Last time I looked - no-one died from NOT being able to drive. Here in Arizona the driving test is pathetic (I have passed both UK & US tests). But there are laws to restrict drivers until they are 21 - http://www.dmv.org/az-arizona/teen-drivers.php Don't be afraid to legsitlate young drivers off the road, IF it saves lives !

I sometime I go back to see my parents in a little Leicestershire village, I stop & see my best friend Nick - he's buried in the church yard, there. He died 25 years ago, a teenager, driving a Ford Capri. I think his mother still puts flowers on his grave. I'd accept a little injustice, to change that.

P.S. I'm not against fast cars - I drive a 180mph Corvette - after 20 years practise (including 10 years motorcucling on British roads).

Dave Cawdell, Phoenix, Arizona

"It is worth remembering that some of the best drivers on the roads are teenagers. They are alert, hawkeyed, sharp-witted, with lightning reaction times. They’re better at driving than a lot of us."

I think you are very confused about what it means to be a good driver. For the naive, it is exactly as you said, a combination of reaction times and car performance that lets you go as close to the edge as possible. A more mature perspective is that the best driver is the safest, which means being in control at all times, leaving an extra cushion of slower speed, greater distance and assuming other drivers or conditions may change unexpectedly. The ability to anticipate comes with experience, something the young only can gain with time.

If there is such a thing as the right to drive, it must come with the responsibility to do so safely. Personally, I think driving is a privilege and those who abuse it should lose it before they and others lose much more in a fatal accident.

John, Chicago, USA

Let's expose those that deserve to be exposed for dangerous driving - but not at the expense of those who are responsible - for these reasons we have built a website where you can report dangerous driving incidents. A similar website initiative by the New Zealand Police has produced stunning statistics: a vehicle reported by a fellow road user is up to 23 x more likely to be involved in an accident in the year following the report.
This proves that motorists are capable of identifying potentially dangerous driving. Prevention, identification, exposure and education is the answer - please check out the website at BetterDrivingPlease.com - recreating social responsibility.

Andrew McGavin, Chipping Norton, Oxon UK

How can they be "alert and hawkeyed" when many of them are numbed by loud music, stoned by drugs, and permanently suffering from hangovers?

A. Baker, Colchester, U.K.

When I passed the test in 1964, my father made me promise to stick to 50 mph (and 60 on dual carriageways) for one year. It was a time when one obeyed one's father and I have always thought he was wise. A "P" plate with these sort of restricitons would be useful. Later he bought me an advanced motorists driving test and membership. Also useful.

Robin Leggate, London,

Why not simply limit all new drivers, with less than 2 years experience to 1400cc cars, and those with less than 5 years experience to 1800cc or less. Better for the environment as well.

Robert, Sutton, Surrey

It's all very well coming up with ways of limiting the power of the car, times of travel, passengers carried etc. but until there is sufficient money allocated to the provision of traffic officers there will be no effective method of enforcing these restrictions. For far too long the Government has developed a reliance on speed cameras which are unable to deal with a whole range of traffic offences, such as road-rage, tailgating and even using a mobile phone whilst driving.

The sheer amount of bad attitudes, poor observation, woefully indequate anticipation and complete lack of courtesy can not be controlled by taking someone's picture. It is one thing to pass the laws; another to be able to enforce them!

Mark, Leighton Buzzard, England

"Affluence born of farming" - surely you mean affluence born of NOT farming, but instead owning the land and letting some other poor sod do the actual farming? Better still, don't farm the land at all, but collect the subsidies that Defra has finally got arounf to paying.

