Give Them a Brake, Maintaining the Legal Driver's Licenses at Age Sixteen

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.

Maturity and rationalization is not yet achieved or experienced by teenagers. In the era of technology there are several distractions for drivers of any age to maneuver. Parents can play an educational role by enrolling their teen into a driver’s educational program. Some states require students to complete a comprehensive graduated drivers licensing (GDL) program prior to receiving their license. The brain function is still developing in teenagers and may impede the quick thinking process necessary to become a responsible driver. For the safety and welfare of teenagers the age requirement in Arizona for a driver’s license should be increased from 16 to 18 years of 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 proposed alternative to raising the driving age is a GDL. A GDL, or a graduated driver’s license, gives teens more freedoms depending on how much they have driven. Advocates say that it gives teens the time they need to practice before having complete freedom. The opponents say it limits the time they have to practice due to restrictions on when teens can drive. Another reason opponents give for not having a GDL is that it makes it harder for teens to get jobs because they have limited hours when they can drive. The argument for “for” and “against” are similar to the arguments for a higher driving

A lobby that speaks out against teen driving is Mothers against driving, who say that drinking and driving is the easiest ways that teenage driving accidents can occur. “Given the incidence of auto-accident deaths among teenagers, despite the higher drinking age, you have to ask whether the powerful lobby Mothers Against Drunk Driving simply targeted the wrong D.” This quote demonstrates an ethos because it is given from an incredibly large and reliable count, a lobby group opposing drinking and driving underage. Their reliability makes us comfortable believing the information and its accountability. Anna Quindlen can also be believed to be a reliable source. “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.” Quindlen collects facts from people who have studied this subject to reinforce her beliefs on changing the driving age. He retrieves factual information on the subject from people who have researched it. This gives us a credible first hand facts so we can get in depth and accurate information on the

Teenage drivers are more likely to get into an accident than someone who is in there 30’s. This is mostly because of maturity in the brain. Scientist have proven “that critical parts of the brain involved in decision-making are not fully developed until years later at age 25 or so.” Teen drivers do not think about what could happen, or the lives they might have in

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

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.

The national Highway traffic safety Administrations state that “In 2008, 12 percent (5,864) of all drivers involved in fatal crashes (50,186) were young drivers of age 15 to 20 years old. Also that 14 percent (1,429,000) of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes (10,081,000) were young drivers.” It’s a small fraction compared to the fatal crashed made by people between the ages of 25 and 54. However, between the ages of 21 and 24 have the third least fatal crashes made. It is concluded that after a certain point in time of learning and experience on the road that one can get better. Sometimes a person needs to be able to drive at a younger age, and not only to

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.

Teen driving is unsafe and dangerous, teen driving is the leading cause of teenage deaths in the United States with more than 5,000 teens dying a year. 17 year old Weston Griggs, killed himself and the 2 passengers he had in his car. But, this accident was no accident. Weston was going 70 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. The issue in this story is that young drivers like Weston, inexperienced and full of adrenaline are just hurting them selves and others by getting behind the wheel at such a young age. Teens between the ages 15 through 17 do not belong on the road. Outrageous amounts of teens are dying every year and these numbers are not changing, so why keep them on the road? Teen driving in the United States have three main problems

Should teenagers need a graduated license to drive? This passage debates wether or not a teen should be 18 and get his license. Or if he needs to graduate to get a license. Or that the law should stay the same. This passage does give goo information for each statement and opinions.

“I am superman; I am invincible”, is what one young man thought of himself on August 30, 2009. He left a friend’s house with a young woman in the car with him; it was a dark night and he was feeling good about himself. He thought he would try to impress the young girl and went way too fast. As he topped the hill, he ran off the road, over-corrected, and lost control of his vehicle. The accident claimed both their lives. Numerous car accidents involve young teenage drivers. Raising the minimum driving age to 16 would greatly reduce the number of automobile accidents involving teen drivers because they lack experience on the road, they lack maturity, and they would have less accidents resulting in safer roads.

New findings from brain researchers at the National Institutes of Health show why efforts to protect young teens usually fail. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex is to blame or the part of the brain that weighs risks, make judgments, and controls impulsive behavior. The researchers at the National Institutes of Health show that this part of the brain is not fully developed and normally isn't fully developed until 25. This slow developing process plays many dirty tricks on young teens, whose hormones are churning. While their bodies turn more adult like, these hormones encourage more risk taking and thrill seeking. These hormones then fire up the limbic system or the part of the brain responds to pleasure and this makes it difficult for young teens to make quick wise decisions. This undeveloped part of the brain also makes it difficult for teens to realize what the long term consequences of certain decisions such as driving fast or driving drunk. When a teen is driving fifteen to twenty miles per hour over the speed limit the limbic system the part of the brain that responds to pleasure, is working perfectly, but the part that warns of negative consequences is all but useless. Also when the limbic system is fired up teens will overestimate their driving skills and they forget how little training and experience they have. Many if not all of these problems with teen driving can be avoided if we just