Changing The Driving Age To 18 Essay

In the article “Driving to the Funeral” the author Anna Quindlen addresses the issue of the age to begin driving. She believes that the age 16 is far too young teenagers to begin driving. Driving at a too young of an age is one big reason that the way majority of teenagers die is because of automobile accidents. There isn’t enough limitations on young drivers, causing safety concerns. Parents shouldn’t allow their children to drive at such a young age, just because they want their kids to have “freedom and responsibility”.

Everyone has felt that feeling where they cannot wait to learn how to drive and to get behind the wheel. Little do they know, driving causes a number of deaths every year. Teen drivers are involved in more car-related accidents than any other drivers. The minimum driving age should be raised from 16 to 18 because 16 year olds are more accident prone, 18 year olds are more experienced, and a 16 year old’s brain is not as developed as it is at 18 years old.

Every day teens are given access to automobiles. Every day these young people go to their jobs, classes, and athletic practices. Do they all abuse their driving privileges? No. Then why restrict all teens, including the law-abiding and mature, by raising the driving age? This debate reaches all across the nation, to all levels of government, and many related laws and propositions can be found. If the driving age is increased, teenagers will have more difficulty getting jobs and gaining experience. On the other hand, if the driving age is 18, new drivers will have more maturity. So the question remains, should the legal driving age be 18 years old? No, the current driving age

Putting teens on the road at a young age as low as 15-16-years-old allows them to gain experience that will help them become more accustomed to the road when they get their driving licences at 18. As stated in the article, Teenage Driving Laws May Just Delay Deadly Crashes, it says “Many teenagers, rather than deal with the extra restrictions for 16-17 -year-olds, are simply waiting until they turn 18, and skipping the restrictions altogether. As a result, a greater proportion of inexperienced drivers hit the road” (40). This proves that teens who do not drive at 16 are more likely to get into car crashes, because they wait til 18 to avoid being restricted like the 16- 17- year-olds. Teens who skip the 16 -17-year-old restrictions are just starving themselves from gaining the early knowledge on driving that is needed to prevent fatal crashes. The same article also says that, “There have been 1,348 fewer deadly crashes involving 16-year-old

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.

There is a debate of whether or not the legal driving age should be lowered. This can effect citizens because there will be younger people driving. Some people think that younger people shouldn’t be driving. I believe that the legal age for driving should be lowered because people should learn early, the age is too high and they have more time to learn with their parents.

Evidence from the personal experience of teenagers is used (“…young drivers, only half said they had seen a peer drive after drinking…nearly all, however, said they had witnessed speeding…”); collective evidence (“It’s become a sad rite of passage in many American communities”); statistics (“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that neophyte drivers of 17 have about a third as many accidents as their counterparts only a year younger”) and (“Between July 2004 and November 2006, only 12 provisional drivers were tickets for carrying too many passengers”). The author also used common mores on teen safety; (“…parents will tell you that raising the driving age is untenable, that kids need their freedom…perhaps the only ones who won’t make a fuss are those parents who have accepted diplomas at graduation because their children were no longer alive to do

A variety of activities improve upon hours of practice, whether it be a hobby or a sport; this principle can be applied to driving because teenagers need at least 45 hours of driving practice before getting their driving license in the state of Virginia. If the Virginia standards require practice before approving teen drivers of being safe for the public, then two years worth of practice before the age of 18, when most teens leave home for college, will only polish their driving further to become more responsible drivers. More experience can lead to fewer traffic accidents among young adults and teenagers, which is one of the reasons why some people are against 16 year olds driving. Furthermore, if teenagers learn about the dangers of driving when they are 16, they are more likely to apply that on the road soon after they have learned it rather than two years later, when they have most likely forgotten about it. In short, being able to drive at 16 can give young drivers experience to improve their driving and prevent traffic accidents, as well as building their experience from what they remember from their Drivers' Ed class, making the roads safer from the

As teenagers are leaving their homes, cities, and in many cases, states, to attend colleges, driving has become an integral part in a teen’s life. However, many states are putting heavy restrictions on teen drivers to keep not only them safe, but the rest of the community as well. But that has not been enough- teen drivers still are a major problem on the road due partly to their lack of mental development. This has pushed some states to consider raising minimum driving age, eliminating the whole problem of inexperience in drivers. The minimum age should not raised, however, because it will not help the issue of road safety.

Teens can’t always rely on their parents to take them everywhere. Being able to drive at 16 maybe early, but it’s a new experience and helps parents out big time. Teens can take themselves to school, work, and sport activities.

One of the biggest things a teenager can accomplish in life is passing the driving license test and receiving their license. When teenagers meet the requirements to get their license it is a very exciting moment for them. Teens get that feeling that they are young adults once they received their license. Young teenagers feel very independent after get there license and start driving. A lot of young teens are ready to start driving so they can hang out with their friends, drive to work, and drive to school so they won’t have to ride the bus. Teens are so over whelmed but that don’t realize how important driving is. Driving takes skills and learning things to master it.

Right now in the United States, we have started a hard economic time. Many people are getting laid off and lots are losing their money. If teenagers were able to drive by themselves, they could find a job and transport themselves their without a parent. This would save the parent’s time and they wouldn’t have to spend their own money on gas since it isn’t their car. This way, we will be teaching our children responsibility also. The parents can also have their own teen

Teenager are ready to get on the road at the age of sixteen when it is legal to get your license. They are ready for freedom and ready for a big life ahead of them, little did they know it take responsible to drive a car because if you don’t follow the rules from the state or your parents, you can in up in a wreck. There are more teen driver that happen to get in a wreck than adults do. Teen drivers have a history of being unsafe drivers, so precautions have been made to limit wrecks caused by them. They have the basic skills to drive.

It allows teens to be able to go wherever whenever without having to rely on someone else to get them there. If the legal driving age was moved up to eighteen that would be two more years that a person must have other people drive them around. Parents have to worry about how they are going to get you places, and how you’re going to get picked up, which is a big hassle for them. This makes it easier to get to practices if you’re an athlete, or have any other kind of extra curricular practice or meeting after school. There is a late bus but it leaves really late and usually drops kids off a good distance from their

Teens need to be taught that driving is a task that is complex and demanding. Parents know how much experience a young driver has, and they know exactly how inconvenient it is when they have to drive with their teen everywhere while they have their permit. Teens tend to cause most traffic accidents in adults’ eyes. They are not experienced yet, and often fail to pay attention to others on the road. They often think of a car as being some type of toy, but they do not know how powerful it really is. The driver education programs must be strengthened in order to make sure that students really have safer habits, behind the wheel experience, and by having a better understanding of all the laws on the road.