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Increasing the driving age
Increasing the driving age
Increasing the driving age
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There are 205.7 million licensed drivers in the U.S.; of those drivers 13.2 million are young drivers between the ages 15 and 20. The minimum driving age should not be raised. When states raise the age for graduated driver restrictions they only delay car crashes and fatalities, many teens are making simple mistakes while driving or not getting enough sleep causing crashes, and lastly, driver fatalities have decreased from 1998 to 2008: these reasons all support why the driving age should not be raised. Deadly accidents among 16-year-olds have been reduced with the use of tougher licensing laws while unfortunately increasing fatal crashes among 18- year-olds. The first reason the minimum driving age should not be raised is that doing so only puts off the results for a later age. For example in New Jersey, a state with the toughest program for teenage drivers, all first time drivers under 21 must adhere to graduated driver restrictions. This approach reduced crash rates for 17-to-18 year old drivers and virtually eliminated crashes among 16-year-olds, without adversely affect 19-year-old drivers. Unfortunately in this case the tougher laws shifted the effect of a higher number of crashes and fatalities onto 21-year-old drivers. So while some states think tougher …show more content…
Some might say that younger drivers ages 16 to 17 are not responsible enough to drive and that the responsibility should be saved for adults. Another reason some might say that the minimum driving age should be raised is teens have not had enough experience yet,since they have had their permit for only 6 months . Lastly, someone might argue is that driving is a deadly everyday action and because teens get distracted easily that should not have this luxury. Though some may disagree with my point of view I know some very mature teens who are being responsible 16 year old
If people want to save lives by raising the driving age, then how about saving lives by allowing only women to drive? Except raising the driving age won't save lives. Studies show that it is inexperience, not age, that causes accidents. Raising the driving age will just create inexperienced, accident-prone drivers at 18 instead of 16. Teens need the ability to drive just as much as anyone else—to get to school,
Today, many teenagers work hard to obtain their license starting at age 15 by getting their permit. Many parents encourage their children to get their license and gain these privileges, however some encourage their kids to wait and many states agree. Driving age is commonly set at sixteen, but because of safety concerns, the idea of raising the driving age to eighteen is currently posed by state legislation. Increasing the driving age to eighteen is a smart decision because teenagers are seen as irresponsible, they are more likely to get into accidents, and teens can become easily distracted.
...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.
Drivers Beware For years, fiery debates over 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 while many teens are in fact safe and careful drivers, they should not be punished for the bad behavior of others.
Driving is something people do everyday. Although many people do it well, some do not, that being said the legal age to drive should be raised to twenty one years of age. The driving age should be raised because teens at the ages of fourteen through twenty should not be behind the wheel for the simple fact that they are just too young and too inexperienced to drive, also someone of that age can get more distracted than a person who is twenty-one or older and has had some time to mature and become responsible enough to operate a motor vehicle. “In the United States, 16–19-year-olds have the highest incidence of motor vehicle deaths among licensed drivers and motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15–20-year-olds.” (Haggerty
There are many options other than raising the minimum age that are very effective and less damaging; such as, an increase in the use of graduated licensing systems, using driving simulators to teach novice drivers, and allowing states to set their own minimum age for different areas. Increasing driver’s education requirements while adding in new teaching methods is an excellent alternative to raising the driving age. Along with those additions, the learner’s permit and restricted licenses could be given more requirements to make sure that the problem of experience is addressed. In their article “Minimum Driving Age: An Overview” (2016) Chittom, Lynn-nore, and Laura Finley point out that, “In August 2006, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported that statistics for the state of California since the implementation of graduated licensing laws showed a 27 percent drop in late-night crashes and a 38 percent drop in crashes involving teen passengers.” Also, according to “Assessment of an Automotive Driving Simulator to Educate Novice Drivers, (2013) ”Transportation system simulators, such as aerospace, automotive, and rail, have been used effectively over several decades in support of operator training and research
This should not even be a question if the driving age should be the driving age should be raised to 18; that can be answered easily , YES!!! Alarmed by the car accidents involving teeagers , a number of states are considering raising the age for getting a driver's license. On december ,8 , 2005 four teenage boys from atlanta went out for a night dive and had a terrible accident. The state government should raise the driving age from 16 to 18 because teens under the age of 18 are at a high risk for accidents and are easily distracted while driving
We do have an increase in the number of vehicle accidents, but it can always get better. If we leave it the way it is then these young adults get the practice they deserve. Long highways and busy interstates are prime road for accidents to happen, but if we leave the limit the way it is we won 't see more accidents. If anything we will see a decrease in accidents. From my previous experiences with driving I personally feel that more driving time and practice could benefit everyone. Especially when in the means and terms of a safer environment for everyone. If we were to change the age to eighteen or twenty one then we could potentially see an increase in accidents. If the debate is over whether the percent of accidents would go down or up we have to keep it the same to see a decrease or break even. Furthermore, we need to keep the legal driving age at sixteen to see an sort of improvement and
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.
... middle of paper ... ... Even though teen drivers make up a small percentage of the population, the most fatal crashes are the result of one behind the wheel; therefore the legal driving age needs to be raised to eighteen years of age. Works Cited Becerra, Judith J. - "The 'Baby The “Teen Driving” Academic Source Premier.
Engines roaring and cars flying down the highway recklessly, racing to the finish. This is a stereotyped outlook on teen drivers. This however, is not the case. Teens don’t drive to race down the road. They drive for freedom. They drive to get where they need to be on their own. The driving age should not be raised to 18 because it takes away their feeling of freedom, Denies the access to needed transportation, denies experience, It puts additional stress on parents, and they need to be learning the driving skill while they’re young.
More than 5,000 teenagers die while driving each year in the United States (Gregory). In my opinion this is due to three different, yet equally important factors. The first factor is that the teenage mind is yet to be fully developed, causing them to make irresponsible and sometimes reckless decisions. The second factor is that the experience of driving has evolved since the original driving age was established in the early 20th century. The third and final aspect to take into consideration would be that driving is the lowest minimum age of any adult restricted activity in the United States. Although, it can be one of the more harmful, not only to the perspective driver but his or her surroundings as well. Taking all three of these factors into account I believe the minimum driving age should be raised to 18 to decrease the accident rate amongst teenagers.
They are not mature enough. The driving age should be raised to twenty-one because most people are reckless at the age of 18. Eight-teen seems to be the prime age for having fun and being reckless, allowing eight-teen year old’s to drive will cause the car accident rate to increase, resulting in an injury of an individual or even death.
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.
Teenagers get experience from receiving their driver’s license because they practice out on the road. Instead of waiting until the age of 18 to drive, teenagers get to familiarize themselves with the different, possible driving situations, rather than being inexperienced at 18. Teenagers get independence from receiving their driver’s license because they do not have to rely on their parents for transportation anymore. They are free to make plans of their own once they receive their driver’s license. Independence is an essential part of growing up to being a responsible adult. Some people say that teenagers should not receive their license at sixteen because they are not responsible, driving is dangerous, and they are more likely to become more distracted than adults. Although these are facts, they do not support the opposing argument. Driving is dangerous, but learning is not. Driving helps teenagers to become more responsible and with time driving also gives the driver experience; experience will reduce the willingness to be distracted while driving. That is why teenagers should be able to receive their driver’s license at