unless there is a need to drive in the dark in bad conditions, like if there was a need to go to the casino.
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Schurkey, please explain how these new laws will prevent someone from gaining skills. They will still be allowed to drive. The only difference is that when they are driving, they will have a more mature, experienced driver riding with them. These changes are long overdue.
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Schurkey may have a point. Not long ago, there was an article in the news (I apologize for not remembering the exact details) that discussed statistics in a state where the legal driving age was higher. In a nutshell, what they found is that they didn’t reduce fatalities or accidents, they just shifted the incidents to the new age group of drivers. So it seems that whether you start driving at 14 or 16, the accidents tend to be less related to age, and more related to inexperience.
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A 14 year old shouldn’t have, nor even need, driving skills. I with they would increase the minimum age for a permit.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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My 14 year old hauls grain to town with a tandem truck and has to haul his siblings to school since the bus ride can be up to 2 hours for a 15 mile drive. They have after school activities also. If he can pull a 60 foot implement around a field without wrecking anything I think he can handle a 4 wheel vehicle. Besides, my rules are more stringent than any laws we have.
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I’m sorry but there is no way a 14 year old needs a DL. Where do they have to go…the McDonalds Playland?
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This is not a large urban state. Many teens live miles from school,work or work on the farm.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Even in the ‘Big City’ kids live miles from school and they take this big vehicle called a school bus. You do pay school tax so your kids should have access to one. If not, mom or dad needs to get out of bed and do their parental duties. As for work…a 14 year old needs a job why? Their ‘job’ at that age is school…nothing else. And kids work on a farm from 6AM to 6PM? Aren’t they supposed to be in school on a week day? If dad needs help on his farm, he should probably hire an adult who has bills to pay not a kid. The world has changed for the better in the past 50 years, and so should North Dakota.
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You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, but perhaps your circumstances are different than others. I grew up on a farm. I was driving gravel roads by the age of 9, helping to move a vehicle to another field for my dad or brother, usually, while following another driver. Not every 14 year old needs to drive, I agree, but in some cases, its very helpful.
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Whoo, I , like you, was driving when I was 8 or 9. By the time I got a driver’s license at 14, I had a lot of experience, though little good sense. There was no vehicle my parents had that I did not race or know what the top speed was. I rode with friends around curves designed for 55 mph while driving 110. I still cannot figure out why I am still alive. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have a cell phone yet.
Also, the new laws do not prevent the kids from driving to and from work, school, or church. They just shouldn’t be cruising around with a bunch of friends endangering their own lives and those of others.
(I will add that not all my friends survived to applaud these changes in driving regulations.)
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Finally North Dakota is on board with what California started. GDL (graduated drivers license)! This bill is a start for a safer tomorrow for our teens and others on our roads. Stats explain alot about this issue. As parents we help our kids learn so much to help them become successful adults. Handing them the keys to a vehicle is a big decision and no parent should take lightly. Limiting passengers for our new teen drivers is a must to help make this law more effective!
My nephew was killed in the state of California when allowed to ride with an inexperienced teen driver (for the first time) that made a bad decision. They were on their way to attend a gathering for their church.
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Doesn’t North Dakota have ‘farm permits’ for 14 year old farm kids like some other states?
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So restrictions for the youngsters, now how about restricting some of those old buzzards on the roadways? Look out Granny your time is coming.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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How I Cit, please see my response above. The elderly already restrict their driving. Most avoid roads with ice and snow, driving after dark, driving during rush hours, and they make frequent stops, likely at every rest area.
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I DO like the idea of “no cellphones” for youngsters. (everyone else, for that matter)
Firstyear drivers have enough going on w/o that kind of distraction.
Shoot, I remember my first year and coming ‘that close’ to hitting a parked car because I was trying to light that cigarette.
Yeah, I was underage, but you know how bad 16 year olds want to look cool….
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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My eighty-four year old father-in-law drove through a red traffic light on South Washington Street in Grand Forks on a sky blue summer day. He broad sided someone who had a green light. He got his license renewed a few months later without any problem. It was like the accident never happened. Some elderly don’t have the sense to know when to hang the keys up.
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My brother-in-law was t-boned on a rural highway by a 78 yo man who didn’t even touch his breaks for the stop sign.. Everyone survived, my brother-in-law broke many.. many.. bones.. was in recovery and rehab for a long time.
This guy still has his license, and his excuse was ‘there is never traffic on that road.. why stop?’ The conditions were the same as yours, blue sky, great summer day.. Oh and the guy was half blind. As far as I know he is still driving.
I don’t wish this gentleman ill will. But I do think people need to be evaluated more often as they get older. I’ll be the first to sign up for it if it would ever pass.
