People utilize motor vehicles for transportation, work, or even for pure entertainment. Governments can expand their economy, job opportunities, and much more with the ability to drive. Although driving provides these positive features, it can also cause abysmal repercussions when an accident occurs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “more than 1.2 million people die in road traffic crashes every year” and “as many as 50 million people are injured or disabled by road traffic crashes every year”, while “road traffic crashes rank as the 9th leading cause of death and account for 2.2% of all deaths globally.” As these negative statistics continue to grow, many people believe that teenagers are a large contributor to the number of deaths and injuries due to road accidents. However, different age groups have their own contribution to these statistics and they also have their own pros and cons when it comes to driving.
Teenage drivers could be more advantageous when they are compared to adult or senior drivers because they have better reflex or reaction time. Although reaction time varies tremendously for each person, medical studies from University of Rochester stated that “reflexes do slow with age. Physical changes in nerve fibers slow the speed of conduction. And the parts of the brain involved in motor control lose cells over time.” Additionally, in the book Road Worthy written by Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications, it states that “it can take several seconds for the eyes of a driver to recover from the glare of high beam lights. The length of this recovery period increases with a driver’s age.” Thus, teenagers could be more advantageous when certain situations such as car accidents—especially in accidents which the extra second may matter in life or death—may be avoided, opposed to adult or senior drivers who has slower reaction time. Furthermore, teenagers could be a better choice as a driver than adults or seniors because they are learning from the start. Although this is also dependant of the personality of the teenager, not all teenagers are interested in speeding or driving recklessly. On the contrary, since teenagers are new to driving, they will be even more careful
“The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16 to 19 year olds than among any other age group.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 1) “The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. The risk increases with the number of teen passengers.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 1) In the United States motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause death in teens. “In 2010, seven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 2) This alarming number of casualties could be prevented by educating our teenage drivers prior to them being on their own and operating a couple ton weighing
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
Death among U.S. teens is led by vehicle crashes. In the year of 2013, around 2,163 teens were killed between the ages of 16-10 in the United States. Around 243,243 were treated in emergency departments for injuries that they suffered in motor vehicle accidents. Around 75% of teen drivers suffer in these accidents due to 3 major mistakes. Those major mistakes include a lack of scanning the road, distractions in the vehicle, and also going to fast for the conditions of the road.
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.
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.
An extreme number of research and data have pointed out that teens are not equipped with safe driving skills. These numbers have lead to countless arguments between teens and adults. All though teens are more interested in their phone then a car they still have a desire to get onto the road. The car offers an immense amount of self conscious and maturity to a teen. This is one of the main points as to why teens are so eager to get out on the road as soon as possible. If and when they do get on the road they look right past the consequences that may occur with driving at such a young age. Without a doubt teenage drivers are very inexperienced when it comes to their first trips on the road because the only prior training they can get is practice
The article “Driving to The Funeral” by Anna Quindlen discusses the rite of passage when it comes to driving at sixteen and the risks that come with young drivers. The beginning of the article gives you a reminder of the major high school milestones that everyone hits, even the unfortunate ones. This is where the author jumps right into statistics of teen accident rates; (“…car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death among 15-to-20-year old’s in this country”). The purpose of the article is to take teen driving seriously as an accident can be lifechanging.
Shari Roan in “Should the driving age be raised” talks about the controversial issue all American families face when it comes to teens driving and the safety of others. She states that in a nationwide analysis the number of fatal crashes between the ages 16 and 17 year old drivers have fallen and the number of fatal crashes between the ages of 18 and 19 year old drivers have risen by almost the same amount. She states that the combination of immaturity and inexperience makes teen drivers particularly vulnerable to motor vehicle accidents. She also explains that car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens resulting in 4,054 fatalities in 2008 according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington Va.
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.
The achievement of a driver’s license is a rite of passage for a large number of adolescents and young adults in the United States. Societally, the driver’s license is representative of a key to the outside world, and, in some ways, it is also thought of as being one of the first steps into adulthood. This perceived importance leads numerous fifteen and sixteen-year-olds to obtain their license as quickly as they possibly can which can be dangerous. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), drivers who are between sixteen to nineteen years old are at the greatest risk of being involved in a fatal crash, and sixteen and seventeen year olds also are at nearly twice the risk of eighteen and nineteen year olds. This has led some experts to call for a raise to the minimum driving age. While this is an understandable conclusion to come to, this is not necessarily the best course of action. There are other programs which can decrease the fatal crash rate, which can alleviate the crash concern. Otherwise, the ability to drive is, as stated above, an important step towards adulthood, and it provides maturity. Additionally, due to the lack of public transport or other safe ways to travel from place to place, the ability to drive provides younger Americans with mobility so that they can work, go to school, and also be with friends. For these reasons, the minimum driving age must stay at sixteen.
Imagine your 15 and cant wait until you can drive on your own. The day you get your license you start driving just for the fun of it. Next thing you know your speeding and run right into the car in front of you. I think that 16 year olds shouldn't drive because the problem with them driving is some of them aren't very mature. Their irresponsible behavior can sometimes cost lives. They get excited they can drive on their own and there's usual deadly consequences involved.
Throughout the year of 2011, about 2,650 teens in the United States between the age of sixteen and nineteen were killed and almost 292,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries involved with motor-vehicle accidents (“Teen Drivers: Get the Facts” par. 2). Basically, seven teens die every day from motor-vehicle injuries. The risks of these accidents are becoming higher each year among the teen age group. Research has shown, teens in the United States between sixteen and nineteen have a fatality rate four times higher than adults twenty five to twenty nine (Cole, Wendy). Teens are more likely to underestimate dangerous situations or not even recognize a hazardous situation. Distractions of cell phones, impaired driving due to alcohol, and lack of experience due to brain development contribute to motor- vehicle accidents caused from teen drivers.
One of the biggest things a teenager can accomplish in life is passing the driving license test and receiving their license. When teenagers meet the requirements to get their license it is a very exciting moment for them. Teens get that feeling that they are young adults once they received their license. Young teenagers feel very independent after get there license and start driving. A lot of young teens are ready to start driving so they can hang out with their friends, drive to work, and drive to school so they won’t have to ride the bus. Teens are so over whelmed but that don’t realize how important driving is. Driving takes skills and learning things to master it.
Teen driving is unsafe and dangerous, teen driving is the leading cause of teenage deaths in the United States with more than 5,000 teens dying a year. 17 year old Weston Griggs, killed himself and the 2 passengers he had in his car. But, this accident was no accident. Weston was going 70 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. The issue in this story is that young drivers like Weston, inexperienced and full of adrenaline are just hurting them selves and others by getting behind the wheel at such a young age. Teens between the ages 15 through 17 do not belong on the road. Outrageous amounts of teens are dying every year and these numbers are not changing, so why keep them on the road? Teen driving in the United States have three main problems
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