Argumentative Essay: Should The Driving Age Be Raised?

652 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Should the driving age be raised in the United States

Most teens look forward to getting their license when they turn 16. However, some would argue that the driving age should be raised. Statistics have demonstrated time and time again that this is very unreasonable and impractical. A raise in the driving age will in result negative repercussions such as the growth of crash rates, the issue of adults being just as much of a danger as teens on the road being raised, and the notion that some drivers will drive with or without a license. It has been shown that raising the driving age to 18 can increase the fatal crash rate among 18-year-olds. In Anahad O'Connor's informational article, "Teenage Driving Laws May Just Delay Deadly Crashes", one consequence of raising driving age is shown; "The study, published Wednesday in The Journal of the American …show more content…

Studies show that the crash rate for drivers ages 15-20 is lower than the percentages of those who are 25-34 and 35-44. In one study done in 2008, the total of all fatal crashes for drivers who were 15-20 made up 11.9% of them, whereas the total crash rate for drivers from ages 25-34 totaled 19.8%. In addition the fatal crash rate for adults ages 35-44 amounted to 17.8%. This statistic shows that despite age drivers could still get into dangerous accidents. Lastly, the teen driving age should not be raised because even though it may seem reasonable to ban teens from driving because of their tendency towards carelessness on the road, banning teens will not prevent them from driving. In 2008, 30% of previous recorded suspensions and revocations were of those with an invalid license. In addition, the number of previous harmful or moving conditions among invalid drivers in 2008 was an astounding 18.8%. This evidence shows that raising the driving age will not prevent teens from driving, it will simply make it

Show More
Related

  • Raising The Driving Age Essay

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    Teenagers have the highest average of annual traffic violations than any other age group in the U.S. (Teen Drivers:Get The Facts). This may be one reason why over 100 countries, including most of Europe, have a minimum driving age set at 18. Although the debate over raising the driving age to 18, in the U.S, has been an ongoing argument for many years, researchers have found that raising the driving age would drastically impact the U.S in a positive way. (McBride). Parents say that this would be a benefit because teens would be held responsible for their own actions, since they would be an adult, and parent involvement would no longer be necessary. They also say they want to keep their teen’s safe but not sure if raising the age by 2 years would actually help. Scientist has concluded that even though it is only by 2 years the brain is more developed and teens are more mature.(Crowe). Meaning they would be more focused on the road instead of other distractions. Raising the driving age to 18 would be the best decision for the U.S.

    Read More

  • Should Legal Driving Age Be Raised To 18 Research Paper

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Did you know that more than half of driving accidents occur between ages 16 to 17 year old drivers? Most teens who get their driver's licence are overwhelmed with the fact that they are able to drive now. Teens will go and drive and they will be stupid and not pay attention to the road. If we raise the legal driving age to at least 18 we can stop some of these accidents.

    Read More

  • Should Minimum Driving Age Be Raised?

    464 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to “Traffic Safety Facts” written by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a “27% decrease” of driver fatalities were reported. There were 2,123 fewer 15-20- year- olds involved in fatal crashes. At age 15, most teenagers have taken the proper precautions to getting their learner’s permit or are learning how to drive. In 1998, 8,000 drivers were involved and within the next 10 years it would soon decrease by over 2,000. So whatever is going

    Read More

  • Driving Age Research Paper

    434 Words  | 1 Pages

    The driving age should be raised to eighteen because, sixteen year old brain cells are not fully developed and lead to a higher death rate and also people want the driving age to be raised to eighteen in America. To prove this there has been research done by Brain researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, and Maryland, that shows that sixteen year old kids “executive branch” which is a part of the brain, is not yet fully developed. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for kids taking more risks (Subramani, Mani). Due to sixteen year old kids executive branch not being fully developed, many sixteen year old have less impair of better judgement. Lack of judgement is one of the leading causes of teen crashes.

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Lowering The Driving Age

    361 Words  | 1 Pages

    The legalized driving age should be raised as a result of teens putting themselves, along with others in danger on the roads. Brain and auto-safety experts fear that 16-year-olds are too immature to handle the cars and roadway risks. The limit of this argument is teen drivers. The driving age should be raised to prevent deaths and injuries of drivers and others.

    Read More

  • Raising The Driving Age Research Paper

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Adreienne Mandel, a Maryland state legislator, "what are you doing? You're making me drive my kid to the movies on Friday night for another few six months?" (Davis 250). This shows that teenagers parents do not want to wait more months for their teens to be able to drive alone with out them. They have waited long enough for their teens to drive for themselves. However, sacrificing other peoples safety for parents convenience is wrong. According tp safety experts "In 2003, there were 937 drivers age 16 who were involved of the 16-year-old drivers died and 352 of their passengers were killed"(Davis 249). This example shows that the sooner the teens drive the sooner they can die. If teenagers are not experienced and they are driving already they might not be able to respond quickly enough to save their own life. Raising the driving age it would decrease the crashing rate dramatically.

