Drivers Beware

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Drivers Beware

For years fiery debates whether the driving age for teens should be sixteen or eighteen captured the nation. Sixteen year-olds have a legitimate argument for keeping the age where it stands, but statistics show that sixteen year olds are not responsible enough to drive, and that more practice is needed before anyone should get a driver’s license. However, from the looks of it, it seems that legislation is going to make the legal driving age eighteen.

Sixteen year olds do have a valid argument as to why the age should stay where it is now. Endersby argues that many teens are in fact safe and careful drivers, they should not be punished for the bad behavior of others. Also, studies show that the same bad behavior commonly seen in men in their twenties is seen in sixteen and seventeen year olds. Driving is a huge part of a teenager’s social life too. They need licenses to get to school, work, or social events. So, a way to keep the driving age at sixteen and have better driving on the road is to have a graduated driver licensing. This GDL would make it so new drivers would gain experience driving under supervision of an older experienced driver before they can drive on their own. (Endersby)

Its not a question if teenagers are worse drivers than more responsible adults. According to a few researchers, a study in the 1990’s said crash-related deaths from sixteen and seventeen year olds were eighteen per 100,000 in New Jersey, and twenty-six per 100,000 in Connecticut. More than 5,000 teens in the U.S. die every year in car crashes. The National Highway Safety Administration said that the rate of crashes per mile driven for beginner drivers was almost ten times the rate of drivers thirty to fifty-nine. (Irvine; Greg...

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...atistics that show that they do not have enough experience, they do not make good decisions, and they are accident prone.

Works Cited

"CDC -Injury - Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .

Endersby, Alastair. "Driving Age, Raise to 18." Web. 15 Mar. 2010. .

Gregory, Ted. "Should 16-year-olds Drive?" Chicagotribune.com. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. .

Irvine, Martha. "Teen Driving Age Should Be Raised, Says Auto Safety Group." Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .

Pabst, Lora, and Pat Pheifer. "Caution, Teens: Effort to Raise Driving Age Ahead." StarTribune.com Web. 15 Mar. 2010. .

"Teenage Driver Crash Statistics." California Department of Motor Vehicles. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .

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