Learner drivers should be older

While 51 per cent of the 1008 people surveyed nationally called for a higher driving age lifted, 72 per cent of South Australians favoured the increased age limit, followed by Canberra residents (62 per cent) and NSW and Queenslanders 54 per cent.

Some called for the driving age to be lifted to 21, according to the survey by Australian peer-to-peer car rental company DriveMyCar Rentals. Company spokesman Daniel Noble said the findings reflected their experience with 95 per cent of owners who preferred to rent their vehicles to drivers aged over 21.

However, the National Motorists Association of Australia has rejected raising the driving age. NMAA spokesman Michael Lane, of Sydney, says it is preferable to teach people to drive while they are younger.

"Try to teach them as young as possible because they are much more receptive to things and you have more control over them," he said.

"It's the one time you know more about something than they do. If you have to wait until they are older you are no longer the guru, just another old fart."

Lane says there is "no solid research" on increasing the driving age.

The minimum age varies around the country from 16.5 in South Australia to 18 in Victoria.

"There is research that shows a lot of crashes happen in the first year, but it doesn't say whether it's the first year at the age of 16, 17, 18, or 19," he said.

"If you change the minimum driving age, then you are just time-shifting their first year of driving and there are no benefits in safety. There is also the social factor; if you push the driving age up apprentices can't get to work and students can't get to uni. Mum and dad will be the taxi drivers. I'd like to see some good solid research on this, but at the moment it's just all waffle."