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Essay on safe driving for teenagers
Increasing the driving age
Increasing the driving age
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I don’t believe raising the driving age by only one year would reduce accidents at all. There’s a possibility the teenager hasn’t even matured yet, and would still be just as likely to be irresponsible on the road as they were merely a year ago. At this young age, most kids driving are more likely to test their limitations on the road and are influenced by their peers to try something daring and fun. They tend to have little concern for the road they share with others. They can also be nervous about driving and may focus only on their performance, rather than also looking out for other dangers the drivers around them may be setting. Furthermore, the decision making parts of their brain are still under development, even well after the teenage years, which is likely to impact their behavior on the road. …show more content…
If there is to be a raised driving age, it should be by a couple more years, rather than one.
If the driving age were increased say by two or two and a half years, then the driver is not only more likely to make better decisions, but their performance on the road may increase. By then, they would be more mature and may even focus on what is safe rather than what their peers perceive as “fun”. They would probably even have more experience if the age for a provisional license remained the same. Then, I believe, accidents would decrease as well as save
lives.
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,
A lot of people point out that 16-year-olds are prone to accidents when it comes to driving. While this is very true, it’s not likely that it’s because of their age; it’s because they’re new when it comes to being behind the wheel. It doesn’t matter if they’re 16, 18 or 107, they’ll always be inexperienced to start with. Raising the driving age won't necessarily prevent possible accidents, 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.
A political problem that has been argued over since prohibition is the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). This is a controversial subject because many believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 years old. “In the 1970’s the 26th amendment was passed which lowered the legal voting age, this caused 30 US states to lower their MLDA to 18, 19, or 20 which left 14 states with a MLDA of 21 by 1982” (Minimal Legal Drinking Age, 1). But reports later showed an increase in teenage car accidents in states with a lower MLDA; these states soon changed the MLDA back to 21.
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
... 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.
All in all lowering the driving age is the best thing our country can do to make teenagers and parents life easier, even just doing simple day to day tasks will be much easier if your teen had a driver's licence. By letting your teen get their licence you are helping yourself and them at the same time because they can now run your errands for you and you spend less time worrying about who is gonna get your kid here or
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.
People at 21 years old are more responsible than a 16 year old. According to the CDC, “4,500 Americans between 16 and 19 die from motor vehicle crashes annually” (CDC 4). Teenagers are not capable of handling with great care at the time they are driving, therefore laws and policies should change toward when a person is allowed to drive. Even though some people might say that some teenagers are responsible at the time to drive, they should recognize that if they wait until the age of 21 they would gain more experience and they would not represent a threat for themselves. Responsibility also means to be patient sometimes and young people should only wait a couple years before
If the driving age was raised, this would mean the 2-year range of crashes would also increase. Anahad O'Connor wrote, "There have been 1,348 fewer deadly crashes involving 16-year-olds. But at the same time, there have been 1,086 more fatal crashes that involved 18-year old’s" (30-32). This data proved that the less 16-year-olds crashed, the more 18-year-olds that would. Raising the driving age would just create even more crashes in the future.
Many teens are interested in being able to drive at a younger age, but it is still unclear if they are able to handle it. If the legal driving age is lowered, are we endangering the lives of teen drivers, as well as the passengers with them? I believe most people want to drive as soon as they can. However, recently the government has been trying to pass laws that may change the current driving age of 16. There are positive and negative aspects to changing the laws that allow the driving age to stay at 16.There have been new bills being proposed that mite be passed. “The Minister for Urban Services has introduced a Bill (proposed law) into the Assembly. He wants to amend the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 2000. The new Bill is called the Driving Age Amendment Bill. This Bill is intended to raise the age at which people can apply for a learner’s permit and driver’s license.” (Legislative Assembly). This bill will raise the driving age if it is passed but the aspects of what will happen should be considered before we change it. There are many different reasons why we should keep it at 16. First off it’s a good working system that we have followed for a long time. Another good reason that helps this concept is that the teenagers are still in school so it’s easier for them to take drivers training. If there are more drivers that ultimately mean that more people will be paying for insurance. There are also the reasons why we should change it from 16. Like for instances most 16 year olds aren’t responsible enough to drive. “The facts show that younger drivers (those between ages 16 and 25) receive more citations, are more likely to have their driving privilege suspended, and are responsible for more accidents than drivers in any other age group.” (Dr. Steven Evans). Another reason is that it’s a high cost own a car when they are making so little money.
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.
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
Imagine this: Teenagers are going to have to rely on their parents until they are 18, having little experience, parents letting their 16 year old drive is a convenience, and when they are 16 they experience responsibility. Because teenagers need to learn responsibility, need practice, and need to mature, raising the driving age would be a bad idea. To begin, teenagers would learn more responsibility when they are driving a car. Teenagers would have a way to transport them to their school or job. Teenagers would start to learn how to spend their money on important things because they are always going to have to buy gas for their car. In addition, teenagers would need experience when driving a car. If teenagers were unable to drive if they were