Writer's Block: Teenagers & Car Accidents
The STANDUP Act would establish extreme NATIONAL regulation on teenage Americans' legal ability to drive. This question aims to crowd-source justification for this law. READ MORE BELOW.
Well, it's interesting that this question is being sponsored by Allstate. Allstate, who's in the business of insurance, is probably suffering from the recession -- and is also probably really suffering on its property insurance claims over the past few years of natural disasters, and on its business insurance claims. I don't know the financial story with Allstate, but it's clear that teens are a major source of auto liability claims. So they're teaming up with cash-strapped, overly protective parents to sponsor the STANDUP Act.
The STANDUP Act would establish extreme NATIONAL regulation on teenage Americans' legal ability to drive. It would establish three ascending grades: a MINIMUM of 16 years for a BEGINNER'S PERMIT (and, teens, you know what that is); an INTERMEDIATE, which would PROHIBIT you from driving alone at nighttime; and a FULL PERMIT only at the age of 18.
In other words, teens of LiveJournal, especially those of you (the majority) who only live in DRIVABLE areas of the U.S., your abilities to engage in after-school activities that run after dusk; to have a night-time JOB; and to socialize and date ARE SEVERELY CRIPPLED. Not to mention the lives of your busy parents, who will, under compulsion of this NATIONAL LAW, be forced into positions where they will have to drive you or arrange car-pools. This takes time and energy and may indeed limit THEIR ability to work.
In many places (and I know, because I grew up in one) the lack of a full driver's license is basically a sentence of home imprisonment.
Look at what Allstate and the supporters of the STANDUP Act are doing: by asking this question, they're crowd-sourcing from you, the subjects of this legislation, crowd-sourcing justifications for passing this NATIONAL LEGISLATION. National legislation to which YOU HAVE NO LEGAL SAY, because you are not of age to vote, and therefore do not exist to the legislators who will be voting on this bill.
Allstate, and supporters of the STANDUP Act, are putatively interested in saving your lives, and that's not a bad thing. But to do so by this RADICAL LEGISLATION is to ELIMINATE RIGHTS YOU NOW POSSESS.
I urge you to advocate for better, more sensible driving education. I urge you to police yourselves. When you're a teenager, you're pretty emotionally volatile. Don't take out your aggro on the accelerator. Driving takes real concentration and vigilance, so get off the cellphones and for frak's sake, don't text while you're driving! Pay attention to getting where you're going without winding up dead. Guys, getting a blowjob while going 80 might seem awesome, but if you have to stop short your sex life might end right there. Don't alcoholize yourself and try going vroom, as you tend to die. Duh.
And above all, don't answer this question. Protect and defend your right to drive. Advocate in your school, make arguments like the ones above to the press and to your government. Yeah, everybody knows a story about some idiot who wrapped her Subaru around a telephone pole killing her four friends. But this DRACONIAN LEGISLATION is not the way to prevent it.
Well, it's interesting that this question is being sponsored by Allstate. Allstate, who's in the business of insurance, is probably suffering from the recession -- and is also probably really suffering on its property insurance claims over the past few years of natural disasters, and on its business insurance claims. I don't know the financial story with Allstate, but it's clear that teens are a major source of auto liability claims. So they're teaming up with cash-strapped, overly protective parents to sponsor the STANDUP Act.
The STANDUP Act would establish extreme NATIONAL regulation on teenage Americans' legal ability to drive. It would establish three ascending grades: a MINIMUM of 16 years for a BEGINNER'S PERMIT (and, teens, you know what that is); an INTERMEDIATE, which would PROHIBIT you from driving alone at nighttime; and a FULL PERMIT only at the age of 18.
In other words, teens of LiveJournal, especially those of you (the majority) who only live in DRIVABLE areas of the U.S., your abilities to engage in after-school activities that run after dusk; to have a night-time JOB; and to socialize and date ARE SEVERELY CRIPPLED. Not to mention the lives of your busy parents, who will, under compulsion of this NATIONAL LAW, be forced into positions where they will have to drive you or arrange car-pools. This takes time and energy and may indeed limit THEIR ability to work.
In many places (and I know, because I grew up in one) the lack of a full driver's license is basically a sentence of home imprisonment.
Look at what Allstate and the supporters of the STANDUP Act are doing: by asking this question, they're crowd-sourcing from you, the subjects of this legislation, crowd-sourcing justifications for passing this NATIONAL LEGISLATION. National legislation to which YOU HAVE NO LEGAL SAY, because you are not of age to vote, and therefore do not exist to the legislators who will be voting on this bill.
Allstate, and supporters of the STANDUP Act, are putatively interested in saving your lives, and that's not a bad thing. But to do so by this RADICAL LEGISLATION is to ELIMINATE RIGHTS YOU NOW POSSESS.
I urge you to advocate for better, more sensible driving education. I urge you to police yourselves. When you're a teenager, you're pretty emotionally volatile. Don't take out your aggro on the accelerator. Driving takes real concentration and vigilance, so get off the cellphones and for frak's sake, don't text while you're driving! Pay attention to getting where you're going without winding up dead. Guys, getting a blowjob while going 80 might seem awesome, but if you have to stop short your sex life might end right there. Don't alcoholize yourself and try going vroom, as you tend to die. Duh.
And above all, don't answer this question. Protect and defend your right to drive. Advocate in your school, make arguments like the ones above to the press and to your government. Yeah, everybody knows a story about some idiot who wrapped her Subaru around a telephone pole killing her four friends. But this DRACONIAN LEGISLATION is not the way to prevent it.