Why Teenagers Are Wired For Risk Essay

Others who don’t agree with with the idea that teens are incapable of making good decisions may say teenagers actually overestimate risks. In “Why the Teen Brain Is Drawn to Risk”, a researcher named Valerie Reyna’s data,” has shown how excessively teens tend to overestimate the risk: for example when asked about the risk of AIDS in one study, adolescents estimated that a teenage girl who is sexually active has a 60% chance of contracting HIV. (The actual odds are miniscule for most Americans.)” (qtd. in Szalavitz); basically saying teens overestimate risks they are aware of. While this data has scientific approval, a weakness in this statement is that other data has proven that adolescents engage in risky behavior when a risk is unknown (Szalavitz).

What do you think when you hear the word “teenager”? Most people think of teenagers as pugnacious and restless human beings. Their rebellious and rambunctious behavior usually leads people to believe this. Teens tend to participate in jeopardous activities such as dangerous driving, binge-drinking, or fighting that could land them in serious trouble, the ER or the police station. Although engaging in these exercises is strongly frowned upon, some studies show that most of these actions cannot be controlled. Adolescents are drawn to risky acts due to specific messengers in the brain, peer pressure and their odd methods of apprehending the outcomes of a situation.

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.

A lower drinking age law would save even more lives and also stop minors from drinking under the limit. Having it higher will result in more traffic injuries and fatalities among youth. A lower drinking age is effective in preventing alcohol-related deaths and injuries among youth. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of heavy drinking age. According to John McCardell, founder of Choose Responsibility, the legal drinking age does not eliminate consumption among young people. Instead, it only drives underage drinking underground, creating a dangerous culture of irresponsible and extreme drinking. Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of "adulthood."Keeping the minimum legal drinking age at 21 will not dissuade young people who want to indulge in reckless alcohol intake. If anything, the age limit encourages binge drinking. Lowering the drinking age could make it easier to regulate consumption among younger adults as well as encourage healthy drinking habits. “For example, 22% of all students under 21 compared to 18% over 21 years of age are heavy drinkers.” “Among drinkers only, 32% of underage compared to 24% of legal age are heavy drinkers.”

Stating that drinking at a younger age causes more health hazards proves that having the drinking age higher would be safer for oneself and the community as a whole. In addition, younger adults could easily become exposed to alcoholism. It is stated by the National Highway Institute in a study done on alcohol abuse among teens that “the overall risk for alcoholism decreases 14 percent with each year of age that drinking is postponed” (Boulard 52). The drinking age should not be lowered because the higher the drinking age, the less risk there is for alcoholism. Not only does drinking cause health related problems, but it also produces risks of injury or death. It has been proven that “youth alcohol use contributes to higher incidences of drunk driving, traffic accidents, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)…” (“Update: Alcohol Issues” 1-2). Not only is underage drinking illegal, but drinking and driving is as well. Therefore, maintaining the drinking age would prevent the number of accidents and deaths. However, some believe that drinking wine is good for the heart. This is only true for drinking in moderation. If one drinks more than a couple of glasses, this does not go into effect, and the number of bad health related consequences outnumbers the good. Studies have shown that “The lower death rate among moderate drinkers is due to the reduction in heart disease, specifically atherosclerosis or

The legal drinking age should be raised to the age of 21. Raising the age to 21 will avoid drinking and driving. Drinking and driving is one of the massive reasons why there are many car accidents and road deaths. In fact, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism “Over 5,000 people die due to drinking and driving every year” ("Underage Drinking"). However, when an individual is 21 years of age or older they are considered more mature and responsible since they have a handful of responsibilities like family duties so they can create smarter and improved decisions and have the ability to identify what’s wrong and right by not drinking and driving at the same time. This way the rate of car accidents and road deaths

By lowering the drinking age, the amount of binge drinking that would be going on would lessen. This would be huge for one’s health and well-being. The number of sexual assaults committed will go down as well. With the drinking age being lowered the amount of binge drinking among minors will eventually vanish.

Firstly, raising the drinking age would cause businesses such as bars, restaurants, and other licensed establishments to have a decrease in income. The most common customers are young and an increase on drinking age means less customers. This would damage the business a lot which circulate the majority of money and would damage the society indirectly.

Lowering the drinking age will be good for the economy because since there will be more people drinking, there will be a need to buy more thus increasing the flow of money throughout the system. Traffic accidents alcohol related are most common under newly legal drinkers. “In 2009, the 21- to 24-year-old age group had the highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes with blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of .08 or higher – 35 percent. Any increase in traffic accidents or fatalities in 18- to 20-year-olds would be offset by a decrease for those 21 and older.” (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Once you turn 18, you are considered an adult and held with the same responsibilities of everyone older. Once you turn 18, you are an adult and should not be denied the pleasure of

Changing the drinking age has multiple negative effects. However, it could have a few positive effects on society. First, it would allow law enforcement to crack down on other crimes being committed in cities. Ultimately resulting in a lowering of the crime rate. (Even though only around every two of one thousand underage drinking occasions result in an arrest (Daniloff)). Secondly, lowering the drinking age would allow the government to receive more taxes off of the sales of alcohol. Since around seventeen and a half percent of alcohol sales (or $22.5 billion) end up being consumed by minors the government could place a higher tax upon sales to citizens ages eighteen to twenty-one (The Debate).

Reviewing these statists one may be able to analaze and see that even drivers between 21 to 24 were high at risk. What would make a person want to lower the drinking age to 18. Young adults at eighteen are new drivers and less expierenced then the 21 + drivers and logically would produce more fatal crashes.

If we would lower the legal drinking age the amount of car crashes would increase. A 1975 study showed that when 2 U.S states and a province in Canada lowered the legal-drinking age it increased fatal car accidents. Since the 1970’s young drinking in the U.S has declined, most of the decline happened in the 90’s. And decreases the amount of drunk drivers. Researchers say

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report has shown that raising the drinking age reduced alcohol related teen traffic accident statistics and brought a 13 percent decrease in fatal traffic accidents for all ages. Additional studies have shown that denying alcohol to teenagers also causes a decrease in cigarette smoking and the use of other drugs. It's not a statistic popular with a lot of people, but nonetheless, it's been proven.Other laws have been passed

While people want to lower the drinking age, they are right not doing so because this could cause more car accidents. In an article titled Study: Lowering The Drinking Age Increases Car Crashes Among Youth by Join Together Staff, the author states “Several studies in the United States have shown significant reductions in alcohol-related traffic crashes since the Uniform Drinking

Have you ever witnessed a teenager taking a risk? Adolescents are taking more risks than ever, such as drinking, vaping, texting while driving, having unprotected sex, and participating in extreme sports. Research suggests that there are, in fact, specific reasons why teens take risks. Three important effects of the drive to take risks in young people include dopamine, peer pressure, and a parents influence on their children.