scrambledeggs said:
Granted, allowing 18 year olds to drive home from a club would increase the number of designated drivers and reduce drunken walkers and violence, but would simultaneously, no doubt, increase the number of intoxicated drivers who fell to peer pressure and had a beer, then decided to drive home rather than leave their car in the city and catch a cab. It's a delicate balance between a large number of factors. I'm not saying I don't agree with you, I'm just putting the other side of the argument out there.
I think it fair that demerit points should be limited. My brother has been fined twice, once for talking on his phone while driving and once for driving across double white lines (he is on his Ps), and he hasn't lost his license. However, I think that if you choose to drink and drive, considering the risk you partake to not only yourself but any other road users or pedestrians, you deserve to lose your license, regardless of whether you're a P plater or you have your full license.
You can get your learners at sixteen, your P plates at seventeen, your red P plates at 19, and your full license at 20. It's a 4 year process and, honestly, I think anyone that complains about the length is a bit of a noob. Clearly - the longer you restrict the number of people in the car after a certain time in which people are liable to be drunk and extremely distracting to an amateur driver, the safer and more experienced people will be. Oh and 95% of my friends my age work.
Hope I bettered your understanding