The Subaru Impreza is a horrible, vulgar car and anyone who buys or insures one for his son should be prosecuted for manslaughter when he kills himself, or someone else.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I am a Canadian and live in North Western Ontario Canada. (a long long way from the busy freeways of Toronto) We have severe weather during the winter months, beautiful open roads during the summer. Every year there are road tradgedies that involve teenage drivers and many involving older folks. Ontario adopted a graduated licencing system several years ago. It involves several steps before a "NEW" driver, regardless of age, can possess an unrestricted driving licence. Zero tolerance concerning alchohol is part of the first permit. No driving at night. No driving on highways without a fully licenced co-driver. These all help develope better and more experienced drivers. Driving responsibly is not a product of age. It is a product of experience and courtesy. Perhaps Britain could learn a little from us. It's not perfect but it is helping. Thanks

Mark Weare, Dryden , Ontario Canada

Glad I got my driving kicks in the 1960's. Rally driving, or indeed any form of motor sport is a maturing process. Attempting to address frustration while driving is a risk-filled process. Because sublimating through the steering wheel on a public road is a sure way of being several decades too early for that appointment at the great race track in the sky. Traffic accidents: Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

Andrew Milner, Yokohama,

I am 22 and have held my licence for four years, I drive around 20,000 miles a year in my Fiesta. In MY experience, the threats I face are from OLDER male drivers, who feel the need to show off in front of a young girl in a cheap car. They seem to be the ones who take more risks, using their 'experience' as an excuse to flaunt the law. Ok, when people have just passed their test, they may feel the need to explore what they can do with their vehicle, but they also have the rules of the road fresh in their mind. How many older drivers would pass the test now?

AJ, Bournemouth,

Strange isn't it that a car culture country like the US or Canada can bring in a Graduated Driving Licence, but in this country it is considered unenforcable? I would like youngsters to have the chance to handle cars gradually and of course many Times readers will have access to private estates where this could happen. I think that banning alcohol completely until 15 is stupid. Youngsters can learn to assess the effects of alcohol gradually in their own homes if they have sensible parents - if not- nothing will help other than making it more expensive. Gaining experience of cars necessarily involves other roadusers, for the majority ,and often it is too late for anyone to learn from their mistakes!

Vicki Stone MBE, Kingswinford, West Midlands

I have recently acquired a new car with a petrol consumption indicator. It is frightening to see how much fuel is used during acceleration and at speed. This alone has slowed me down and "lightened" my right foot.

Isn't it time to replace the largely unused rev counter with a consumption indicator? Even the most hardened boy racer will come to realise that his driving style is costing him money!

The added bonus is lower pollution emissions.

Mind you, I am 53 and have been driving for 35 years. Maybe I see things differently........

Colin, Wokingham, UK

Only a driving instructor could suggest retests for experienced drivers - talk about self interest. We already have an army of non productive civil servants in this country, can you imagine how many would be required to set this little scheme up. What about people who have had no convictions or accidents for years but fail this test - are they to lose their jobs and their social life on the whims of an examiner?
The easiest way to reduce road deaths (and congestion) is to raise the driving age to 21, but you wont find many driving instructors pushing that idea - less customers for them.

tony, birmingham, uk

"They are alert, hawkeyed, sharp-witted, with lightning reaction times. They’re better at driving than a lot of us. "
Why do so many of them wind up dead???

Anthony Box, Wretton, Norfolk

Most of the time we try to beat human nature. We have all seen the guy overtaking 7 cars in one go as the tourist in front ius happily driving at 60% of the speed limit. Would it not just be easier to have a law stating that if you have more than 6 cars behind you, you should pull in and let them past thus removing the need for impatient overtaking. I live in Cumbria and I see this every day. I think this would cut out a lot of the really dangerous overtaking that I see. Lets face it if you are driving in this matter you are obviously not in any great hurry.

John Reekie, Egremont, Cumbria

We are trying to stop our children having any fun or real life experiences out of our own fears of death. What do many youth have to look forward to in their lives? working at a rubbish job, unable to earn enough to afford anywhere to live and the prospect of having to work into old age to pay for all the selfish old people that have forgotten what being young is about. Far better to have bi-annual driving tests for everyone over 60. The roads are already racetracks for white vans and commuters in a rush to get home, the fact is that young people are prefering to LIVE life a little, wouldn't you if you saw what boring lives that so many people live?

Matthew Bramall, Wadhurst, Sussex UK

And wouldn't improving the survival rate of young drivers increase the numbers competing for a fixed number of jobs, and hence youth unemployment?

General de Gaulle recognised the need for radical measures: asked what France should do to reduce this, he suggested 'we could invade China'.

