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Impotance of teen driving
Adolescents and driving
Dangerous driving and its effects on youths
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Whether or not teenagers should be allowed to get their driver 's license at age sixteen is a known topic across the United States. One of the causes for this argument is the number of fatalities caused by young drivers. Evidence shows, “In 2012, 1,875 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 died in motor vehicle crashes and an additional 184,000 young drivers were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” (“Teen Drivers”). Most accidents are caused by young drivers. In the United States of America, citizens may receive their driver’s license at sixteen, if they meet the requirements. Some people argue that sixteen year olds should not be able to receive their driver’s license. Other people argue that sixteen …show more content…
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 …show more content…
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
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.
“Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for American teenagers, accounting for about a third of all deaths in that age group” (Crisp). In actual numbers, motor vehicle crashes kill more than 5,000 teenagers every year (Gregory). These statistics are frightening and have led more than 50 percent of adults to support higher required ages for drivers’ licenses (Gregory). Teenagers, though, say this would be unfair and would make their lives difficult. Meeting the needs of Indiana teenagers while still keeping them and other drivers safe can be accomplished by a more restrictive graduated licensing law.
Motor vehicles accidents are the leading cause of deaths for teenagers in the United States. According to Vivian Hamilton, “Car crashes kill more teens each year than any other cause” (1). In 2010, seven teenagers from ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle crashes. In 2011, approximately 1972 young drivers, ages 15 to 20, were killed in motor vehicle crashes (Facts About Teen Drivers”). The age of which a person can drive legally varies from country to county. In the United State, individuals are allow to take a driving test before their legal voting age which is eighteen or legal ...
One of the most important reasons why there are a large number of crashes involving teens is due to their inexperience in driving. According to an article titled “Why are Young Drivers at a Greater Risk”, driver education classes provide only a miniscule amount of the information needed to become a good responsible driver. A study found that there was a decrease in crash rates among teens that got an average of a hundred and ten hours of supervised driving. This proves that teens not only need driver education classes but more on the road driving experience (Why). The article labeled “Teen Driving” discussed that the less experience any person has in driving the more likely they are to make an error in judgment. In 1998, eighty percent of fatal accidents involving sixteen year olds were a direct result of driver error. In the same year more than sixty percent of people who were twenty to forty-nine year olds were guilty of driver error (Teen Driving). The lack of a teen driver’s experience in driving when first licensed is not enough for a teen when forced in...
Driving at the age of sixteen is perfectly okay with people who does not seem to care because he or she feels as if someone gets into a car they are automatically going to put all attention into driving the vehicle which is not true nowadays because teenage drivers feel the need to be on a cell phone or trying to control the radio and trying to get dressed or put on make up when he or she should only be focused on operating the car. As the CDC stated “High school students aged 16 years and older who, when surveyed, said they had driven a vehicle one or more times during the past 30 days when they had been drinking alcohol.” ("Teen Drinking and Driving"), high school students are actually drinking when they should not be anywhere neat alcohol beverages and be able to drive. Based on these facts “Teens are more likely to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an intoxicated driver, and drive after using alcohol or drugs.” (Only the Strong Survive "Teen Driving Crash and Fatality Stats"), teenagers are most likely to one ride with a intoxicated driver, and two driver after using alcohol or drugs which proves my point that teenagers should not be able to drive at such a young
Car crashes are the leading cause of severe injury and death among teenagers. "In 2010, seven teens aged 16-19 died everyday from motor vehicle injuries." (Injury Prevention and Control: Motor Vehicle Safety) The reason these accidents are happening is because too many teens are getting behind the wheel without enough experience or common sense. Many studies have shown that teens are more likely to be distracted, experiment with drugs and alcohol, and take more risks in general with their vehicles. Many states have tried to negate these risks buy increasing the amount of experience a teen driver must need but the statistics show that may not be enough. There are many ways we can decrease the amount of accidents and deaths to our teen drivers, one of which is increasing the age to get a driver's license.
With as common as fatal car crashes are, it is no wonder that new drivers are not confident while driving. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “A total of 2,524 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2013,” (“Teenagers”). Allowing teenagers to start driving at
The leading cause of death for teens is vehicular crashes. If the driving age were to be raised at eighteen then parents and educators will have more time to prepare these future drivers on safe driving practices. It is inevitable to avoid the risk of getting into an accident on the road and the chances of being one will always be present. But for young minors and adults who aren’t yet involved in the adult world and still have many things to do and accomplish by that time should not be put in this kind of the danger yet. Asking to increase the driving age will give teenagers and young adults more time on their hands to do more, learn more, and mature enough to prepare for what’s out there.
