Legal Driving Age

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

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.

Adolescents can be immature, careless and reckless, especially when they’re trying to show off to their other friends. The general public somewhat views eighteen as an appropriate age at which young people grow into adults. As a result, driving should be one of those privileges and responsibilities of being welcomed into adulthood. On the other hand, permitting young people to drive at the same age as they are allowed to consume legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine surely is a big step in the wrong direction. By agreeing to let young people to have the responsibility to drive without the attraction of illegal drugs, nonetheless, you are giving them an opportunity to learn, first hand, the real risks, threats and encounters of driving, hopefully being able to benefit young people make better and more responsible decisions whilst driving. Not only is driving not equal to that of drinking or smoking as it requires an ability test, but those who do drive have to abide to strict laws and registrations. Adolescents are taught how to properly drive cars and have to be able to prove that they can perform to a specific level before they are able to get their licences.

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.”

Due to state safety concerns many states have raised the minimum legal age to drive. The state of Virginia, which is where I live, is now thinking of doing the same. This state should be looked at with careful consideration. The state of Virginia will look at all reasons why it should not be raised before coming to a conclusion. The driving age should not be raised because it would be much harder to get a job, having another driver in a large family can help with day to day tasks, and social freedom and growing up.

Many people think it is a good idea to change the driving age from 16 to 18. They think it would reduce crashes and stress on parents. They also think it would help out parents that has jobs. However, I believe raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18 is good because some people has a job, some have sports, and some people are responsible.

“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.

The reason for this is because teens do not make the right choices when they are driving. Other studies have shown that teens are also less likely to even put their seat belts on while they are driving their vehicles. This brings the danger and risk factors to a higher level as the one safety precaution is not being practiced. A number of teens driving under the influence have grown over the years. In a study done by Courts Info "In 2005 nearly 7,420 teens died or were injured in DUI crashes."

Teen drivers have the mentality were they are untouchable when behind the wheel. But it’s obviously to much to handle for them because when it comes to the facts to many teens die a year. In 2007, 4,200 teens in the U.S aged from 15-17 were killed and 400,000 were treated in the E.R for injuries because of car accidents (“Motor vehicle safety, Teen Drivers, page 1”). This just shows how irresponsible teens are while driving. In a national survey 12.5% of all high school students rarely wear seatbelts, this just asking too get hurt in case an accident happens (“Motor vehicle safety, Teen Drivers, page 1”). This just shows how teens have a bad mentality while driving. In 2005, 54% of teen deaths occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. This statistic shows that one more reason why a teen would want there license is to get to a party or go

If the age that a driver can legally get behind the wheel in a vehicle is increased, doing so won’t change the ability one has to drive. Most crashes occur because of inexperience and bad judgement, all of which are teachable. The main way to learn how to drive is to actually drive a car. Increasing legal age is

Did you know that 33% of teen deaths are caused by traffic accidents? Most teens that die in traffic accidents each year are2 16-20 years of age. Should they raise the driving age, or make you hold your learner's permit longer? I feel they should make you hold your learner’s permit longer to make you a more experienced driver.

entertainment? Youngsters are known for partying, sneaking out, drinking; when it is illegal and we can not have people like this causing chaos on our streets. Minors are also distracted too easily with the latest technology, friends and other passengers. Teenagers also like to eat, talk, and groom which is a distraction. A distraction is anything that could divert a person’s attention from their main task, which is driving. Studies have shown sixteen year olds are immature and their mind is not fully developed, and therefore should not be able to drive. They also do not have enough experience as most youth get their license at the age of sixteen and hardly practice safety on the roads before that. Teenagers consistently cause trouble, they should not be permitted to drive until eighteen years of age.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and young adults. More than 5,000 young people die every year in car crashes and thousands more are injured. Drivers who are 16 years old are more than 20 times as likely to have a crash, as are other drivers. There are two main reasons why teens are at a higher for being in a car crash and lack of driving experience and their tendency to take risks while driving. Teens drive faster and do not control the car as well as more experienced drivers. Their judgment in traffic is often insufficient to avoid a crash. In addition, teens do most of their driving at night, which can be even more difficult. Standard driver's education classes include 30 hours of classroom teaching and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training. This is not enough time to fully train a new driver. Teen drivers are more like to be influence by peers and other stresses and distractions. This can lead to reckless driving behaviors such as speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and not wearing safety belts. There is no safe amount that you can drink and still drive. Even one drink can influence your driving offences. “Nowadays, drunk driving has become driving while intoxicated, driving while impaired, driving while under the influence, operating while under the influence (impaired, intoxicated, or whatever), and in many

Third reason of accidents on the road is teenage drivers. “2,739 teenagers died in car accidents in the United States during 2008 ", (drivesteady.com). Some teenagers cause fatal accidents, because of immaturity and lack of experience. Teenagers are very impulsive. Although not intending to hurt anyone, they sometimes drive very aggressively. It is not difficult to find teenagers driving with one hand on the steering wheel, seat pushed back, and with loud music playing. In traffic they go wild, trying to seek attention. They underestimate the risk of what they are doing. All these acts result in serious consequences on the road. Many accidents of young drivers result from their own mistakes.