Essay about Changing the Legal Driving Age to Eighteen

Everyone has felt that feeling where they cannot wait to learn how to drive and to get behind the wheel. Little do they know, driving causes a number of deaths every year. Teen drivers are involved in more car-related accidents than any other drivers. The minimum driving age should be raised from 16 to 18 because 16 year olds are more accident prone, 18 year olds are more experienced, and a 16 year old’s brain is not as developed as it is at 18 years old.

Firstly, studies have shown that many of the crashes recent regulations for 16 year olds have prevented actually only happen two years later when there are no restrictions. As stated in the article Teenage Driving Laws May Just Delay Deadly Crashes by Anahad O’Connor, “there have been 1348 fewer deadly crashes involving 16-year-old drivers. But at the same time, there have been 1,086 more fatal crashes that involved 18-year-olds. The net difference is still an improvement, Dr. Masten said, but not quite the effect that many had assumed.” This shows that drivers are simply waiting to become 18 in order to skip the restrictions placed on the younger drivers. Knowing this, we ought to make regulations that encourage drivers to learn to drive while under these heavier regulations, so that they can get real on-the-road experience while not being in as much risk of

Maturity and rationalization is not yet achieved or experienced by teenagers. In the era of technology there are several distractions for drivers of any age to maneuver. Parents can play an educational role by enrolling their teen into a driver’s educational program. Some states require students to complete a comprehensive graduated drivers licensing (GDL) program prior to receiving their license. The brain function is still developing in teenagers and may impede the quick thinking process necessary to become a responsible driver. For the safety and welfare of teenagers the age requirement in Arizona for a driver’s license should be increased from 16 to 18 years of age.

Putting teens on the road at a young age as low as 15-16-years-old allows them to gain experience that will help them become more accustomed to the road when they get their driving licences at 18. As stated in the article, Teenage Driving Laws May Just Delay Deadly Crashes, it says “Many teenagers, rather than deal with the extra restrictions for 16-17 -year-olds, are simply waiting until they turn 18, and skipping the restrictions altogether. As a result, a greater proportion of inexperienced drivers hit the road” (40). This proves that teens who do not drive at 16 are more likely to get into car crashes, because they wait til 18 to avoid being restricted like the 16- 17- year-olds. Teens who skip the 16 -17-year-old restrictions are just starving themselves from gaining the early knowledge on driving that is needed to prevent fatal crashes. The same article also says that, “There have been 1,348 fewer deadly crashes involving 16-year-old

Teen driving allows American youth to have their license between the ages 13-15. At this age, our American youth are more likely to be careless while driving without supervision. The younger teen drivers are the more susceptible to fatal car accidents they will be due to the lack of supervision and proper driver’s education. Lack of maturity and experiences leads to developing poor driving habits. The teens in the age group 16-18 are usually more mature in handling a motorized vehicle. States that allow 13-15 year old teens drive are more likely to get in more car crashes from driving earlier and not having enough experience.

Adolescents can be immature, careless and reckless, especially when they’re trying to show off to their other friends. The general public somewhat views eighteen as an appropriate age at which young people grow into adults. As a result, driving should be one of those privileges and responsibilities of being welcomed into adulthood. On the other hand, permitting young people to drive at the same age as they are allowed to consume legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine surely is a big step in the wrong direction. By agreeing to let young people to have the responsibility to drive without the attraction of illegal drugs, nonetheless, you are giving them an opportunity to learn, first hand, the real risks, threats and encounters of driving, hopefully being able to benefit young people make better and more responsible decisions whilst driving. Not only is driving not equal to that of drinking or smoking as it requires an ability test, but those who do drive have to abide to strict laws and registrations. Adolescents are taught how to properly drive cars and have to be able to prove that they can perform to a specific level before they are able to get their licences.

The proposed alternative to raising the driving age is a GDL. A GDL, or a graduated driver’s license, gives teens more freedoms depending on how much they have driven. Advocates say that it gives teens the time they need to practice before having complete freedom. The opponents say it limits the time they have to practice due to restrictions on when teens can drive. Another reason opponents give for not having a GDL is that it makes it harder for teens to get jobs because they have limited hours when they can drive. The argument for “for” and “against” are similar to the arguments for a higher driving

In the article “Raise driving age to 18 when teens are more responsible” by Alexander he talked about how roads would be a lot safer if we raised the driving age. It would give the kids s chance to learn more about driving safety and rules of the road. The issue of freedom for teens are not gone, they can easily take bus to school or have somebody older to them to school or work with no problem.

As teenagers are leaving their homes, cities, and in many cases, states, to attend colleges, driving has become an integral part in a teen’s life. However, many states are putting heavy restrictions on teen drivers to keep not only them safe, but the rest of the community as well. But that has not been enough- teen drivers still are a major problem on the road due partly to their lack of mental development. This has pushed some states to consider raising minimum driving age, eliminating the whole problem of inexperience in drivers. The minimum age should not raised, however, because it will not help the issue of road safety.

Well we all can't wait to drive and get our license at 16 but some of us are, sometimes a little careless. Did you know that in2013, 2,163 teens in the U.S ages 16-19 were killed and 243,243 were treated in the emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicles crashes. That means that six teens ages 16-19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Others are like how would i get to school think about this if there was no cars you would ride a bus or your parents when you were 15 and under you didn't drive and it wouldn't be a problem if you didn't drive till you were 21 nothing would change. Being teens we like to do teen things like party and hang with friends and thing but you have to think

Teens can’t always rely on their parents to take them everywhere. Being able to drive at 16 maybe early, but it’s a new experience and helps parents out big time. Teens can take themselves to school, work, and sport activities.

The minimum driving age should be raised because teen drivers need more experience and deadly car crashes will decrease. As a teenager one of the many things wanted is freedom and independence. Although knowing what you want is a good thing, it is not so good to take a risk on something as serious as driving and have a “know-it all” attitude. With motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, raising the minimum driving age is a very important decision. When considering this change we need to remember that it is a decision that will affect all of us.

It is essential that teenagers be able to drive before their time to be sent away to college because teens need the time away from all the distractions and anxiety to converse with their friends and relieve tensions. Without their license, they would have to be driven by their parent or guardian to meet with their friends. This is distasteful to most teenagers because multitudes of them just have one wish,

Do you really want to be stuck at home until you’re 18 doing nothing with your free time while your parents are gone? Don’t you want to be able to roam around places and probably take extracurricular activities on your own time and hang with friends too? Being able to drive is what many children in our society think about these days. When many teenagers reach the age of 15 ½ they are allowed to officially take their permit test to receive their permit for driving with an adult. After they have officially turned 16 they may take the behind-the wheel driving exam for a driver’s license, but the USA plans to change the driving age from 16 to 18. This idea seems to be a mistake seen in many ways. I believe that they shouldn’t change the

Teens need to be taught that driving is a task that is complex and demanding. Parents know how much experience a young driver has, and they know exactly how inconvenient it is when they have to drive with their teen everywhere while they have their permit. Teens tend to cause most traffic accidents in adults’ eyes. They are not experienced yet, and often fail to pay attention to others on the road. They often think of a car as being some type of toy, but they do not know how powerful it really is. The driver education programs must be strengthened in order to make sure that students really have safer habits, behind the wheel experience, and by having a better understanding of all the laws on the road.