Driving: A Privilege Or Right?

[zyzzx]

My god!

You are actually debating this?

Opens a grade 2 dictionary...

priv·i·lege
   [priv-uh-lij, priv-lij] Show IPA noun, verb, priv·i·leged, priv·i·leg·ing.
noun
1.
a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most: the privileges of the very rich.
2.
a special right, immunity, or exemption granted to persons in authority or office to free them from certain obligations or liabilities: the privilege of a senator to speak in Congress without danger of a libel suit.
3.
a grant to an individual, corporation, etc., of a special rightor immunity, under certain conditions.
4.
the principle or condition of enjoying special rights or immunities.
5.
any of the rights common to all citizens under a modern constitutional government: We enjoy the privileges of a free people.

[FreeRights]

Many say that driving is a privilege I have always been a believer that driving is a right here's why !
First of all one must work to attain a drivers license the end result of a long process of many hours of study,practice,testing and financial cost.
Secondly one must acquire a vehicle most of us work hard to do this.
Then one must purchase insurance for that vehicle.
So after all that work and expense one has earned the right to drive a vehicle, however if one is not a responsible driver and found to be unfit to drive then one should lose that right !

It is a privilege, because it is not covered as a right in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

[Woodenhead]

It doesn't really matter. They're both made-up social-subjective constructs, and therefore non-concrete & fluid. (not to mention easily ignorable)

[dogspoiler]

It's neither, it's a choice, you choose to get a licence or not, you choose to have a vehicle or not, you choose to act in a manner that will preserve both or not. It is simply a choice of one of the many available options open to us.

[P_J_Manning]

A Right is given by law, and a Privilege has to be earned.

Driving is a Privilege. Practicing medicine is a Privilege. Posting on Castanet is a Privilege. Voting is a Right.

This^^

[zzontar]

A Right is given by law, and a Privilege has to be earned.

Driving is a Privilege. Practicing medicine is a Privilege. Posting on Castanet is a Privilege. Voting is a Right.

Hmmmm, it's the rights and laws that enable one to obtain a license and also to lose it. If you can prove at 14 yrs old that you're a competent driver, you will not be able to drive through privilege of earning a license alone, but must wait until you legally have the right to obtain a license.

[Glacier]

A privilege can be taken away; a right cannot be taken away no matter what you do because it is given at birth. Everyone has the right to vote when they turn 18, and anyone has the right to follow due process for attaining their driving privileges when they turn 16. If they mess up bad enough they will lose this privilege.

Even if they don't mess up, a privilege can be taken away. The government could say, "in order to curb GHG, we are going to ban everyone from driving." Since driving is a privilege and not a right, this can be done.

____________________________________________
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

[zzontar]

A privilege can be taken away; a right cannot be taken away no matter what you do because it is given at birth. Everyone has the right to vote when they turn 18, and anyone has the right to follow due process for attaining their driving privileges when they turn 16. If they mess up bad enough they will lose this privilege.

Even if they don't mess up, a privilege can be taken away. The government could say, "in order to curb GHG, we are going to ban everyone from driving." Since driving is a privilege and not a right, this can be done.

____________________________________________
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Rights can be given and taken away as well, like the rights for inmates to vote, which they didn't have at birth. On another note, Canada's Chief Electoral Officer and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer might consider voting as a privilege as it is not their right.

[Glacier]

The difference between a right and a privilege revolves around ownership. If you have ownership, then you have a right, but when it's something another entity owns it is a privilege. You have a right to drive your own car on your own land, but not so on a public road because you don't have sole ownership.

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=fjlzIBSFl0E

[Woodenhead]

Good post, Glacier. But I would add "both are subject to change, as laws / legislation may be amended." I mean, neither are concrete "things" - they're ideological / mental constructs.

But I'm being too analytical. lol

[jimsenchuk]

I think we are pretty damned privileged compared to some.

You may think you are, but you are not, the govt's have the power, not the people

[KL3-Something]

The courts at several levels have stated that driving a motor vehicle on roads in not a right

R. v. Ladouceur, 1990 CanLII 108 (SCC), [1990]

" . . . Proper laws and regulations are necessary to regulate the privilege of driving a motor vehicle on public thoroughfares. [Emphasis added]"

Galaske v. O'Donnell, 1994 CanLII 128 (SCC)

"The driving of a motor vehicle is neither a God-given nor a constitutional right. It is a licensed activity that is subject to a number of conditions, including the demonstration of a minimum standard of skill and knowledge pertaining to driving."

Buhlers v. British Columbia (Superintendent of Motor Vehicles), 1999 BCCA 114 (CanLII)

In summarizing Galaske v. O'Donnell stated: "In Galaske v. O'Donnell, 1994 CanLII 128 (SCC), [1994] 1 S.C.R. 670, at p. 686, it was noted that the driving of a motor vehicle is neither a God-given nor a constitutional right. Rather, it is a privilege granted by licence.

Then, in summarizing R. v. Pontes, 1995 CanLII 61 (SCC) stated:
" There is no fundamental right to drive a motor vehicle, any more than there is a fundamental right to own a gun or any other instrument of potential destruction. It is a privilege, a privilege which, sadly, is often abused with tragic repercussions. A legislature can provide for consequences which are to attach when this privilege is abused and stipulates standards of behaviour for continued licensing."

There are lots of other court decisions that state the same thing, that driving is a privilege, not a right. But to post them all would be kind of redundant since the above decisions come from the Supreme Court of Canada.

[Woodenhead]

Whether a right or privilege: they are just words; merely subjective mental constructs. Heck, you can take away my "priv" to drive, and I can still drive without fear of being persecuted for it, situationally.

[TMixer]

As long as you have a license, it's your right to drive. Not too hard.

[GordonH]

As long as you have a license, it's your right to drive. Not too hard.

Throw this out their: Is getting a drivers license a right or privilege.

just wondering