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Getting around Bonaire: Driving Age
Bonaire Talk: Getting around Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999 - 2006: Archives - 2006-06-01 to 2006-12-31: Driving Age
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brian O'Donnell (BonaireTalker - Post #37) on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 6:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Does anyone know what the minimum driving age is for rentals on Bonaire? My son will be 17 when we go in Feb and we'd like to have a chauffeur.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4723) on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 6:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Brian, The minimum age is 21 -25 depending on the rental agency's policy. You would have to ask them that directly, but I know that 17 is not going to work with any of them. Sorry about being the bearer of bad news. I checked the website: infobonaire.com to be sure before I posted.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harrie Cox (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #446) on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 12:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The applicable law does not allow a driving age of lower then 18. The rental agencies are free to ask a higher age. So you better look for another chauffeur....

Harrie

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brian O'Donnell (BonaireTalker - Post #38) on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 1:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the information. He wanted to drive because his parents are a little more adventurous than he'd like us to be (we have a tendency to "explore" that little dirt road...)

I guess he'll have to put up with us for a few more years.

Brian

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #507) on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 1:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Brian,

We don't know each other, but you sound like a nice person. If you would be so kind as to foward me the airfare and lodging I would be willing SACRIFICE some of my personal vacation time and be your driver. Heck I'll even be so kindly as to buy my own food and airfills!

I mean...afterall.... it's people helping people that counts!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2518) on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 2:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Harrie, so when Maggie is 16 and has her US license she cannot drive my privately owned car??

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous (BonaireTalker - Post #22) on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 2:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I guess Harrie's asleep. SO I'll answer it for him: No, Maggie will not be allowed to drive on Bonaire, as Antillean & Dutch law only allows drivers of 18 years of age and over.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #247) on Monday, December 11, 2006 - 8:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

No exceptions to that? 18 is pretty stringent for a driving age. By the time I turned 18, I had already been living on my own for a year and a half. It would have been pretty tough to manage without being allowed to drive.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous (BonaireTalker - Post #38) on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 - 4:31 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sorry Wayne, no exceptions at all, at least not under Dutch law. This is also the policy in most European countries. I think the reason behind it is that a disproportionate amount of traffic deaths is down to young drivers. Also, it must be a bit of a habit, as it has been like this as long as I can remember. There is talk now in Holland of letting a small amount of 17 year olds take driving lessons to get used to driving, as an experiment with that in Germany has shown that it reduces 11% of tragic accidents in the first year after getting a driving licence.

 


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