Young Driver licence regulations - This is freaking ridiculous

Miscellaneous Topics
1

So I posted here a while back about how I accrued the total 4 demerit points on the “provisional licence” which I currently hold as a young driver.

(In case you are curious, the two offenses occurring about 6 months apart where speeding between 13 and 20km/h over the speed limit for 3 points, and “defective vehicle”…broken tail-lights… for 1 point).

At the time I was given an option to either take a 3 month suspension, or a one year “Good Behavior Bond” which means I would have 1 demerit point for a 12 month period. if that point was lost, the fine and suspension would be double (so a 6 month suspension).

Anyway, I opted for the 3 months. Furious enough about having my license suspended for so little**

I get my licence back in 4 days… however, I now ALSO have to endure a 12 month driving curfew, which means I am not allowed to drive between 11pm and 5am. (I should mention that neither of my offenses where committed at night time either)

At what point does one say that this is too much punishment. I have paid fines for both offenses, and have endured a 3 month disqualification. Now MORE punishment. Also, this curfew regulation only applies to drivers who lose their licence under the age of 25years.

This seems ridiculous? How much longer am I going to have to pay for a simple mistake?

At what point, as a thinking Man, am I obligated to say “No, your rules are unjust and I wont accept this undue punishment”?

And these sort of regulations are become increasingly common in Australia. Someones child is in a car accident, most often it is merely accident or mis-judgement, and they go on a personal vendetta to “make sure no one else’s child is lost in such a tragic accident” by imposing more and more rules.

The government happily makes a big deal of it and passes the legislature too because no surprise, the more rules there are, the more chance that simply being alive will cause them to be broke, which means more revenue for them.

Any thoughts? What would you do in my situation?

Regards,

Chris

**And the infuriating thing is that the road I was recorded for speeding on has two separate speed limits for either side of the road, one side is 60km/h the other is 70km/h. I assumed they where the same and was driving at about 75km/h)

2

You messed up, now accept your dues. The punishment may or may not be excessive, but driving laws are meant to protect other drivers from careless drivers (such as you were). Man up and do better next time.

3

When you got your drivers license you agreed to abide by the laws of the road. The punishments are excessive, but that is irrelevant. As it appears, you were guilty of every demerit you received so the only thing you can do is accept your punishment and be more careful in the future.

4

You might see if there is a way to make your case in front of a judge. It might be possible to have the restrictions removed earlier.

Outside of that, in a practical sense, you just have to live with the restrictions until your license is clear. If you ignore them, you run the risk of losing your license completely. If you ignore that, you run the risk of going to jail.

For what it’s worth, you do have my sympathy. Independent driving is the beginning of an independent life. It is frustrating having that independence reigned in! If you follow the rules and bide your time, the restriction is only temporary.

5

You admit to your breaking of the rules, which is something many people don’t do these days. But admission of guilt does not prevent you from facing the consequences. Do the rules seem strict? To me they do, but I do not know much about your driving laws. The experience should be a learning one to prevent carelessness in the future. And as Michael H has already said, to not wait until your restrictions are clear will only lead to more trouble.

6

I think people misunderstand. I *do* admit openly to violating the road rules, and that, as such, I am culpable for punishment. That’s completely okay with me.

There is no “manning up” required. I’m not looking to avoid responsibility for my actions. Actually, this is not really even about me personally, this is about the regulations in general as they apply to my age group. Disregard the fact that I am personally affected by them.

My problem is with two things:

  1. The excessiveness of the punishment…

  2. That the excessive punishment is imposed onto a targeted group of people rather than as a law that applies to all equally.

Let me note here that if I weren’t under 25, I would never have had my licence suspended to begin with as I would have 12 points to use in a 3 year period rather than 4 points in a one year period.

To my way of looking at these youth-laws, they are akin to if a law existed that, for a completely hypothetical example, made it illegal for women to do certain jobs that require skill x because “studies have shown that women tend to do poorly in skill x”. But what about the countless women who are exceptionally talented in skill x?

Outside of that, in a practical sense, you just have to live with the restrictions until your license is clear. If you ignore them, you run the risk of losing your license completely. If you ignore that, you run the risk of going to jail.

I know and yet the idealist in me is reminded of Howard Roark.

Is it morally okay for a person to do nothing about an injustice for no better reason that they are *fearful that the source of the injustice will carry out increasingly greater injustices in the name of its preservation*?

Is it?

7

You sound upset that you are being treated differently because of your age. That is completely understandable. Youth laws are necessarily broad nets that sometimes hinder exceptional individuals. If this still bothers you in the future, you can be politically active to get the law changed.

[…] the idealist in me is reminded of Howard Roark.

Is it morally okay for a person to do nothing about an injustice for no better reason that they are *fearful that the source of the injustice will carry out increasingly greater injustices in the name of its preservation*?

Is it?

Absolutely.

Ayn Rand paid income taxes. She was asked in a Q&A session at the Ford Hall Forum if she paid income taxes and why. She said, “They are taken from me at the point of a gun”. She objected to income taxes on principle. She was not willing to live in jail for disobeying that law. She weighed the consequences of disobeying it within her full hierarchy of values. It sounds like that is what you are doing now!

8

Of course you are being treated differently because of your age. Here in America, underaged males are responsible for the majority of accidents. That is why they pay the highest insurance. I think the idea is for you to learn the rules of the road while you are young. Congrats. That’s exactly what is happening.

9

I think the idea is for you to learn the rules of the road while you are young. Congrats. That’s exactly what is happening.

Not so much the rules of the road as the rules of the government. The actual, reality-based “rules” of the road do not emphasize speed, but instead awareness and skill.