Editorial: The driving age

When do you become an adult?
I guess the answer to that question depends on who's asking and why.
We all mature at different rates (the courts are full of examples of the slowest) and the laws of this country have to draw the line at some point which applies across the board.
For example, the drinking age, about which there has been much debate in recent years.
We all know of (or once were) teenagers who turn into right idiots when drinking alcohol. Just as we all know of adults who do the same.
We also know there are plenty of mature 18-year-olds who deserve to be treated as the adults they have grown into.
It doesn't seem unreasonable to accept that 18-year-olds should be considered adults, especially when you take into account the legal age for joining the army (17), living with a partner and/or having sex (16), getting married with parents' permission (16) or being charged with murder or manslaughter (10).
It's at these ages the authorities deem we have sufficient responsibility.
And until now they've considered 15-year-olds to be responsible enough to drive.
This week Parliament passed new laws including raising the driver-licence age to 16 and bringing the alcohol limit for drivers under 20 down to zero.
It's not surprising there are those resistant to these changes, as there always are when freedoms are being restricted.
But it's hard to argue against the sense of this move.
I usually hate it when politicians compare New Zealand to other countries when trying to make a point.
Other countries are different, and what works for them won't necessarily work for us.
But in this case it can be quite instructive. In much of the world you have to be 17 or 18 to drive.
Of course, everyone cycles in most of those countries, while this is a nation in love with the automobile, but it does help put the issue in perspective.
Of all the various ages of responsibility in this country, the one that involves letting a teenager behind the wheel of a 2-tonne machine hurtling down public roads shouldn't be one of the lowest.
Is 16 the right age? Probably. I'm not sure. Is it better than 15? Yes.