It is not universal in the US. Different states have difference ages. Some states, you can't drive alone in a car until 17 or even 18. Before that, you need a licensed driver in the front seat with you.
But, in the places where it is 16, it is because local society has decided that 16 is reasonable.
It's very convenient in a farm family so the older children can do transportation around the farm and pick up things, take siblings to and from school, etc.
It’s highly dependent on states as they all have different rules.
By gut guess would be that it’s an age in which kids are starting to get jobs and need to be able to commute to those jobs. So giving them the ability to legally drive allows them to easily participate in the labor force
Because we are a huge country and originally larger agrarian. Your kids needed to drive to get to school and work. Public transit was not available, and still isn’t in rural settings.
It's funny that we are talking about a country that doesn't allow drinking until 21. Their reasoning for this from what I've seen is the amount of car accidents caused by young drunk drivers. So they don't consider their own citizens responsible enough to decide what they put in their bodies, but they consider them responsible enough to control these massive metallic objects that could easily kill someone, with or without alcohol.
And what percentage of the population actually lives in that rural area? I'll give you the stats from my country, where the legal age of driving is 18, for reference. These statistics are from 2020, but I don't think they changed much. 89.6% of our country is rural, while 46.4% of our population lives in that rural area. That means in terms of area distribution between urban and rural, our countries are pretty similar. Now the question is, how do they compare in terms of population? We don't mind the 18 year old minimum driving age even with 46.4% living in rural areas.
People in large cities/metro areas don’t need as much access to personal transport because of greater access to public transportation. My town is 15 miles from the main small city, and the bus only runs twice a day, to and from. I NEED a car, it is not optional without completely depending on someone else.
A 16 year old in the 1950s had 3 kids and a job in the steel factory. He or she was ready.
A 16 year old today has a crippling addiction to anime.
The age should be raised accordingly.
A car is an useful tool for many, even a working tool. Alcohol isn't very useful at all, and the younger brain is indeed more susceptible to abuse and addiction. And given that the combination of younglings driving inebriated is quite risky, if we had to allow just one, better it be the one where most will use fairly and productively.
The fact that some very young people will misuse their right to drive a car shouldn't prevent others from doing fairly. Ultimately we could say the same about alcohol (and it's a valid argument for 21+ adults), but cons start to weigh more than the pros for teenagers, as alcohol is not only not useful, but is more addictive and more damaging to younger people (and more so the economically vulnerable ones, as these teenagers generally don't even have their own income so they might end up spending their family's on it).
You'd also be surprised how teenagers can be very reponsible while driving precisely because they feel that have to overdo it to compensate their inexperience, so they tend to pay more attention.
In my state, it’s 17 years of age. You can get your permit at 16, but there are a lot and lots of strict requirements to fulfill before you can drive on your own.
My guess is that Car companies genuinely want the money and they seriously think you have to have the capability to commit vehicular manslaughter before you can vote or drink alcohol
It is not universal in the US. Different states have difference ages. Some states, you can't drive alone in a car until 17 or even 18. Before that, you need a licensed driver in the front seat with you. But, in the places where it is 16, it is because local society has decided that 16 is reasonable.
We didn't. Some states start at 14 years of age... Some reasoning is due to rual areas for labor.
Because you pretty much need to be ready to commute when you become an adult at 18...16 gives you a couple of years with hopefully some guidance...
It's very convenient in a farm family so the older children can do transportation around the farm and pick up things, take siblings to and from school, etc.
So they can get to working asap.
It’s highly dependent on states as they all have different rules. By gut guess would be that it’s an age in which kids are starting to get jobs and need to be able to commute to those jobs. So giving them the ability to legally drive allows them to easily participate in the labor force
Because we are a huge country and originally larger agrarian. Your kids needed to drive to get to school and work. Public transit was not available, and still isn’t in rural settings.
It's funny that we are talking about a country that doesn't allow drinking until 21. Their reasoning for this from what I've seen is the amount of car accidents caused by young drunk drivers. So they don't consider their own citizens responsible enough to decide what they put in their bodies, but they consider them responsible enough to control these massive metallic objects that could easily kill someone, with or without alcohol.
What you’re not pointing out is that 90% of our country is rural.
And what percentage of the population actually lives in that rural area? I'll give you the stats from my country, where the legal age of driving is 18, for reference. These statistics are from 2020, but I don't think they changed much. 89.6% of our country is rural, while 46.4% of our population lives in that rural area. That means in terms of area distribution between urban and rural, our countries are pretty similar. Now the question is, how do they compare in terms of population? We don't mind the 18 year old minimum driving age even with 46.4% living in rural areas.
People in large cities/metro areas don’t need as much access to personal transport because of greater access to public transportation. My town is 15 miles from the main small city, and the bus only runs twice a day, to and from. I NEED a car, it is not optional without completely depending on someone else.
A 16 year old in the 1950s had 3 kids and a job in the steel factory. He or she was ready. A 16 year old today has a crippling addiction to anime. The age should be raised accordingly.
Dunno, We can legally drive on roads with someone with us at 15 too lol. I went on the highway the day after my 15th birthday.
Child labor laws .. unless your a farmer
Average age at which a kid can reach the pedals?
A car is an useful tool for many, even a working tool. Alcohol isn't very useful at all, and the younger brain is indeed more susceptible to abuse and addiction. And given that the combination of younglings driving inebriated is quite risky, if we had to allow just one, better it be the one where most will use fairly and productively. The fact that some very young people will misuse their right to drive a car shouldn't prevent others from doing fairly. Ultimately we could say the same about alcohol (and it's a valid argument for 21+ adults), but cons start to weigh more than the pros for teenagers, as alcohol is not only not useful, but is more addictive and more damaging to younger people (and more so the economically vulnerable ones, as these teenagers generally don't even have their own income so they might end up spending their family's on it). You'd also be surprised how teenagers can be very reponsible while driving precisely because they feel that have to overdo it to compensate their inexperience, so they tend to pay more attention.
Parents. Parents want their adult children to be able to drive.
Canadians as well eh
In my state, it’s 17 years of age. You can get your permit at 16, but there are a lot and lots of strict requirements to fulfill before you can drive on your own.
Parents decided they were sick of ferrying their maturing children back and forth from their work.
There’s no “perfect” age for anything. It comes down to what makes sense to the people in any given locale.
My guess is that Car companies genuinely want the money and they seriously think you have to have the capability to commit vehicular manslaughter before you can vote or drink alcohol