Should Driving Age Be Raised Essay

Teenagers are more likely to speed than older drivers because people have less developed brains at the ages of 16 or 17 than at 21 or 22. As a result, one in four teenagers are aggressive drivers and almost twenty percent of teenagers admit that they enjoy speeding, as stated in the New York Times. Drunk driving is a recent problem even among adults. Although drinking and driving is illegal, and drinking under the age of twenty one is illegal, twenty-five percent of all fatal car crashes caused by teens involve an underage drunk driver. Teenagers also have the lowest rate of seat belt use, and seat belts are the most effective way of reducing accidents. In addition, texting while driving is the number one cause of car accidents among teenagers due to the development of social media. This causes teens to drive while looking down at their phones, which can eventually put them in the hospital. Therefore, raising the driving age to 21 will prevent teens from dying due to car accidents-- the number one cause of teen deaths in 2013, according to the CDC Injury

Shari Roan in “Should the driving age be raised” talks about the controversial issue all American families face when it comes to teens driving and the safety of others. She states that in a nationwide analysis the number of fatal crashes between the ages 16 and 17 year old drivers have fallen and the number of fatal crashes between the ages of 18 and 19 year old drivers have risen by almost the same amount. She states that the combination of immaturity and inexperience makes teen drivers particularly vulnerable to motor vehicle accidents. She also explains that car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens resulting in 4,054 fatalities in 2008 according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington Va.

Many people think that the driving age should be moved up to age 18 or 21 for teenage drivers in the U.S. I believe that that idea is a futile idea and will not be very effective.

Many states have increased the driving age at which teens can begin driving because of safety concerns. Some people say that teens need to understand how to handle situations or be more mature. Others would say that teens need to be more aware of the dangers that come with driving. The age requirement to drive should not be raised because driving gives one freedom, driving allows teens to work, and driving teaches responsibility.

Teen driving allows American youth to have their license between the ages 13-15. At this age, our American youth are more likely to be careless while driving without supervision. The younger teen drivers are the more susceptible to fatal car accidents they will be due to the lack of supervision and proper driver’s education. Lack of maturity and experiences leads to developing poor driving habits. The teens in the age group 16-18 are usually more mature in handling a motorized vehicle. States that allow 13-15 year old teens drive are more likely to get in more car crashes from driving earlier and not having enough experience.

“Driving mishaps can happen to anyone, but they happen all too frequently to teenage drivers because of their lacking significant experience behind the wheel…in recent years, safety experts, elected officials, and public policy experts have focused on strengthening such state laws with the goal of making the roads safer for teens. ” (Andrews, 2) New laws should be made to keep teens and the road a safer place.  The driving age should be raised to 18 to reduce many dangers.

Raising the age was not an idea based on opinions. Over the years many people and organizations have recorded facts and statistics to support their claims. An example shown on CBS News, shows that “More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Safety Administration” (CBS NEWS). One huge influence on the topic was the Insurance Institutes for Highway Safety, they created a seventeen page memo filled with statistics and examples of how raising the age is a necessity. This is not the first attempt to use statistics to support the appeal to raise the age. The Seattle Times states, “The example the institute uses most prominently is New Jersey, the only state with a minimum driver's license age of 17. The report cited a study from 1992-96 in which the rate of crash-related deaths among 16- and 17-year-olds was 18 per 100,000 in New Jersey, compared with 26 per 100,000 in Connecticut, which had a minimum driver's license age of 16 and 4 months” (Willette). Overall the argument that raising the age will result in less teen deaths while driving is highly justified. There are frequent examples and a huge amount of research that proves that younger drivers are more likely to cause harm or damage than an older, more experienced driver.

Should the minimum driving age be raised? In the article Traffic Safety Facts the NHTSA states that, 5,864 15 - 20 year old drivers were involved in fatal crashes in 2008, which is a 27% decrease from the crashes in 1998. This is still a big number, and has been tried to be reduced by New Jersey, but ended up not doing much, and instead added and increase of car crashes to an older age group. The minimum driving age should not be raised to allow teens to gain experience, learn responsibility, while staying safe altogether.

If the age of driving is raised that would’t give teen a sense of responsibility at a young age. Parents always whine because teens aren’t being responsible enough. One way for a teen to gain responsibility is by teaching them to drive so they can learn how to manage money, get a job, and be a responsible behind the wheel. One way to teach a teen how to drive responsible is by talking and showing what they need to do when they drive when the teen gets their permit. When it comes to driving teens need to know when the car is acting up, how to work everything in the car, to have a clean car, be sure they know to keep the car gassed up, know how to check the oil, to follow the laws, and many different items.

The big debate as to whether the legal driving age should be raised to eighteen is an ongoing issue. There are both arguments for and against this matter. Younger drivers, as well as old ones, can cause many life-threatening accidents; therefore, raising the minimum driving age could significantly reduce the number of accidents. The accident rates can be lowered considerably if the legal driving age is bumped up to eighteen. This would mean that no more kids could get hurt or worse, killed in a car accident.

On the counterclaim side if the driving age is raised to 18 then it will save young lives.On Average about nine teens ages 16-19 are killed everyday from car wrecks. If it's raised to 18 then there won’t be as many teens ages 16 and 17 killed in car wrecks. A lot of teens lose their lives a year do to car accidents. On average about 6,000 teenagers die a year due from car wrecks. So that's why it might be a good idea. According to( DRIVE-SAFELY.NET) “ A sixteen year old is almost twice as likely to die in a car crash then a 30 year old.”

Insert Creative Title Here Thirty-three percent of deaths among thirteen to nineteen-year-olds occurred in vehicle crashes. Fifty-six percent of teens said they talk on the phone while driving. Statistics show that more sixteen year old drivers die a year in car crashes than any other age. So, the state should raise the driving age. Teens are more likely to get in a car crash than older drivers.

If the age limit were raised to the age of eighteen, it would give teenagers time to practice on driving skills and safety regulations of the road. Furthermore, if teens are given more time to practice and understand specific guidelines, it will gradually make them better drivers and help them recognize smart driving skills.

Cars and driving have transformed the world ever since it was invented. It makes getting from point A to point B a lot easier and faster. Being able to drive is one of those steps in life that people make into becoming adults.Although driving can be very dangerous, the legal age to drive should not be raised to eighteen because it allows teenagers to get jobs early in life to help provide for their family, allows teenagers to be more independent, and helps them learn how to be responsible earlier in life.

Rising the driving age would not only stress teenagers out it will put a financial burden on their parents. Many people say 16 is too young to operate a motor vehicle. In my opinion 16 is the best age to start learning the rules of the road and learning the responsibilities that come with driving. Raising the driving age would mean that 18 year olds would have to learn to move out on their own away from home, start looking for career paths they would like to take in life, and on top of all of that learn the rules of the road. I feel as if that is way too much to take on all at once.