The Driving Age Should Not Be Lowered Essay

The Driving Age Should Not Be Lowered

Why do most teenagers want to drive earlier? Maybe they think they can go wherever they want or do whatever they want in the car they are driving. But for the most part, learning to drive only helps the teenager's parents who have spent so much of their time chauffeuring their kids everywhere. Teens should not be able to get their license at a younger age because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in 16 to 20 year old's, teens aren't good at evaluating risks, and texting and driving at the same time doesn’t allow drivers to focus on both things at the same time.

On the news, there are many vehicle crashes that end with death. However, motor vehicles are the leading cause of death for 16 to 20 year old's. With more teens on the road, it makes the road even more of a danger zone. There are about 5,000 teenage drivers or passengers that die each year. But, not all of the crashes end up in deaths. 450,000 teenagers are injured, and out of that 27,000 of them require hospitalization states Jane E. Brody in the New York Times.

With all of these horrible things happening, many people think that teenagers are not good at evaluating risks. For the most part this is true. Studies have shown that "adolescents are more distressed than adults when excluded by peers. A brain region known as the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) might be important in helping people cope with negative evaluation from peers by reducing distress" says Nina S. Mounts on Phycology Today. This means that teens could be speeding without thinking about the consequences. Many people could be injured or even