i watched on the news or some program just recently (within the last few weeks) that they were thinking of doing psychiatric tests or maturity tests before you could get your licence (would prevent all the idiots and immature/spoilt brats from getting their licence) and i thought that was a reasonable idea...

then, just as goes for bikes (which has been mentioned multiple times in this thread already already) have a licence for little cars or lower powered cars for about a year or so and then maybe another test to gauge whether or not the driver can handle a performance car (which should include driver training, before or after the test whatever)

the thing is, WHAT would be performance then? and then you would have to define performance... a big V8 that just goes from side to side when you put the foot down from a standstill or something that just has so much torque or boost and then you have to think how much torque and boost etc etc?

personally i went from a 25 year old Civic Hatchback POS where i drove like an idiot, then a V6 and thought that was even better and then a 180sx and the step up to the turbo really did change my view on performance and driver attitude - you could be a bigger dickhead FASTER than you could with the previous cars... then the GTT came along and then the EVO VI and now the STI... thing is, with the GTT i went to driver training and from then i've figured that driver training PLUS driver attitude is the combination and is the difference from success and failure - it also taught me that if you're going to spend a good 20k after you've had a $500 POS you do realise the money is well spent not just on the motor but also the safety equipment and the technology invested for better/safer driving

if i hopped in the EVO first thing i would be dead only because when you're untrained AND immature you cannot help yourself getting carried away (generally speaking) and then when you're caught up in a bad situation cannot get out of it because you have no idea how to or have had no training whatsoever

the combination of the maturity test and driver training i think is something that will improve the quality of the driver's skills here in WA for sure (i say this because my spoilt little brat cousin had her daddy buy her a stupid Yaris and she is the most immature and stupid twat out there and has no common sense and i do not feel safe having her on the road even in a Yaris) i can also say for sure (and i'm sure most of you can agree here) that with driver training and track days etc. you become a much better driver and even better than those people that have been driving in normal day to day traffic for 20 years that can't merge and park for peanuts (i'm only 21 going onto 22 so have been driving for about 5 years now)

sorry for the rant guys but it's been on my mind for ages and this topic always comes up... to sum it up maturity/psychiatric tests before you get your licence and then a performance car/driver training test to pass to even consider purchasing/driving a high performance car (depending on what people end up defining as "performance") is what i think will make this whole idea a success

my2c of course