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Re: 'Details of driving legislation need a closer look,' Editorial, Nov. 21

Re: 'New driving rules for youth penalize those in suburbs,' Editorial, Nov. 21

Re: 'New driving rules for youth deserve our scrutiny,' Editorial, Nov. 21

I am a teenage driver who recently got my G2 class licence, and am very happy with the flexibility and freedom a driver's licence allows me to have.

None of the teenage drivers I know, myself included, have ever been involved in a collision, or received a ticket, to the best of my knowledge.

When I heard of Ontario's proposed legislation for young drivers, I was nothing short of appalled.

Though it may be true that young drivers are the most likely to be involved in a collision, the vast majority of young drivers are safe and responsible. They, like me, realize that driving is a privilege, and not a right. Punishing so many young drivers because of the unsafe action of a small portion seems quite unfair.

The most shocking part of this legislation is the proposed limit on passengers for teenage drivers. A day-round cap of one passenger in the first year of having your G2 license can cause so many problems, the most obvious of which is environmental. Gone will be the days of carpooling to get places, and keeping as many cars off the road as possible. It means I will no longer be able to drive my neighbours to school, or pick up my younger sister and her friends from parties. Under the proposed legislation, more teenagers or parents would have to drive, undoubtedly putting more cars on the road. Though public transit may be an option in major urban centres, it is often unavailable in rural areas, and rather inconvenient in many suburban areas, such as my neighbourhood in Scarborough.

In my opinion, the solution to many of the problems is tougher driver examinations. As most people know, the written exam to gain the first level of the graduated license system is a joke, and the road test to enter the G2 level is also fairly easy. Were both of these tests more difficult, there would be fewer young drivers on the road, and those on the road would be much safer. Recently, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that he would make an attempt to speak to young drivers who oppose this law, likely through the use of Facebook, where a group against the laws has already amassed over 137,000 members. For this, I applaud McGuinty. Though he may be proposing a law that I strongly disagree with, it is nice to see that the opinions of young people, most of whom cannot even vote yet, may be taken into account.

Scott Harbin