Well, I’m glad I don’t have any kids. I’ve got enough gray/white hair as it is, thank you.
On one hand, 16 year olds shouldn’t be let anywhere near a car. Mentally, they are still small children and are incapable of rational decision making. The human brain doesn’t finish assembling itself until about age 25, and the last part to mature is the frontal cortex, where responsible decision-making, judgment, and balancing pros and cons is done.
On the other hand, no one wants to raise the age of majority to 25, or even back to 21 (which was an excellent compromise). At some point, teens need to pick up driving experience while they’re still in learning mode.
What I would suggest is a very drawn-out schedule of supervision. No one should be allowed to solo until they’re at least 18 and have 2 years of driving with a parent or legal guardian beside them. Teens are just too reckless by themselves (remember, they’re invincible). Sure, this will be a hardship on the few teens who are very mature and responsible, as well as those who need to drive to a job. But face it, do teens really need the keys to drive to school every day, or drive to the mall to hang out? No! What they need is close supervision at all times, being carefully exposed to more and more challenging situations after they’ve mastered the basics. If I had teens, that’s what I’d do.