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driving age debate essays
should driving age be changed
should driving age change
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There has been a constant debate between many groups over the issue of changing
the driving age to 18. Although that idea appeals to some, not all agree to the fact that increasing the driving age to 18 is a safer and better age to drive than the current age of 16. The reasons behind peoples opinions to increase the age can easily be debatable and those opinions can be stated incorrect.
Those who are in vote for the increase of the driving age may say that 16 year olds are not mature enough to tackle the responsibility of controlling a moving vehicle. Letting 16 year old teenagers drive gives them the responsibility to make mature and correct decisions. There are so many social pressures out there including texting and drinking. Teenagers know that they should not give in to these pressures due to the multiple programs and reminders. Teens can also make responsible decisions by deciding whether they are ready to drive or not. If the 16 year old is not ready to drive, they might wait a little longer to get more practice. So by categorizing that all teenagers are not mature enough to handle driving would be arbitrary.
A learners permit helps teach and train the teenager to drive. With the learners permit, a teenage driver, as we know, must have a licensed driver to watch over the driver with the permit in the car. This way, the licensed driver can help teach the newer driver so that the new driver can safe on the road. The only way the licensed driver would have been able to be a guide to the new driver would be if they went through the same process of getting the learners permit. If the age was raised to 18, college students who are 18 would have a hard time getting time to work with an experienced driver due to distance be...
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... proving much. By moving the age up, laws are just postponing accidents, no stopping them. An experienced 16 year old driver is much safer than a new 18 year old driver, not due to maturity but once again experience. Crashes will happen no matter what age due to inexperienced drivers. There are Graduated Licence Program that helps limit distractions no matter what age. Instead of changing the age, states can possibly can imply more programs with slowly gives more privileges to teens showing safety and trustworthy acts instead of categorizing all 16 year olds into the immature and irresponsible group.
As many vote to change the driving age to 18 rather than 16, there are many factors to consider before they take in the biased opinions of the public. This issue should not be treated as an immaturity, irresponsibility, or age issue but simply as an experience issue.
Today, many teenagers work hard to obtain their license starting at age 15 by getting their permit. Many parents encourage their children to get their license and gain these privileges, however some encourage their kids to wait and many states agree. Driving age is commonly set at sixteen, but because of safety concerns, the idea of raising the driving age to eighteen is currently posed by state legislation. Increasing the driving age to eighteen is a smart decision because teenagers are seen as irresponsible, they are more likely to get into accidents, and teens can become easily distracted.
...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.
Teens and adults often debate over the legal driving age. Many statistics showed that teens mostly get into accident. Therefore, the legal driving age should be raised.
Sixteen year olds do have a valid argument as to why the age should stay where it is now. Endersby argues that many teens are in fact safe and careful drivers, they should not be punished for the bad behavior of others. Also, studies show that the same bad behavior commonly seen in men in their twenties is seen in sixteen and seventeen year olds. Driving is a huge part of a teenager’s social life too. They need licenses to get to school, work, or social events. So, a way to keep the driving age at sixteen and have better driving on the road is to have a graduated driver licensing. This GDL would make it so new drivers would gain experience driving under supervision of an older experienced driver before they can drive on their own. (Endersby)
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
The driving age should stay at 16. Although, not many people think that it should stay at 16, but instead that it should increase. This should not happen because certain responsibilities are given to an 16 year old that involves a car. Changing the driving age to a higher age, could infect a lot of things. Some of them have jobs, younger siblings, or even disabled parents. If we raise the driving age, then who would be able to drive around the teen’s disable parent if no one else is able too. The legal driving age should stay at 16.
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
My parents gave me my first car for my sixteenth birthday. I was overjoyed by this new found freedom; however, like a large portion of teenagers, I was also terrified of driving. This was mostly because I didn’t receive a lot of experience with my permit, and also because I was afraid of crashing my new car. In the years preceding my sixteenth birthday I had mourned the deaths of several teenaged friends who had died in car crashes. I ended up waiting a full year after I turned sixteen to take my driving test, because I didn’t feel comfortable driving until then, which later paid off when I passed my driving test the first time I took it. In my opinion, all teenagers should do as I did and wait to get their licenses. Though in reality, not all teenagers would agree to wait, so, I believe the legal driving age should be raised to eighteen years of age.
People who support a higher driving age have many good arguments and question whether teens really need to drive as early as they do now (Gregory). Researchers for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety say that “raising the driving age makes sense and would save lives” (cited in Gregory).They also say that “licensing at later ages would substantially reduce crashes involving teen drivers” (cited in Gregory). It seems like many people agree with them. For example, Crisp states, “Handling several thousand pounds of automobile at highway speeds is ...
In recent years, the legal driving age has become a topic of heated debate. There are many supporters that advocate for raising the legal driving age to eighteen or twenty-one. However, raising the driving age would cause some major problems. Sixteen should remain the legal driving age in most states and areas because the economic burden would be extremely large and the problems related to young drivers would not be adequately solved by simply rising the legal driving age. This essay will outline the reasons why the legal driving age should not be raised and what some of the better choices are instead.
Engines roaring and cars flying down the highway recklessly, racing to the finish. This is a stereotyped outlook on teen drivers. This however, is not the case. Teens don’t drive to race down the road. They drive for freedom. They drive to get where they need to be on their own. The driving age should not be raised to 18 because it takes away their feeling of freedom, Denies the access to needed transportation, denies experience, It puts additional stress on parents, and they need to be learning the driving skill while they’re young.
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.
Turning the age of sixteen is a huge step in the life of a teenager. When becoming the age of sixteen a new challenge is brought into that person’s life, and that new challenge is driving a car. But are sixteen year olds ready for this for this task? Some people would say that driving a car can be very problematic for a sixteen year old. Those people are right, sixteen year old should not be driving cars at that age, and just leave it for the people who are eighteen or even older to handle such a task. There are several good reasons why the government should raise the legal driving age to eighteen than leaving it at sixteen.
How old is old enough 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 contain 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.
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