A government petition to change the legal driving age to 15 has been seen online. The petition now has more than 90,000 signatures.
Since it has gained more than 10,000 signatures, the government must provide a response to the demand. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.
This petition was created by Matteo Joseph Shirley. It has the deadline of December 27, 2023 – all petitions must run for six months.
Shirley explained his reasoning for this demand in the petition.
It states: “I would like the Government to change the legal driving age to 15 because I believe that 15 and 16 year olds can be trusted to drive a car and should be able to get a driving licence. I belief the current situation is unfair, and inconsistent with the Equality Act 2010.”
The typo here has worked against Shirley as many people express their strong opinions against lowering the driving age.
Online reactions
Online discussions have brought up several reasons why it would be a bad idea for this to happen. These include that 15-year-olds are not mature enough to be in control of a car. Others say that they won’t be able to afford insurance and that it could raise insurance for everyone else.
Some drivers have voiced their concern as they looked back on their early days in a car. Several have said that even at 17, they didn’t feel confident enough to be in control of a car.
One TikTok user said: “So I don’t really get it, I wouldn’t trust myself driving out on the road, I wouldn’t trust any other 15-year-old, how it is [right now] is how it should stay.”
Another said: “You can’t fill up a car with fuel under the age of 16 never mind driving at age 15.”
Others are thinking about the financial aspects, as most 15-year-olds will not have their own income.
One commented: “How on earth are they [going to] have the money to pay for the car, pay for insurance and all that.”
Feature image credit: Pexels.com
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