Legal Driving Age

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For many teenagers, driving is needed to go from place to place. From going to school, going to parties and going home, teenagers are willing to drive to be able to have the freedom to travel where and when they want. When 16 year olds earn their driver's license, many different and dangerous events can occur, like two of the most common distractions, which are texting and driving, and drinking and driving. Therefore, the legal driving age should be increased to the age of 18. The legal driving age is currently 16 but it should be increased to the age of 18 because of many safety reasons, such as texting, drinking or eating while driving (“Facts and Statistics”). “16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age” (“11 Facts …show more content…

“One of the biggest concerns many parents have about middle adolescence is that most 16-year-olds think they know everything. They struggle to accept feedback and often aren't interested in hearing your constructive criticisms” (Witmer). In our society, many teenagers think fitting in with the popular students is needed. For example, a student wants to be able to hang out with the popular crowd, so they would drink at parties and speed while driving. Speeding is another factor for car crashes. “Teens see their driver’s license as proof that they’re grown up. That piece of plastic with their photo symbolizes greater independence and freedom. What they don’t realize: A license can also expose them to certain dangers, such as speeding” (“You Can Help”). Eighteen year olds are able to make better decisions than sixteen year olds. Since many 18 year olds are either in their last year of high school or in university/college, they would focus more in school. Driving at the age of sixteen is an advantage, since the driver is able to gain experience at an earlier age. For example, if a student’s parents are not able to drive them to places after school or the weekends, it is better for the student to learn how to drive. Although sixteen year olds are not as mature as eighteen year olds, they gain experience earlier by developing skills and analyzing what is happening around them, and is able to get used to driving in the future. The drivers learn to be more independent by driving themselves to places without a parent or a friend, which is troublesome for

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