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Teens And Drunk Driving

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Teen Drivers, driving themselves into trouble

The day a teenager gets their license is an unforgetable moment. Not having to count on their parents to chauffeur them around is like a dream come true. Even though getting your license can be a life changing moment, getting into a car accident caused by distracted driving and is a result of texting or drunk driving could also change your life forever. There is roughly 13.2 million licensed drivers in the United States, and on average nine of those teens each day are killed in a fatal car accident (Lund 28). Newly licensed drivers, even though passed their test, are not ready for the responsibility and unexpected things to happen out on the road when driving a car. In result, The drivng age should …show more content…

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 …show more content…

Tests have showed that the brain isn’t fully developed until someone is around 25 years old. (“Understanding the Teen Brain” n.p). Insurance Institute of Highway safety also states that teens are more likley to engage in risky practices. (“Protecting Our Children” n.p) Showing that a newly licensed driver would not make the best decisions on the road and would planning on drinking and texting when opporating a vechicle. In 2014, 8.7 million teens ages 12-18 reported that they have drank more than a sip of alcohol. Teens of all ages agreed that they have been overly intoxicated more than once and would undgo in that risky behavior. Teens become less alert and make more reckless decisons when drunk, and in result cause more accidents. Texting is another way teens can become distracted when driving. Teens have stated that 70% of them used apps or have sent a text message when behind the wheel of a car (“Driving While Distracted” n.p). Thousands of drivers are killed each year due to distracted driving most of them being teens (“Driving While Distracted” n.p). Distracted and intoxicated driving are both types of behavior that teens encounter when getting the freedom to do

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