A driver’s license has played a significant role in the lives of many, if not all Americans in the past hundred years or so. The question now is whether driving and the attainment of a license is still not only significant, but also necessary to many Americans. Over eighty percent of driving age Americans have a driver’s license, few report to regularly use public transportation, and getting from one place to another is still critical, so it appears that they are still quite necessary. I have personally felt the immense pressures to gain a driver’s license and have enjoyed the freedoms that are attained along with one. However, many argue that driving is not as important today as it has in the past, reporting that fewer teens are pursuing a …show more content…
They describe gaining a driver’s license as a status symbol in high school, and states that teens gaining a driver’s license are striving for the independence that it represents (Driving and Teens). With that license, the teen does not need their parents, or the parents’ permission, to go wherever they please. It is also stated that peers and family even in some cases are found to pressure a teenager into getting a driver’s license before they are ready for the responsibility. I can speak first hand that this is a real issue and has a strong influence on a given teenager due to them not wanting to disappoint those around them. My friends, family, and peers all set the expectation to gain a driver’s license as soon as possible. It was expected of me to schedule my learners permit test on or close to my sixteenth birthday, and take my license test at exactly the six-month date that marked my eligibility for a license. I failed several times to gain my license. It was because of my desire for that freedom and the pressures from my friends and family that made each failure sting that much more, but also drove me forward to keep trying. It was when I finally achieved my goal and received my license that I realized the true extent of its impact on my life. When I got my driver’s license, it had an enormous impact on my day to day life. I could finally drive myself to school, work, and have enjoyed driving as a way to relax ever since. Driving to school allowed me to gain some extra sleep before school, which had a positive influence on my performance in school and morale. At my job, driving allowed me to work more hours at my job and made my schedule more flexible, allowing me to make and save more money leading into college. Lastly, driving has always been therapeutic for me. Whenever I get stressed or overwhelmed, driving has always allowed me to relax and collect
In this article by Donna St. George, titled “Teens Are in No Rush to Drive,” she writes about teenagers who are waiting to get their driver’s license. Teenagers in this day of age are more busy and have more to do. Be transport from place to place since being a child, teens are use to their parents driving them. With phones, teens have an easy access to the internet which makes them want to get on social media. Along with smartphones and texting that teens don’t need to get into a car and visit friends. With new laws and requirements getting licenses is a lot more complicated and time-consuming. Sixty hours of practice and 300 to 600 dollars for private driving schools. With gas and insurance for the car, it makes driving too much to afford
Through out the years teenagers have been driving without a license. In this century teenagers are decreasing to get their license (Teens getting their driver license. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from ). Teenagers tend to think that just because they know how to pump gas press the brakes and rea...
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.
I have been wanting to drive because it will be one of the most useful life skills after I graduate from high school. To me, being able to drive means to have a convenient, interesting life, and being a helpful person. My life will be more convenient when I can drive by myself. I am jealous of the day students who can drive off campus to have food when they do not have classes. For those of us who can not drive, the only chance to get out of the school is to up for the school shuttles that can only go certain destinations.
Getting a driver’s license gives people the opportunity to spend time with friends or be with their families longer. It also can give them the freedom to get out of the house when they get bored or get angry with their parents or just need to get away for a while. Getting a license is a big deal in today’s society because they can go out to eat with friends from school or take people
Most parents think getting their teens their driver's license will lift a weight off of their backs when in reality it seems to only do the opposite once the facts of insurance and statistics come into play. The article “Teen Drivers” provides some statistic such as, “A driver’s licence is a ticket to freedom! At last, teens can drive themselves to school, work and recreational activities .”(“Teen Driving,” par 1) This is a fact of how this small piece of plastic placed in the hands on a teen can be seen as a ticket to freedom. Another thing the article states is, “Parents are thrilled because they do not have to chauffeur the kids around anymore.”(“Teen Driving, par 2) This statement reveals how parents get their freedom back as well teens are gaining their first taste of freedom. But also with this freedom most teens don't realize just how scary the road is and when their parents are no longer driving with them they become nervous and many not be as safe as they could be, which leads me to the thought of many they should choose to take certain steps to create safe 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.
