Originally Posted by Roughstuff
The tip of a very large iceberg. For fifty years we have been saying 'this or that' should be taught in schools, since it apparently is not taught in the home any more. Cycling, courtesy, being cautious, understanding the dynamics of the roadway, etc...yeah, right..just the sort of thing we want to take time with for our children, when they can't read, write, or add two digit numbers (forget subtraction, ok folks? FORGET IT).
Can someone please tell me why the driving age shouldn't be 18, anyway? A few extra years walking and cycling to get around would be a lesson quite a few children could use.
I favour a more "prove you deserve the privilege" approach than a simple age-based policy. I've met plenty of teens at 14 that I would trust to drive, and plenty of 30yo I don't. We need to develop merit-based systems, not arbitrary rule based systems, IMO.
As to schooling... yikes. In addition to life skills, we do need to teach more these days. A basic understanding of science, math, political science, and applied technology are as required in today's world as the "4 R's". While the need for education has gone up, the standards across Canada and the US seem to have gone down. Sooner or later people will look around and go, "Uh, me so dumb, you so dumb, everybodt so dumb. Why 'puter box no worky? Why me not get good job thingie?"