    Read More

  • Should Driving Age Be Raised To 18

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    “It is inexperience not young age cause crashes, parents of minors are allowed to deny their child’s license or permit, and raising the driving age would make it harder to get drivers the proper driver education.” Also raising the driving age to eighteen would make it to where if you were a reckless driver your parents could not band or deny their child’s license and or permit. Learning to drive at eighteen would put a lot of stress on the youth drivers because when your eighteen you have a lot more things going on in life than if you were learning to drive at

    Read More

  • Driving Age Limit

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this essay, I will discuss the problems of teen driving. I will also propose a new law that increases the age limit for drivers. Currently, the age limit for drivers varies between states. Some states permit 15 year old drivers. Some allow 16 year olds to drive. Teens under the age of 18 are in a lot more risk than teens at 18 years or above. My law proposal is very beneficial to the U.S: The new driving age limit for every state should be 18. Increasing the driving age limit would make the roads of America much safer. It would clean the streets from mid-teens who drive recklessly and aren’t as mature as kids 18 and older. It’s clear to see why the U.S Congress would adopt my law proposal. However, there

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Raising The Driving Age

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    To many teens, turning sixteen is a rite of passage. In most states, this is the age when young people become eligible for sixteen year olds to attain their driver’s license. Adolescents see this as the beginning of their child’s independence and freedom, but many adults feel that this is dangerous and a deadly time for many teenage drivers. Statistics show that young drivers are more likely to speed, run red lights, and behave recklessly behind the wheel than more mature and experienced drivers. Many experts agree that this kind of behavior accounts for the thousands of teens that are killed every year in car accidents. In fact, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, teens are four times more likely to crash than are older drivers. This has caused many to question what can be done to keep drivers safe. The minimum age for attaining a driver’s license should be increased to eighteen years old due to the numerous downfalls of driving at a young age; these include disturbances on the road, peer pressure, and the underdevelopment of the brain. A growing number of people feel that the only way to truly prevent tragedy is to raise the legal driving age. Most teens, and even some parents, believe in this theory, nut many people feel that such action is necessary. A number of states in the United States have already raised the minimum age a teen must be to acquire a full, unrestricted license, meaning that many young drivers must be accompanied by an adult with a license. These states use graduated licensing programs that put limitations on young drivers. The programs restrict teens from driving late at night or carrying other teenage passengers until they have logged a certain number of hours driving under t...

    Read More

  • Legal Driving Age

    359 Words  | 1 Pages

    Teenagers(16-year-olds) have things to do and places to be. Raising the driving age would be a huge inconvenience to teens and parents. Many busy parents rely on their teens to get themselves places and run errands. A senior, at a high school in Texas, Jamon Thomas states, “Many 16-year-olds

    Read More

  • Are Sixteen Year Olds Ready to Drive?

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sixteen year olds have a higher crash rate than drivers of any other age. “ in 2011, teenagers accounted for 10 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths” (Teen Driving Statistics). For this purpose, Many states have begun to raise the age limit by imposing restrictions on sixteen years old drivers. For example, limiting the number of passengers they can carry while driving. “The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a report in May 2012 that showed that the risk of 16- or 17-year old drivers being killed in a crash increases with each additional teenage passenger in the vehicle. The risk increases 44 percent with one passenger; it doubles with two passengers, and quadruples with three or more passengers. The study analyzed crash data and the number of miles driven by 16- and 17-year olds” (Teen Driving Statistics). Another example, is that many people believe that teenage drivers have a race boy/girl mentality. This mean that when any teenager gets into a vehicle of any kind they get some type of thrilled or that the driving laws do not accommodate them in any way, shape, or form. They would go drag race ...

    Read More

  • Legal Driving Age

    338 Words  | 1 Pages

    Should the legal driving age be raised? The articles “Is 16 Too Young to Drive a Car?” by Robert Davis and “Fatal Car Crashes Drop for 16-Year-Olds, Rise for Older Teens” by Allison Aubrey highlight several interesting details on this topic. Although both articles present valid information, both still lack sufficient evidence to support the need to raise the legal driving age.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Teenage Driving

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article Crash Facts on the 16- to 19- Year-Old Age Group, written by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, it is stated that 11.1 percent of sixteen year old drivers are involved in car accidents. Sixteen year olds are less experienced and are accident prone 2.43 percent more than eighteen year olds. According to Ted Gregory, a Chicago Tribune reporter, in New Jersey, teenagers start driving at the age of seventeen unlike other states with a driving age of sixteen. After the law was enacted, the percentage in fatal accidents dropped 33 percent. This report proves that as teenagers get older, car accidents are less likely to happen. Many would argue that age is just a number and eighteen year olds cause many car accidents as well. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reported that in comparison to sixteen year olds, eighteen year olds are less likely to be involved in car accidents, with a rate of 8.67 percent. Sixteen year old drivers who are involved in car accidents are more likely than older drivers to cause accidents due to carelessness on the

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Teenagers Driving Under The Age To 18

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    accidents and automobile deaths among teens are why lawmakers should change the law that teens shouldn’t be able to drive under the age of 18. For starters, when teenagers first get their licenses, their parents can’t watch their every move in the car. Like most teens that are in high

    Read More

  • Should the Driving Age be Raised to 21?

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    Works Cited Gerdes, Louise I. -. The Driving Age Should Not Be Increased. Teen Driving. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. 83-85.

    Read More

More about Argumentative Essay: Should The Driving Age Be Raised?

Open Document