An article written in 2016 by Chittom, Lynn-nore, and Finley mentioned this about many critics’ views on the social problems created by raising the legal driving age, “Meanwhile, critics argue that people under age twenty-five are legally allowed to vote, join the military, marry, attend college, and drink alcohol, and so should not be prevented from driving.” Across America, when teenagers reach the age of sixteen or seventeen, they begin their journey towards being an independent and responsible adult. Choices about career, marriage, what and who to vote for, and whether or not to join the armed forces are just a few of the decisions that teenagers are starting to work through (Chittom, Lynn-nore, and Laura Finle, 2016). However, without the privilege of legal driving, many of the steps towards adulthood became confusing and complicated in many ways. Ultimately, raising the driving age lessens the responsibility that comes into play while transitioning into an
In the 1990's teens would get full licensing and all privileges with little or no testing at all. It wasn’t until 1995 when around twenty states required a learning permit, but the system was still very weak, as teens only had to keep their permit for two to three weeks. But somehow, teen drivers are not as dangerous as they are today. Experts say it is mostly because of deadly distractions in and out of the vehicle (Boulard 38). In 2003, teenagers topped the charts with ten teenagers dying each day in a motor vehicle; that's over thirty-six hundred kids dying because of weak, bendy laws that are meant to protect them....
Many teens enjoy driving because it gives them a sense of freedom. They feel free to go where they want to go, and do what they want to do. Why would one take away this feeling? It would only communicate a lack of trust. This would only cause them to get angry and rebel
Whether or not teenagers should be allowed to get their driver 's license at age sixteen is a known topic across the United States. One of the causes for this argument is the number of fatalities caused by young drivers. Evidence shows, “In 2012, 1,875 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 died in motor vehicle crashes and an additional 184,000 young drivers were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” (“Teen Drivers”). Most accidents are caused by young drivers. In the United States of America, citizens may receive their driver’s license at sixteen, if they meet the requirements. Some people argue that sixteen year olds should not be able to receive their driver’s license. Other people argue that sixteen
Getting a driver’s license can be the most exciting part of a teens life. But what do teens have to do beforehand in order to obtain that license? For some, it's months of training and for others, they can complete everything within a few months. But does all that training make teens better drivers? The three main reasons why more drivers education for teens is not beneficial are: restrictions for teen drivers make it harder on parents, teens have to be able to get around without their parents, and not all teens need more drivers education.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths for teens (16-17),” reported The New York State Department of Health. The most exciting thing about being sixteen in the United States is driving. Teenagers can not wait to be sixteen to drive, however, they do not understand the dangers that come with driving at such a young age. Sixteen is the age between child life and adulthood. It is a time when they are not stable and undergoing change, which makes them unsuitable to drive. Many teenagers would say that they need to get to places. In response to that claim, there are public transportation systems and bikes as available alternatives for young drivers. The financial stability and matureness of eighteen year olds proves
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time,” said by Steven Wright. Teenagers look forward to their sixteenth birthday so they are able to drive. Everyone has felt that feeling where they can hardly wait to get behind the wheel and start driving. Little do people know teen drivers are more likely to die from a car accident than from a homicide, suicide, or cancer combined (Littlefield). They are mostly inexperienced with the road and how to handle distractions. If the age were moved to eighteen teenagers would have more driving experience (Sostarecz). Teenage drivers are extremely eager to drive because of freedom, but they are not aware of the distractions and peer pressure on the road; their experience of driving is not as well as others and statistics show how many deaths are caused due to teenage driving.
Driving a car and obtaining a driver’s license does, perhaps, seem to provide people with a great sense of independence and freedom. Teenagers need to feel independent in order to learn to become successful on their own as well as realize how to handle life situations on their own, and having a license seems the perfect start and most effective way to do so. When teenagers feel this independence, they tend to act more mature, knowing the responsibilities they must now carry on their own (More4Kids). Teenagers often look forward to the freedom that driving offers as well. Teenagers are able to take drives to escape from life’s stresses, and leave any troubles at home behind without rebelling against their loved ones.