The Effects Of Driving On Young Adults

In the article “Driving to the Funeral” the author Anna Quindlen addresses the issue of the age to begin driving. She believes that the age 16 is far too young teenagers to begin driving. Driving at a too young of an age is one big reason that the way majority of teenagers die is because of automobile accidents. There isn’t enough limitations on young drivers, causing safety concerns. Parents shouldn’t allow their children to drive at such a young age, just because they want their kids to have “freedom and responsibility”.

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

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.

A driving education course will remove any questions and concerns a young driver many experience ultimately making them more suitable for the road. With many of the current driving accidents tied to teens, we notice teen drivers need further training. When such training is implemented prior to receiving ones licence the roads will become safer and teen parents minds will be at ease. Contrary to popular beliefs driving does not improve with age.

Obviously the longer you drive the more experience you have but when you first start driving you would have no experience. So judging the way younger people drive doesn't Make sense because as i said, they have no experience.“There’s a little more maturity, but overall it comes down to experience,” White said “Regardless of age, they just need time practicing” No matter when you start driving whether you’re 16, 25 or 30 all

In the United States, adults over the age of 65 account for 13% of the nation’s current licensed drivers. By the year 2030, researchers expect this number to increase above 20%, as the baby boomer population overtakes the traditionalist generation (Perkinson et al., 2005). With this number steadily rising, it’s startling to note that most adults outlive their driving abilities by six to ten years (Betz, Jones, Petroff, & Schwartz, 2013). Fatal crash rates per mile traveled increase after age 75 – the only demographic with higher rates being teenagers (Classen et al., 2006). Many of these collisions are attributed to aging-related cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or dementia. Since most adult drivers do outlive

In the United States cars are ordinarily the main mode of transportation for people. A large majority of those drivers is elderly. This can create problems since an elderly driver may not realize or want to admit that they are no longer safe drivers. Furthermore, changing health issues can affect elderly drivers. Drivers over the age of 70 need to undergo a required yearly driving tests due to failing eyes sight, hearing loss and slow reflexes.

Every licensed driver has to go through the same driving test so why are there such major differences with rules between adults and teenagers? Years of experience does have an impact on how good of a driver people are but that should not change a teens laws and restrictions. However, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among adolescents between the ages of 16 and 19 (Hartos). Parents do have an impact on teens such as teaching them to drive and governing their access to vehicles (Simons-Morton P). Also, parents set driving rules such as “don’t drink and drive,” “tell parents where you are going and with whom”, and “be home at a certain time” (Simons-Morton). All licensed drivers should have the same rules and laws no matter the age.

The descriptive word is “won’t benefit” is what most teens say when they don’t have something to do. People think the decrease of teen drivers are because of the fear of getting in a car wreck. That’s not the case, because the teens that they have talked to have said they could get a ride from a parent or call a Uber. Also the teens don’t even think about car crashes. The main cause is the decrease in jobs the teens can get, so forth they think don’t need their driver's license. In a way their decisions, will affect them if a job does come up what will they have, Uber?

The article is a summary of many other studies and articles that cover all the various aspects of teen driving, such as accidents, deaths, laws, learner’s permit requirements and many more statistics related to teen driving.

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.

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 should not be permitted to drive until they are 18 years old. They should be able to drive on a temporary permit when they are 16 years old and use it until they turn 18 years old. This permit would allow them to drive only during daylight hours and with a parent/guardian. This would enable the young drivers to become more experienced. The eight hours of drivers training with your instructor is not enough. These teens need to get a feel for the road and learn to drive defensively. If you do not know how to operate a vehicle responsibly, it could be used as a deadly weapon. These young drivers are hurting themselves and other innocent people, because of their lack of experience and their irresponsibility.