Driving Age 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

There are about 2,000,000 sixteen year old drivers in United States, meaning that almost 2,000,000 million people depend on the current driving age for many things. Having a license at age 16 gives that person opportunities they wouldn’t be able to have without the freedom a car gives, such as getting a job that could help their family, driving themselves to school or sports practice if their parents can’t or being able to see their friends when they want. Having your license at 16 also gives teens a taste of independence and responsibility. The driving age has to stay at sixteen because teens and families depend on it for many things and it introduces a sense of responsibility for the teen.

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.

Copeland’s article is meant to inform parents of their effects on teen’s driving behaviors. Their actions behind the wheel let their children know what is okay to do and what is not. If parents are aware of this then it would help them try to set a good example. This academic journal is a reliable source that comes from the database Academic Search Elite, provided by school’s online database systems.

The writer of the passage, Alex Koroknay-Palicz, says “If your neighbor robs a bank, should you go to jail? If your classmate gets in an accident, should your license be taken away?” Opponents also show that research says that experience, not age, is what causes teens to statistically worse at driving than adults. They compare the argument of advocates to saying that men shouldn’t be able to drive because they are statistically more likely to be in accidents than women. They also bring up that teens have to deal with the same things as adults. The need to be able to get to a job. Without a car, they cannot.

The article, "States Urged to Raise the Driving Age" says, "We are worrying too much about teen drivers and not enough about others who cause serious problems on the road. The intense focus on teens diverts our attention from the real threats to public saftey". Some of these threats include drunk driving, speeding, carjacking and texting while driving. There is too much emphesis on teen accidents while these threats are just as dangerous. Therefore, raising the legal driving age will not

Is it really safe to drive a car or be a passenger in one? Does the age of other drivers on the road make it any safer? Some states in the U.S want to raise the minimum driving age from 16 to 18. Albeit many drivers, and passengers alike, may think the minimum driving age should be raised to 18 because of the number of traffic accidents caused by younger drivers, the minimum driving age should remain at 16 because the responsibility of having a car can influence teenagers to be more responsible with other aspects of their lives, teens would not have to rely on their parents for transportation, and it could help adolescents build up experience to improve their driving.

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.

Statistics show that ‘in 2011, about 2,650 teens in the United States aged 16-19 were killed’ and almost 300,000 teens were severely injured from fatal crashes. Every day, 7 teens die from car crashes/injuries. Newly licensed drivers who are aged 16-19 are at a higher risk of fatal crashes than drivers aged 20 and over. As well, many of these crashes are caused by teens that text, talk, or drink and drive. Inexperienced drivers, who are many 16 -19 year olds in the United States cause higher insurance, accidents and crashes, and so, the legal driving age should be increased to 18.

A driver’s license and a set of cars keys are every teenager’s wish at age sixteen and most parents worst nightmare. Most teenagers seem invincible at this age as they back out from the driveway. The parents cringe at the sight of the car leaving the driveway. Mom and Dad pray for the safe return of their child, while the teen’s heart races for freedom. Is sixteen a safe age for teenagers to be behind the wheel? Many factors such as distracted driving play a crucial role in the cause of fatal crashes for teenagers, however can increasing the legal driving age from sixteen to eighteen be a life-saver for teens.

If the teenage driving age gets brought up to 18, we face two problems. One being they won’t gain experience driving. Number two, parents are going to get more pressure put on them to take their under-aged children everywhere.

The current driving age of sixteen is implemented in almost every state in the United States. Most states have become accustomed to the current driving age, but recently there are certain states that believe that the legal driving age should be raised due to various reasons. The main argument for most states is that sixteen-year old’s are not mature enough and lack the preparation to handle the responsibility to drive safely. Teenagers under the age of eighteen should be required to wait longer to get their license and should be more prepared before getting their license.