<p>^True. (Good use of categorical imperative, BTW…we learned that not too long ago in my Philosophy class. ^_^)</p>
<p>I normally don’t go more than 5 or 10 miles over, and as soon as I realize I’m over I try and slow down…especially since I’ve only been driving for a year and I don’t want my license suspended. </p>
<p>Not to mention I’m a paranoid driver in the first place. XD</p>
<p>The only rule that drove me crazy was the “you can’t drive others for a year”…I broke that all the time. I just didn’t get it.</p>
<p>I agree with you on that Vyse, completely! I know it is wrong, but I drank last summer responsibily in the middle of nowhere. No one was driving. No one was doing anything. We were watching a meteor shower and decided to have one drink. We were not driving. Yes, it is illegal and we would have been in a lot of trouble. Did it break my morals, absolutely not.</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s annoying. Happens to me all the time. YAY SOCAL DRIVERS.</p>
<p>I suppose the good thing is that I’ve become a really defensive driver. ^_^</p>
<p>Now, I drive to school very early in the morning (I have a 0 period), and if there’s no one else on the road I do go a little faster for fun (doesn’t happen often). But most of the time I stick to the limit.</p>
<p>Maybe Im just lucky, but my school has a carpool service that runs every Thursday through Saturday picking people up and driving them back home.</p>
<p>At least 1/2 of these kids are l7. But, being l8 doesn’t mean you can do what you want when you are still in high school, dependent on your parents, not living on your own, etc. At l8 you have different levels of maturity and experience - these kids have not had to make too many difficult decisions - they have led pretty easy lives, don’t have a lot of “life” experience. When I was l8 I was way ahead of them in street smarts. Also, I think, sadly, kids today have nowhere to go to hang out together. A condo away or an empty home just brings out the party atmosphere. I asked myself if I would feel comfortable leaving my house to 9 kids over a weekend while I was away and the answer was pretty clear to me - no - so what makes this different? The distance? I don’t think so.</p>
<p>I just want to get my son through high school without any incidents that he/we might regret. I think these kinds of gatherings or group trips are what you do after you graduate high school, after you leave your parents home, not before. I know that may sound irrational or old fashioned but that’s my gut feeling on this. </p>
Actually, not true. If they are 18 and living on their own, supporting themselves, then yes they can do what they want. If I’m supporting them, there is no such thing as “they’re paying”. Any money that they spend ends up being replaced by my money for other purposes. </p>
<p>And let’s please all remember that it wasn’t until the late 1960’s or early 1970’s that the age of majority was lowered from 21 to 18, and that was as a result of the Vietnam War. Most of us parents grew up with 18 as the drinking age and 21 as the age of adulthood! Now that’s been turned on its head.</p>
<p>And yes, if kids want to drink, they’ll drink. If they want to have sex, they’ll have sex. They’ll find a way. But do I have to make it easy for them? Do I have to condone it? Nope.</p>
[quote]
The only rule that drove me crazy was the “you can’t drive others for a year”…I broke that all the time. I just didn’t get it.
[quote]
If you looked at the statistics for new drivers, accidents and extra passengers you’d get it. I can’t remember the exact numbers, but it was something like each additional passenger doubled the accident rate. I was 22 when I got my license and the first near miss I had was when transporting a friend with a baby who started crying. I glanced back and then forward to see a telephone pole coming towards me. Thankfully I had time to swerve and miss it.</p>
<p>I hate the “I’m 18 I can do what I want” attitude. Well, that’s true - kids can do what they want at 18. But be aware that once you’re 18 your parents have no obligation to house you, feed you, or pay for your college education. They have no obligation to provide you with a car, or insurance, or anything else. If you want the joys of complete independence, you’d better be ready to take responsibility for yourself. All in all, listening to a parents’ advice and following their rules for a couple more years is a small price to pay. Kids, you’ll be adults soon enough and have the rest of your lives to do what you want when you want (until you have kids of your own… lol).</p>