Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Re Justin Parker's letter, "State court ban takes away teens' cart freedom." My, how the definition of freedom has changed since the days of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams and Martin Luther King. Freedom from what, you might ask.

Justin explains: "[Allowing unlicensed 15-year-olds to drive carts] gave us a chance to finally prove that we can do something and get ourselves to school, without having to worry about if we were going to catch the bus or if we were going to have to walk." [It] would also "give the parents a break from getting up every morning and driving their children to school and stressing out if they were to have a way to school that morning." Not to mention what the seniors must endure, "having to stress out on the road in a car."

In an effort to help ease Justin's stress, I might suggest the following: 1) I doubt that you will be judged by your ability to get to school in a golf cart. 2) Set your alarm early enough to get to the school bus stop on time. 3) Walking is healthy. 4) Getting up in the morning and getting you off to school will probably be the one of the least stressful things your parents do that day. The rest of life will take care of that.

I do not know the precise reasoning for the selection of 16 as the age for licensing drivers in Georgia. In some countries, like Germany, you must be 18 and attend an extensive driving school before you can even apply for a driver's license. This ensures a competence level beyond identifying an octagon as a stop sign. At the same time, German teenagers can drink alcohol before they are old enough to apply for a driver's license.

The point is, everyone has their own idea of what constitutes an age of reason and responsibility. Ours happens to be 16 for driving and 21 for drinking alcohol. The laws are established to protect the citizens. Unlicensed drivers with little or no driving skills or experience pose a threat to themselves and others.

Richard Appelhans

Peachtree City