Pros And Cons Of Raising The Driving Age

I don’t believe raising the driving age by only one year would reduce accidents at all. There’s a possibility the teenager hasn’t even matured yet, and would still be just as likely to be irresponsible on the road as they were merely a year ago. At this young age, most kids driving are more likely to test their limitations on the road and are influenced by their peers to try something daring and fun. They tend to have little concern for the road they share with others. They can also be nervous about driving and may focus only on their performance, rather than also looking out for other dangers the drivers around them may be setting. Furthermore, the decision making parts of their brain are still under development, even well after the teenage years, which is likely to impact their behavior on the road.

If the driving age were increased say by two or two and a half years, then the driver is not only more likely to make better decisions, but their performance on the road may increase. By then, they would be more mature and may even focus on what is safe rather than what their peers perceive as “fun”. They would probably even have more experience if the age for a provisional license remained the same. Then, I believe, accidents would decrease as well as save