Raising Driving Age

Raising the Driving Age

Many parents view driving as freedom for both them and their teen, but should the driving age be raised? That question has been asked over and over. Both the government and parents have argued over the situation, but ultimately it never comes to a conclusion. Parents think that the driving age should stay the same mainly so they don’t have to chauffer their teens around, but the government thinks it should be raised for safety and many other reasons (Gerdes). Teens are often viewed as dangerous drivers. Distractions with cell phones and other passengers in the car; and inexperience are a lot of what causes the dangers on the road. Often time’s inexperience and bad judgment can be fatal. “Recent research shows that hormonal

Students would have to ride the bus or walk to school and get a ride to work. It would lessen exhaust in the environment and they would use more public transport. Drinking and driving has become a problem with underage teens, but it would keep underage alcohol drinkers from driving; forcing them to call a taxi or find another mode of transportation. As people turn 21 and gain the privilege to drive; they will understand more that they shouldn’t drink and drive and they should find another mode of transportation while under the influence. Parents will have to give the teens ride back and forth places, but it will keep the teens from making bad decisions when it comes to driving, but parents will also have more time to teach their teens about safe driving habits and teach them to avoid distractions. It will give the teen an understanding that driving is a privilege and not a

Although it’s not quite a death sentence, driving a car can put a teen – or someone else – in an early grave. Teen drivers are 10 times more likely to be involved in a crash during their first year of driving. “Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely to die in a crash than drivers between the ages of 25 and 69” ("Shocking Teen Driving Statistics"). Teen drivers were involved in 63% of teen passenger deaths and 19% of passenger deaths of all ages in fatal accidents. Car crashes are the number one cause of death of teens in the United States. 53% of teen deaths in fatal accidents occurred on the weekends and 41% occurred between 9 pm and 6 am (Gerdes). Most of the wrecks are caused by distractions or inexperience. “Every decade, more than 9,000 16-year-olds die in motor vehicle accidents in the United States ("Report Makes a Case for Raising Driving Age "). The highest chance in fatal crash rates is in the first 6 months of a 16-year-old getting their license. Males are twice as likely to die in a car crash as females. 37% of male drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 were speeding at the time of a fatal crash. However, 55 percent of teens killed in a car crash weren’t wearing a seat belt. (“Shocking Teen Driving Statistics”). Some may find statistics as just a bunch of numbers, but those numbers are thousands of teens and passenger, even other adult drivers, who have