Wednesday, August 14, 2002
|
Wednesday, August 14, 2002 |
|
Allow responsible 15-year-olds to drive carts On Thursday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m., the Golf Cart Committee proposals will be presented to the Peachtree City Council. These proposals cover various items. The proposal I am most personally involved with is to allow some, but not all, 15-year-olds the privilege of driving a golf cart without an adult. As the mother of a 15-year-old my concern is not about the teens that want to drive. I am very concerned about the number of parents who chose to ignore the current law. We should respect the law while working to change it so that it better reflects the real needs of our community. There are parents who know their 15-year-olds are ready to take on more responsibility for themselves and to experience driving alone in a golf cart before having that responsibility in a car. However, when they allow it today, they are sending a dangerous message to their teens that it is OK to ignore the law when it better suits your needs. Don't ignore the law! Change it! Make it better! Up until a few years ago 15-year-olds in Peachtree City were legally allowed to drive golf carts unaccompanied. If I remember correctly, there was a woman injured in an accident with a cart driven in a reckless manner by a 15-year-old with a number of friends as passengers. The result was that the golf cart driving age was raised to 16. The community needs to be protected from those who choose to drive with their egos instead of their common sense. We are not proposing to return to the previous limit. We are asking to change it in a way that will better reflect the needs and values of our community. We want to emphasize to all teenagers and their parents that it is only after teens show they are already more responsible that new freedoms are given. We want to remind everyone that it is not simply physical age (acquiring yet another year) but their actions and choices that reflect their increasingly better judgment, teamed together with their willingness to accept more responsibility for themselves and others, that then result in more freedoms. Today at 16, with the new Georgia driving laws, a teen may drive a car unaccompanied, but with graduated levels of independence. First, only alone or with family members, then after six months experience, with others. Various restrictions continue until they are 18. Today at 16, a teen may solo in an airplane, but must wait until 17 to get a license to fly with a passenger. A golf cart is a logical first step before driving a car or flying an airplane. One step at a time gives new drivers a chance to gain and build on experience with fewer distractions before they take on full responsibilities. In Peachtree City we are squandering this important and unique opportunity and the reality is we are teaching too many teens to ignore the law. The parents of responsible 15-year-olds who show good judgment should be permitted to legally allow those teens to drive golf carts first alone, then with increasing freedoms. Parents should be the ones who specifically identify and reward these teens by clearly taking responsibility for their decision in writing. We are not talking about the teens who think being grown up is shown by smoking, drinking, doing drugs, or ignoring the rights of others. We are talking about those teens that understand the real meaning of being grown up that all freedoms come with responsibilities and until you show you are ready to handle those increased responsibilities you are clearly showing that you are not yet ready to be given those freedoms. This should not be a casual right given by an over-scheduled parent to a persistent teen. This should be a well-thought-out and clearly-earned privilege. The reality is it is the parents who police this activity and should be the ones held responsible to control it. We want our teens to take responsibility for themselves and to be able to reward those who show good judgment in a more time appropriate way than the current law allows. Please help us. We need the support of our community in recognizing and rewarding those 15-year-olds who are your babysitters, Little League umpires, soccer and basketball referees working to help with their own expenses in our fast food restaurants or by bagging your groceries, those who are helping out at home by taking on more responsibility for themselves and others, while still maintaining their best efforts in school. You see them at school, church, scouts, sports, all around our city helping their families and others. If you have, or know of, a responsible 15-year-old (current, past, or potential) who deserves this privilege and recognition or if you agree this is the way to encourage more responsibility in our teens, please be at City Hall Thursday night. The people who are afraid of the actions of irresponsible teens may be there in force. Let us show them our reality! Let us raise their expectations and give responsible teens the chance to show everyone we were right to believe in them and that our trust is justified. This letter is a reminder for every parent who hands a teenager a set of keys to any vehicle. Kathleen S. Cheney Peachtree City
|
||