Raising Minimum 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.

“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.

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

Teenagers have the highest crash rate when driving, but changing the age will not impact the amount of crashes happening by new drivers. If the legal driving age is increased, crashes will still happen because of new drivers and the only thing different will be the word used to describe the people crashing. Instead of teenager it will be young adult. This won’t affect the likelihood of a person crashing, or how well someone drives.

The teen driving age should be raised. Ages sixteen to nineteen are more likely to be involved in a crash. Car crashes kill more U.S. teenagers than any other cause. Not wearing a seatbelt, and texting and driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence. Inexperience driving is also a major factor in teenage driving. Some people believe that the driving age should be raised because young adults die from less experience and less maturity. No one would want to lose an older or younger sibling. The driving age should be raised because the most car crashes involved the age group sixteen to nineteen, teenager do not like wearing seatbelts, and teens are more likely to text and drive.

Because of safety concerns, many states have increased the age at which teenagers can begin to drive. Virginia's legislatures are considering raising the minimum driving age from sixteen to eighteen years old. I believe this is an excellent idea because of safety concerns. Raising the age would allow time for young drivers to acquire maturity and needed experience. Scientists have proven many health problems occur to younger drivers

Should the minimum driving age be raised? In the article Traffic Safety Facts the NHTSA states that, 5,864 15 - 20 year old drivers were involved in fatal crashes in 2008, which is a 27% decrease from the crashes in 1998. This is still a big number, and has been tried to be reduced by New Jersey, but ended up not doing much, and instead added and increase of car crashes to an older age group. The minimum driving age should not be raised to allow teens to gain experience, learn responsibility, while staying safe altogether.

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.

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.

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

Teenage drivers on the road, a controversial topic, one that forces society to choose. Furthermore, the choices are to either be for, or against this matter. Statistically speaking, 16-year-olds should be able to drive since they’re not that dangerous on the road, however, numerous heated debates are happening, as to whether or not to raise the minimum driving age. Younger drivers, like older ones, can cause many life-threatening accidents, consequently, raising the driving age should decrease the number of accidents, right?

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

In recent days, an auto safety group has brought light to the idea that the driving age should be raised to the age of 18, I believe this would do our country a great deal of service in effective safety measures. In 2011, about 2,650 teens were killed in motor vehicles meaning that around 7 teens per day were dying in crashes(CDC). The alarming rate of deaths by teenagers in car accidents is something that can be properly stopped with more preparation before taking their drivers exam. I believe that this measure should be put into law to effectively help our nations youth's safety.

What does Sweden, Victoria, and The Netherlands have in common? The answer is they are the countries and for Victoria a state with the lowest teen road accident per population and their strict road laws like the minimum driving age of 18 and complexity of obtaining a drivers license juxtapose to another country like America, with the minimum driving age of 16. American teens are involved in over 240,000 fatal motor accidents per year. That is approximately six teens who would end up in the emergency room every day due to motor accidents.

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.