Noel Falconer, COUIZA, f

I blame Top Gear. It should carry a health warning that their sealed, glorified, tin cans not only kill people quicker with their pollution, but kill instantaneously. The cretins for whom this programme and the car are the peaks of human evolution, need to reflect on the true meaning of life.

Peter Day, Doncaster, Yorkshire

The solution is simple. Limit all cars to 70 mph. Limit them to using less fuel than would allow 50 mile per gallon. Small engine sizes, small power output. Allow exceptions for cars that need to pull trailers. It won't happen though - there is enough of the boy-racer mentality in many of us to make this a complete vote loser.

John Pedersen, Totnes,

There has been a cultural shift among our youth...

I have been a motorcyclist for 30 years and I ride a 'reasonably fast' bike. 10 years ago it was almost unheard of to be overtaken on country A roads because they are bendy and I'm usually exceeding the limit by a fair margin while not overtaking cars and I don't like to get in anyone's way.

This year I have been overtaken TWICE by youth in moderately fast cars (2 litre vectras and the like) simply because they drive these cars to their limits and are prepared to take risks with their own safety.

I'm not complaining or finger-pointing. I'm just relating the evidence.

Pete Thornton, Bristol,

Sirs, Discipline is the only way in which we can help to reduce these accidents on our roads. The moment one has passed the driving test, a young lad or ladette can drive as fast as he or she likes on public roads. The only way to address this problem is to train these young drivers that excess speed can kill an inexperienced driver. More driving instruction and a test on a skid pan will help these young people to understand the disastrous consequences of driving too fast in unsuitable circumstances. DS.

David Smith, Paris, France

I think it is a bit of a stretch to assert that everyone, other than the young, is concerned about "increasing carnage on the roads". I am not and, alas, I cannot claim to be young. Is it really increasing? Does anyone know comparative figures for now and ten years ago? Or number of fatalities per thousand vehicles now and, say, 50 years ago?

Bristol, Bristol, UK

Completely disagree that young drivers are some of the best. Surely the statistics say completely the opposite. They have IMO not developed the feeling for when something is wrong with the car - the begining of a skid for example - and when something is wrong with the 'environment' around the cocoon they are driving. They have no gut instinct born of years of driving pratice. They see grown ups driving and they only see the mechanics of driving. They don't see what's going on inside the driver's head - anticipation, caution, and none of the need to show off.

Barrie, Brussels,

Restricting engine size is much too simplistic. Any number of cars 1000cc-1200cc are zippy, light little numbers engineered as if to encourage 'revvy' driving. It's the power to weight ratio of these cars that's the problem. The nonsense of it was brought home to me some time ago when a friend tried to get cover for his son to drive a Peugeot estate car - one of the old, long wheel base, 8 seater 505? 2500cc non-turbo diesels. A slow, lumbering beast if ever there was one - with a long stroke, lazy engine which simply does not beg to be driven fast. 0-60 in 17 seconds, perhaps... But no, insurance companies load the premium prohibitively purely because of the engine's size. So his teenage son drove a 'fizz-box' instead - and a few weeks later lost control on a bend ... We know of another family with a non-turbo diesel Ford Escort...same problem simply because of the engine's cubic capacity at 1800cc. So yet another 1200cc fizz box will be that teenage boy's conveyance.

GC, Harrogate, UK

There is no doubt that the Institute of Avanced Motorists training schemes produce an enormous drop on accident figures. At work we found that young drivers tended to have numerous bumps and scrapes, and occasional more serious crashes. A days training with the IAM dropped the accidents by 80%.

Road improvements and new build have been cut since 1997, and the reducing road toll since the '50s has been marking time since then. Strangely accidents are greatly reduced on high speed roads such as motorways, and more spend is required.

Road safety experts should recognize that drivers do not have a death wish and naturally avoid situations that place them in peril, if they notice the danger. An emphasis on intelligent road design so that drivers perceive hazards reduces accidents whereas constant monitoring vehicle speed because of speed cameras has a detrimental effect.