Teens only make up seventeen percent of the population today, but almost twenty percent of fatal crashes are due to teenagers behind the wheel. Growing numbers suggest changing the driving age to eighteen and some even believe that changing it to twenty-one may save even more lives. With a sixteen year old behind the wheel, accidents are even more likely to occur when compared to a seventeen year old (Boulard). With so much new technology in today’s society there are more distractions on the road than ever before; therefore the legal driving age should be raised to save more lives. If we do not act quickly, then more lives will be lost.
Although studies by Dr.Masten and his colleagues show, “75 percent of the fatal crashes we thought we were saving actually just occurred two years later,” (paragraph 4). This was stated when the minimum driving age was sixteen and this effected the number if fatal crashes in eighteen-year olds. Dr. Masten suspects that teenagers are waiting to get their license and skipping the restrictions, (paragraph 7).
In some states, a program known as driver education is required. The program varying from a week or two in length to a whole year of curriculum can make a very large difference in the driving experience and knowledge of the driver. According to the national DMV website, teenagers who participated in a driver education course are fifty percent less likely to occur in an accident if they have completed a year long course of driver education. I think that a driver education course should be a requirement in schools across the nation in the student 's year when they would apply for their learner permit. By completing that course, future driver would share the same sort of education as well as having a vast knowledge of driving. By doing that, the legal driving age would not need to change as it should not need to change. I also believe that in addition to the mandatory driving hours spent with a parent, guardian, or adult, a new driver needs to spend time with a driver education certified teacher. By doing so, they will learn and maintain the proper skills needed to drive safely. Again, making that happens will only make the roads safer as driver will share the same knowledge on the road. Another stipulation that should take place before a teenager can apply for their license is drug and alcohol education and testing. Furthermore, students need to be aware of not only the dangers of drug and alcohol, but the dangers of drugs and alcohol in relation to driving. As projected, more and more higher school students are drinking under age and driving while intoxicated. In addition to that, drug use and abuse rates are going up causing more and more students to drive while under the influence of mind
Today in the world you see how driving becomes an everyday thing, everybody uses a car to get to the destination they need whether it’s their job or just to go out. Many out there have their driver’s license, while others are just starting to learn how to drive to obtain their driver’s license. Everybody has always had an issue with what the right age should be to allow people to obtain their driver’s license and drive. While some people don’t argue with the age that teenagers should be allowed to drive, others don’t agree on letting teenagers get their driver’s license at such young age. People had always had various good reasons on why the driving age should be adjusted or why it should be left as it is. In my opinion and what I think is
As expected, most if not all teens will disagree with that. But there are some safe teen drivers that are thrown into the bad teen driving category just because they are a teenager that drives. If there are some good teen drivers, then do all teens really need more drivers education? Samantha Williams is a senior at Winchester Community High School that has an answer to this question. “I do consider myself to be a safe driver. I’m always aware of my surroundings when I’m driving, and I always stay away from any distractions” (Question 1). She is intentionally aware of her surroundings and stays focused while driving. The government should not make more regulations and rules for all teen drivers when there are many teen drivers like Samantha on the roads. There are even some adults that believe not all teen drivers are bad drivers. Gregory explains, “ The teen driving issues are not about age and maturity as they are about making good choices and demonstrating exceptional behavior, whether they start that driving experience at 16, 17, or 18” (1). Many teens and parents seem to think the government has not made the best decisions recently when it comes to
The main reason the driving age should be raised, it will be a decrease in car accidents for 16-18 year-olds. Driving is one of the most dangerous things people do on a day to day basis. Teenagers are at a high risk of being in an accident than an older driver. A study show of car crashes during the past two years found a high proportion of newly licensed drivers have serious accidents. Drivers 16-18 are commonly known for speeding, fatigue, alcohol and not wearing seat belts lead to car crashes. More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Safety Administration.(.2...)
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time,” said by Steven Wright. Teenagers look forward to their sixteenth birthday so they are able to drive. Everyone has felt that feeling where they can hardly wait to get behind the wheel and start driving. Little do people know teen drivers are more likely to die from a car accident than from a homicide, suicide, or cancer combined (Littlefield). They are mostly inexperienced with the road and how to handle distractions. If the age were moved to eighteen teenagers would have more driving experience (Sostarecz). Teenage drivers are extremely eager to drive because of freedom, but they are not aware of the distractions and peer pressure on the road; their experience of driving is not as well as others and statistics show how many deaths are caused due to teenage driving.