Editorials
November 20, 2008 12:04 AM
Is Ontario becoming a nanny state?
It may be. But perhaps, in the case of new young driver restrictions coming this week, that’s what’s needed in an age when many young adults behave like children and many parents indulge their adult children’s juvenile behaviour.
We are referring, of course, to new restrictions on drivers until 22.
Under legislation to be proposed this week, there would be zero tolerance for speeders and anyone consuming alcohol, and a ban on having more than one teenaged passenger in a vehicle being driven by another teen.
“Perhaps the most precious thing we have in society is our children, and that includes our older children,” Premier Dalton McGuinty said.
The legislation is in direct response to the deaths of three young people in the Muskokas this summer.
The 20-year-old driver plunged his Audi into a river after he and three friends consumed 31 drinks over a three-hour period at a bar in Port Carling. One survived. Unbeknownst to the 20-year-old’s father, the young man had a history of speeding violations. The father has been lobbying the government to change the laws ever since.
A nanny state is one where those in government believe it is their duty to protect citizens from their own behaviour, be it with junk food or trans fats, smoking, drinking or cellphones.
One can see how certain laws are in place to protect children when their parents don’t have the good sense to make the right decisions for them. But, eventually, our children are no longer children.
In this province, the age of majority is 18 (even though the drinking age is 19), when they can marry, vote, go off to war, sign contracts and make decisions for themselves. Sadly, that does not mean they necessarily behave like adults or make good decisions. Thus, the legislation, which, in effect, will put off the age of adulthood in Ontario to 22.
These changes may save lives. But it will be at the expense of the rights of responsible young adults out there, who, once again, are punished for the reckless behaviour of a few.
While the goal of the proposals may have merit, their practicality is questionable. It may be a long time since most MPPs attended their last teen bash, but surely they can see restrictions on the number of teens in one vehicle could simply result in more teen-driven cars on the road on a Saturday night.
If we don’t trust them to drive sober and obey speed limits to begin with, that’s hardly an improvement in terms of public safety. If you’re a parent whose kids aren’t yet 22, you’ll have to keep the word ‘chauffeur’ on your resume for a few more years.