B Scott, Albany, Australia

The only way to curb speed is by fear, as with the drink drive law, break it and you loose your license. It may seem extreme but drivers have a choice. Hidden speed cameras, obey the speed limits and you have nothing to fear and it will cost you nothing. The IAM is right, education can work, I have just been training to become a driving instructor at the age of 53 and cannot believe how I have been allowed to drive so badly since the age of 17. Retest should be taken every 5 years, 4 year licenses with one extra year to pass the retest, with training, easy to do. This way drivers have no excuse for bad driving. Driving is not a given right.

NMH, W Wickham,

The 'music' - a base sound at artillery level - is a weapon against any law-abiding people unfortunate enough to be in the area, and part of the general anti-social behaviour problem. More such cars need crushing, but we are apparently to be defined by our 'toleration', according to Jack Straw. Just keep on paying your taxes.

As for saving the lives of the young and any by-standing additional victims, raising the legal driving age limit to 21 would be sensible, and quite easy. Taking out those who broke that law would be quick and simple. Why make such a meal of it?

Mike Evans, Midsomer Norton, UK

Increasing carnage? Where? Road deaths have come down dramatically in hte last few decades and are far lower than every major European country. Accidents have stopped decreasing now probably because there is, and always will be, a sigificant number of idiots and because speed cameras and other attmepts to force us to behave have the opposite effect: they distract us and take away our responsibility.

Tim, London,

An interesting discussion. Having driven, accident free - I've been fortunate - for 46 years I must support KR's comment on education. Survival on our roads depends largely on anticipation, expect the unexpected.

On the subject of engine size, when I was a young man I drove only minis. 848 to 1100cc which were never going to go much faster than 80 mph. Today almost any 1400cc vehicle will do 100 mph. Our children drive faster vehicles and, undeniably, higher speeds increase the risk.

As Paul says, it takes many years of driving to reach higher levels of (driving) competence. Perhaps power restriction would go some of the way to decreasing the (fatal) accident rate.

Dave Reynell, KNYSNA, South Africa

Hear hear. Deaths on the road are increasing because the number of cars on the road is increasing. Proportionally we are loosing fewer drivers than ever.

Education is the answer - teenagers do silly things to differentiate themselves from their friends. If all their friends can also drive fast, can also do handbrake turns and wheel spins, then the appeal of those manouvers will diminish. After all, who are you going to impress with fast driving if all your mates have driven even faster round a race track. Education is the answer. Education, education, education!

Damian, London, UK

Ask any jet fighter pilot and he will tell you that fast reactions are only a small part of survival. Like the IAM he will tell you that survival in any emergency is nine-tenths anticipation of possible scenarios for problems. In other words "Education, Education, Education" (to borrow a phrase).

Legislation and prohibition (of anything) are proven failures as policies. Educate drivers and charge hefty insurance premiums for large , powerful vehicles - then make it abundantly clear that abusing public trust by driving dangerously (not necessarily just 5mph over the limit, but tailgating and preventing safe overtaking by others, for instance) will result in an immediate ban with no excuses.

KR, Stockport,

As a young (ish) person myself at 23 years of age, I can tell you, the power of the cars young people drive have nothing to do with the crashes they have. Most people I know from the age of 17, had very low powered cars, with 1lt upto 1.4lt engines. The power achieved by these types of cars barely breaks the 100bhp mark if at all. Most 600cc motorbikes achieve higher power outputs than this and they way less than one quarter. Why must people in Britain always look for a reason on which to blame their misfortune. The simple fact is there are that many people driving that a small lapse in concetration is going to result in an accident. This is something that all the speed humps and traffic calming measures in the world wont effect. In Britain we have one of the hardest driving tests in the world and so even if driving education was enhanced for all, human error cannot be eradicated. Until humans are taken out of the equasion (not something I condone) accidents are going to happen!

Patrick Fretwell, Nottingham,

Perhaps it is time to consider the same system for cars as there is in place for LGV's ?

How many youngsters pass their test in a realitively low powered car and once they have passed their driving test take to the roads in a high [er] powered car - a quantum leap in real terms ? This may cut the higher rate of accidents - How does it compare to the restriction with motor bikes ?

Although it can be argued that teenagers have faster reaction there is also the lack of experience that is only gained over a period of time behind the wheel - The whole structure of our driving test has been improved but restriction of power might be an answer ?

Paul Grist, Bean, Kent