Adam's Rant

In British Columbia strict regulations for teenagers seeking driver licences have been put in place in efforts to make our roads safer and to save lives. It is called the Graduated license program and it takes 3 to complete and requires you can't get a single ticket or you are forced to restart. This seemingly well thought out and perfected plan is one that actually contains countless flaws. Firstly it is a 3 year program in which you are tested a total of 3 times, which is essentially once a year. However after you have acquired your full licence you aren't required to be tested for the rest of your life. This seems appalling to myself because by watching my parents and other adults around me drive, that dangerous habits develop and if they where re-tested around age 30 many people would fail. Another flaw is the length of the plan. You are eligible to take the test when you are 16 and if you make it through perfectly which is unlikely you still don't have a full driving license till your 19. This poses many problem such as you can't acquire many jobs because they require a full license. Also it isn't economical for the reason that we are unable to car pool to school or to work inevitably increasing our carbon foot print. Cost is also a huge factor in getting your licence and often feels like a cash grab. The tests are made so they are easy to fail and many people do, which would be fine if it didn't cost you $50 each attempt. But it doesn't stop there. If or when you finally pass you are expected to pay another $30-$40 to get your picture taken and put on a wallet sized piece of plastic. There are many horror story's that have come out of these strict regulations as well. One very unfortunate one was a young man 20 years old had not found the time to go for his full licence and was one day pulled over and ended up being breathalysed. Even though he was of age and only blew .01% he lost his licence due to the zero tolerance policy. As a result he gets his licence suspended for 6 months, must restart his 3 year program, pay a very large fine and pay and install a breathalyser ignition starter, which costs $2000. Since he is was just starting a realtor for a job, he will be out of work for 6 months and even when he's back it won't look very good to breathalyse yourself when your driving clients around. Finally what is really messed up about this system is the people who make these regulations are more than likely +55 years old people who got there licence in a 2 week span and complain about young peoples bad driving and thought they should fix it. Maybe its time for them to look at there own driving ability's for a change.