By way of balance, I habitually telephone and email while driving (using a hand held device). It's easy if you have an automatic and don't try to smoke at the same time.

And you reckon you haven't assimilated?

Mmm, I suppose in the UK I wouldn't hesitate to smoke at the same time.

Quite agree. There seems to be the attitude "I want and I'll get" amongst too many kids here. In some respects it's worse than when we lived in the UK, especially with the whole car thing. I've lost track of how many friends she knows are getting a car for graduating in a couple of months.

Of course we are not very popular, but I hope it will be something she thanks us for in years to come.

We actually need our daughter to be passing her test fairly soon, she had some lessons this time last year and then 'Fuffed' up so we stopped paying for the lessons (her 16 birthday gift). We are now trying to get her to book lessons again - her schedule is too complicated for me to try to do it for her now. We are going to be moving out of town in the next couple of months, no public transport. We will not however be buying her a car (yet) she will have to share with me, which means she will have to respect the car and hopefully be careful. When I get fed up with sharing she will inherit a cheapo whether newly bought or an existing. The only reason we will sub a car for her is because there will be no public transport, which is our fault for moving and not her choice. If we were staying in town or if she doesn't like the car we provide for her, she'll be on her own. The thought of her driving herself terrifies me. I guess this is payback for me terrifying my Mum when I got my first 'ped.

Terribly sad so many people are getting killed on the roads. There's a long way to go to make the roads 'safe' round here for a large number of reasons.

Try driving on the 401 in Ontario, Wacky Races is the only way to describe it, a daily commute living hell. Canada's bad driver habits combined with drinking/pot smoking what else can happen other than fatalities. Get used to it or if you can't beat 'em join 'em!?!?! I would rather drive on the Peripherique in Paris than on the 401.

Despite the risks associated with driving, I think you have to let your kids learn to drive. The later you leave it the harder it will be for them to learn.

Also the number of road accidents per capita in Canada has consistently been on a downward trend, even though there are plenty of idiot drivers still around.

think its the same all over rural canada ...DD is a way of life for some.
my 15.5--16 yr old daughter has just passed her written test to get her licence ..
and she thinks i am going to let her out in my 5.3 ltr ..v8 .....no bloody chance!!
both the wife and i both learned on a 1.1 metro ...

My daughter was learning in a Dodge 3500 dually thing. The guy told her to look for the big white truck when she came out of drivers ed, I tried to ease her mind and said it would probably be a Ranger or a F150, you can imagine my surprise when she turned up at home in a BIG white truck

Well driving is the most dangerous form of transport, but it's also acceptable. Every time you get behind the wheel there's a measurable chance you won't come back, more so than other forms, but car cultures seem blind to that. Cars are more dangerous than guns and it's way to easy to get a license to be able to use one.