Many kids anticipate turning sixteen years old so they can drive a car. No more being driven around by parents and older siblings all the time. After passing a vision test, a written test, and a driving test, a license is granted. There are several things that can affect one's ability to drive. As people age, their eyesight deteriorates, their ability to react weakens, and their overall sense of what is going on around them diminishes. Once drivers reach the age of 65, their license renewals should include testing, and their competency should be reviewed more frequently to protect the safety of the drivers and those around them.
“Birthdays don't kill. Health conditions do” (Fox, para 5). It is a known fact that older people, age 65 and up, on average, have more health issues than someone of a lesser age. With this fact being known, older people are making some of their own changes about their driving habits. Sixty percent of seniors willingly cut back on their use of a motor vehicle by avoiding nighttime driving, Interstates, or bad weather (Fox, para 7). Fox News says that people age 85 and above have the highest rate of deadly crashes per mile, even more than teens. Even with the lesser amount of driving that the elderly do, there are more accidents in those fewer miles than there would be of a teen driving the same amount of miles. Today there are 34 million drivers that are 65 or older. It is predicted that by 2030, there will be 57 million drivers of that age range. (Fox, para 11)
One of the serious health problems that occurs as people age is their ability to see. The eye is a very complex, yet sensitive, part of the body. There are many things that make up the ability to see, for instance the pupil, which controls the ...
... middle of paper ...
... is time to renew a license. However, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is allowed to re-evaluate a driver due to a driving incident, or an action reported by a doctor, police officer, or an observer (Claims, para 52). Doctors have all of the medical records. If they do not think that the driver is fit to drive, due to their weakened eyesight or another health problem, they can call the DMV and voice their concern.
Once a driver turns the age of 65, renewing a license needs be more frequent and include testing. This law will recognize the known effects of aging. It is to protect the children running out into the street to retrieve their basketball. It is to protect the deaf girl walking across the street who cannot hear when a car is approaching. It is to protect the fragile bodies of older drivers who could not easily withstand the effects of a car accident.
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.
“Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for American teenagers, accounting for about a third of all deaths in that age group” (Crisp). In actual numbers, motor vehicle crashes kill more than 5,000 teenagers every year (Gregory). These statistics are frightening and have led more than 50 percent of adults to support higher required ages for drivers’ licenses (Gregory). Teenagers, though, say this would be unfair and would make their lives difficult. Meeting the needs of Indiana teenagers while still keeping them and other drivers safe can be accomplished by a more restrictive graduated licensing law.
I am sure that at some point in their life everyone has been in a vehicle behind or near an elderly person. People call slow drivers Grandma, Grandpa, Paps, ect. when being sarcastic. In reality, not all seniors drive slow, but many do. Not all seniors drive carelessly, but many do. Not all seniors drive dangerously, but many do. Not all senior drivers need to have their driving evaluated, but many do. So why do seniors not have to take a mandatory driving test every year? Most are in denial about the risk that they pose when driving; that is the scary part. With increases in statistics of population, accidents, and fatalities, senior drivers pose a real safety threat to themselves and to the people society; luckily, there are signs to look out for when an elder needs get out of the driver's seat and places and ways to help them cope with it.
...year, raising the minimum driving age to 16 seems hopeful in making safer roads for society. In doing so we all should strongly encourage our teenage drivers to be more mature, to pay more attention, to be more confident in their driving, and to not think that they are so invincible to accidents.
People should not be allowed to be on the roads after the age of 80. The reasoning behind our opinion is for the beneficial safety of others on the road. You cannot compare the 5 senses that an adult or young adult (teenager) would naturally contain, compared to an elderly person. As you age, you are prone to lose things such as reaction timing and alertness whilst increasing in other things such as medical conditions. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, poor eye sight and even hearing problems; all things that ultimately affect ones driving ability. With all this being said, a person over the age of 80 should not be permitted on the road because of medical conditions, their fragile physical movement capabilities and to simply not be able to endanger the lives of others on the road.