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Glenn, I have bad news and good news for you. Bad news is there are plenty of elderly citizens who don’t know when to hang up the keys. Unfortunately the amount of drivers age 70+ is expected to increase dramatically, some studies suggest that amount to triple over the over the next decade. With being said, we can expect an increase in auto accidents on our nation’s roadways due to elderly drivers. Those teenage drivers who had restricted privileges will eventually become voters, state reps, congress, etc. Restricted driving for elders is coming….hear me now believe me later.
The good news for you Glenn is there is now Pajama Jeans for men!
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I am no expert in statistics…never went beyond the Introductory class in college…however, it would seem to me that as the number of elderly increase, the number of accidents would too. The only valid statistic is the ratio of accidents to drivers in any particular age group.
As for those teenage drivers becoming the legislators–I think statistics show that they don’t get elected without getting votes and guess what age group has the highest proportion of voters.
For the record, I would favor restricted drivers’ licenses for the elderly whose capacities have diminished sufficiently to make them dangerous.
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I agree Glenn . However, the leaders in this country cater to the corporations or a group who throw the most money at them that is not the average voter. A recent poll suggested 77% of Americans favor Medical Marijuana, meanwhile Eric Holder and his gang members are raiding Medical MJ facilities daily. So you see they don’t really care about the voters or majority anymore. Have a great New Year!
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I like the idea that they’re going to require more hands on aplication time before allowing to test….I just hope they’ve started to teach students how to share the road with trucks….It’s amasing how few don’t understand the basic principles of physics when it comes to driving around trucks (Not just teens either) Like how that big truck with a heavy load going slow on a up hill because gravity holds it back, will suddenly have that heavy load pushed by gravity once over the hill….In other words DON’T PASS A TRUCK THAT’S STARTING ON THE DOWN SIDE OF A HILL AND SLOW DOWN A FEW FEET IN FRON OF IT…….Sounds pretty obvious right? You’d be surprised how many times this happens….Thankfully we don’t have many big hills (Well none in the valley) around here, but there are smaller ones outside the valley…..
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A point not yet mentioned: Parents also have a responsibility to decide when their kids are mature enough to drive, not just rely on the State age limit. My older son started driving at 15 and has done a great job at it, I am not sure my 13 year old son will be ready to drive for many years yet. the 13 year old certainly wouldn’t be ready to drive next year. Of course I still worry about my older son driving, driving is one of the few things we all do on a daily basis that has a real risk of causing serious injury or death.
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My 15yr earned a ND permit this week. I signed as a sponsor, if I understood correctly. I have the power to revoke her driving privileges until the age of 18, at any time if I feel necessary.
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About the older people. My 93 year old mom lives in Minnesota, after having a heart attack she now has a limited license that only allows her to drive in town, during the daylight. She can get her grocery shopping done, but can’t travel anywhere. Of course a little piece of plastic really wouldn’t stop someone from driving when they shouldn’t.
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I completely agree about the old folks.
Had an uncle and aunt who just had to drive, even after he was almost completly blind. She’d tell him if he was on the wrong side of the road, (when she noticed). After his license was pulled, she insisted he could drive on HERS.
Finally the kids stepped in and put one of those Club things on both vehicles. So, the aunt called the cops, and you guessed it….the cops had to cut the Clubs off the steering wheels since she still had a valid license!
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Keep in mind that when people older than 80 got their licenses all they had to do was be alive. They did not take drivers ed, have permits first, or have to pass a written and driving test. The “boomers”, like I, while having fewer requirements than the current, did take drivers ed, have permits first, and passed both written and driving tests…and those of us who drive school buses have done it more often than most.
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There’s been talk about driving test requirements for people over a certain age each time their license comes due (I believe hearing and vision screening included). I know MN was looking at it and a few other states, but I don’t know if anyone passed it yet. It’s tough to give up driving, but sometimes they’ll only do it if forced by law….I too have had relatives who should have turned in the keys earlier than they did….Small town driving might work, but eventually they hit highways and sometimes bigger towns like Forks and then it’s like an unfunny version of Mr. Magoo….
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Lately I’ve been amazed at how many teen or people in their early 20′s have been killed because they weren’t wearing seat belts. I don’t know if other states clamp down more with huge fines, but something isn’t working here because there’s been too many people getting killed when they probably would have been just bruised up a little with a seat belt on. Maybe a fine first time and suspension for a week the second and such, but seat belts really need to become second nature here like in most parts of the country…
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Tell ya what, tundra.
Drive in or around Alexandria, MN for a week, and if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll never forget to put that belt on again!
After the first year, I even reached for a belt on my lawnmower.
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So if you live in a mobile home I suppose you strap yourself in the bed too huh?
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Only during severe weather.
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