Preventing Teenage Driving In The United States

In my experience driving and riding with other people my age, teen drivers are much more reckless than other drivers. They don’t see the danger that comes with driving a vehicle; they just see their drivers license as more freedom. In some states, including my home state of Utah, there are laws against teens driving with other people who are not immediate family members until they are either 18, or have had their license for six months. From what I have seen, these laws are not followed because the driver wants to show off their new car to their friends. Driving is just a casual thing to most teenagers; it is not seen as dangerous

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.

Some suggestions have been to increase the driving age to twenty-one and older, however, the lack of experience would be heightened with a possible increase of driving under the influence since the legal drinking age is twenty-one. Therefore, instead of raising the driving age why doesn’t the state, or even community create a mandatory Driver’s Ed class, one for learning about driving and another for actually driving. This is due to the idea that teens are more likely to see the errors of their classmates and not want to make the same mistake, or see what to do in certain situations that a teen might not know about. For example, the majority of teens aren’t actually taught about what to do in case one's car starts hydroplaning, which is crucial for not only the driver but anyone around them on the road safety. This is due to how the cars wheels have no traction on the ground and if they accelerate, or brake they could lose control of their car even more so than they already had. Thus, providing a mandatory class for graduation for students aged sixteen through nineteen will give them the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge, so that they have a decreased chance of being involved in an

Teens make up about 8% of drivers in the world but, teens are involved in 20% of the accidents (“Protecting Our Children” n.p). As a result of getting a drivers license, teens don’t have to drive with their parents anymore which can be a big problem. Teens become careless when getting into a vehicle without a parent present. They want to cram in as many people as they can fit, turn up the radio, and have reckless amounts of fun being able to transport themselves for the first time. “The Insurance Institue of Highway Safety conducted endless amounts of research on teen accidents. They found that there is a high crash rate for new younger drivers than older more experienced ones due to their decision making and inexperience” (Lund 28). It has also been recorded that 17 and 18 year olds have also recorded less accidents than newly licensed drivers (Lund 28). Laura Mcelroy, police spokewomen, said, “Raising the driving age will save more lives, a more mature person behind the wheel will make better decisions” (“Shifting the Drving Age” 22). Older drivers are proven to have better decision making skills behind the wheel that would lead to less accidents and would end up saving more

After watching the video "Young Driver: The High Risk Years" Video, my view on driving has really changed. The reason teens take risks is because they think they are better drivers than they really are. Teens think they're invincible and that all that crashes you hear about would never happen to them. Teens also take risks because they overestimate their driving skills and they want to act "cool" and disobey the rules in front of their friends. Another reason that teenagers take risks when first driving is they were always so careful and fol the rules when their parents were with them, but now they feel they have complete freedom to do what they want so they feel that the rules don't apply to them and that will raise the risks.

In 2013, more than 2,500 teenagers died in the United States from motor vehicle crash injuries. Such injuries are by far the leading public health problem for young people 13-19 years old (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [IIHS], 2014). Drivers are not the only ones at risk. Teenagers who are passengers in others vehicles make up a startling 87% of the fatality statistic. Lack of driving experience, disregard for traffic laws, and quick access to full driving privileges contribute to teen death. To reduce teen driving fatalities, successful completion of driver education classes provided by public and private schools should be mandatory for all teenagers prior to receiving their driving permit.

Driving as a teen is needed they need that freedom. teen driving is rapidly rising, but there are good in teen driving.Although opponents claim that it would be safer to raise the driving age, they should not raise the driving age requirements because it teaches teens responsibility, teens need to be able to drive to get to school and activities, and allows them to get job opportunities.“But the newly released teens would have little practical experience in the world”, Teens need that experience(driving)in the world.it states it because teens need a piece of the real world.teens need to be able to drive to get to school, work and sports

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.

Beginning July 1, 2015, probationary license holders, drivers under the age of eighteen, will face new restrictions that limit when young drivers will be allowed on the road as well as how many passengers they may carry. Starting on July 1st, probationary license holders will not be allowed to drive between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. unless the driver is accompanied by a parent or has a work, school, or church exemption. These new restrictions are being put into place to help protect young drivers in addition to any others who may be on the road at that time. Teenage drivers make up only five percent of total licensed drivers but they are responsible for approximately thirteen percent of fatal accidents.

Getting a driver’s license is something that many teens look forward to. It gives them a sense of freedom and convenience. Driver’s licenses used to be given at age 16 to drivers who can demonstrate proficiency in operating a car. Driver’s licenses have been changed into a graduated system in recent years. Instead of just receiving a full license at age 16, there is a beginner’s permit that allows teens to practice driving a car with an adult present, a middle ground license (the intermediate license) that limits the number of passengers in a vehicle and the hours that they are allowed to be on the road, and an unrestricted full license. Even though graduated driver’s licenses limit teens freedoms,

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

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

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.

And although driving limitations are important for the safety and well-being of yourself and others, I think that the driving age in Utah should be lowered. Last year I lived in Idaho with my sister and I learned that you can take driver's ed and get your learner's permit while you are only fourteen years old and you get your license when you are fifteen. Here, in Utah, you have to be at least fifteen years old to start driver's ed and get your learner's permit.

In my opinion, I think that the number one problem for young drivers is inexperience. Although there are many other problems to face, inexperienced drivers is the number one reason. Teen drivers cause 14% of all car accident deaths and almost half of these instances occur on the weekends. One example of this is young drivers getting into incidents that they don’t know how to get out of. Another reason is immaturity, they don’t have enough experience yet to not make good enough decisions. The last aspect is distracted driving, and I’m not talking about call phones. Even though they are a big issue of today’s drivers, young and old.