In recent years, the legal driving age has become a topic of heated debate. There are many supporters that advocate for raising the legal driving age to eighteen or twenty-one. However, raising the driving age would cause some major problems. Sixteen should remain the legal driving age in most states and areas because the economic burden would be extremely large and the problems related to young drivers would not be adequately solved by simply rising the legal driving age. This essay will outline the reasons why the legal driving age should not be raised and what some of the better choices are instead.
Automotive transportation is the number one most common type of transportation for adults over the age of 65, but these older drivers are inherently at risk for accidents. The current controversy is determining what time is appropriate to revoke an older adult’s license. Elderly drivers should be able to uphold their freedom to drive as long as they are physically and mentally fit. To ensure prestien mental and physical performance, I believe it is essential to screen elderly drivers regularly to ensure that they are suitable to be on the road.
Again, it makes the headlines; an older driver causes a dangerous automobile crash. As the amount of elderly driving has increased in the past decade, the risk for others to be out on the road has increased. In 2012, there were 36 million licensed older drivers in the United States. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)) As a 34% increase from 1999, it has been noted that seniors are driving past their ability by an average of 10 years. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)). Elderly continue to drive despite the prominent physiological changes that worsen as they age. The amount of automobile collisions suggests that prevention must occur in order to make the roads safer. By examining older drivers’ medical complications, older drivers must be retested to be able to drive a vehicle.
...afer place and cut the number of accidents on the roads.10 Adding a year to the minimum age would bring maturity in all areas and increase awareness of the dangers of driving.11
Teens only make up seventeen percent of the population today, but almost twenty percent of fatal crashes are due to teenagers behind the wheel. Growing numbers suggest changing the driving age to eighteen and some even believe that changing it to twenty-one may save even more lives. With a sixteen year old behind the wheel, accidents are even more likely to occur when compared to a seventeen year old (Boulard). With so much new technology in today’s society there are more distractions on the road than ever before; therefore the legal driving age should be raised to save more lives. If we do not act quickly, then more lives will be lost.
If your state legislature was trying to pass a bill which will require you to earn a high school diploma before getting a driver's license would you be furious or joyous? I would be furious if they were to pass this bill in my state, because part of a teenagers dream is to start driving in high school. If they were to pass the state legislature that would be aggravating for us teens who want to experience driving in high school rather than after it.
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 ...
Many accidents are caused because teenagers are unaware of driving risks and hazardous situations. One piece of evidence that shows that teenagers need driving experience appears in the following quote, “Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations,” ("Teen Drivers: Get the Facts"). Teenagers will not have enough driving experience if the driving age is lifted. If teenagers are allowed to drive at sixteen then they will be prepared to drive later on. The longer one waits to drive, the longer it takes for them to become prepared for the risks and hazards of
They already had to take the dmv test to get their license. Most people say it’s their right to drive if they want so they are still able to drive. Most people say if they can only see during the day but can’t see during night that they should stop driving at night.To make the road safe for everyone. Elderly drivers should be tested if they show the signs like forgetting thing, not being able to see, and slow motor skill. If they start to show these sign they should be test to see if they are still capable to drive.Most elderly driver when they turn 70 or 75 should take these tests. Some tests could be an eye exam and to retake the dmv test. if they pass, but they can't see at night they should have someone with them at night or have someone drive them. But If elderly drivers do not pass the test their licence should be taken away. Doing this should keep elderly drivers safe and other as
How old is it to drive? Most would argue the legal driving age of sixteen seems appropriate for someone to begin taking the wheel, while others say that twenty-one is a more sufficient age. Even though raising or maintaining the driving age at sixteen contains both pros and cons, major facts need to come to consideration if the driving age ever increases. As a teenager driving, I believe that people wanting to raise the driving age do not realize the negative effect that that would cause. For instance, if the age increased, teenagers would lose independence and freedom, parents would have to sacrifice their time and freedom, and even though teenagers die in car crashes every year, it would not decrease the overall number of deaths per year.