Throughout the United States, it is common knowledge that teenangers and those in early adulthood are viewed to be negligent and inferior drivers in comparison to those who are older than them. Amy Best points out how young drivers receive far more, if not virtually all, of the media attention in the allocation of blame about car accidents (Best 660). While teenagers driving dangerously is a concern, recent studies have shown that teenagers in general are obtaining their licenses later and driving less than in previous times. Although this might seem positive due to the discussed dangers of teenagers driving it leads to a question of where this is rooting from. In the past a drivers liscense represented independence and freedom attained only at the cusp of adulthood, but now most are waiting to attain this “license” to independence (Copeland). In the past, this desire for independence was a driving force of America’s youth, but this is no longer the case. Today, due to new technological,economical, and societal reasons, teenagers are obtaining their licenses at older ages than generations before them had.
In today’s day and age with new technologies popping up everyday, Teenagers are distracted by technology. In every form of their lives, technology is there. The Pew Internet Report relays its findings of teens and technology. With the overwhelming majority of teens, 95% of them use the internet and a whooping 78% have cell phones. When asked how often they utilize various means to communicate or socialize with people in their lives, 77% of seventeen year olds relayed that they used texting everyday to maintain connections with people in their lives. In comparison to that, only 34% of this age bracket shared ...
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...ving habits or lack thereof of teenagers and young adults today.
Works Cited
Best, Amy L. "Teen Driving As Public Drama: Statistics, Risk, And The Social Construction Of Youth As A Public Problem." Journal Of Youth Studies 11.6 (2008): 651-669. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 May 2014.
Copeland, Larry. "Many Teens Taking a Pass on a Driver's License." USA Today. 04 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014.
Daniels, Joyce. "Driving Forces." Research Review 42.4 (2011): 1-2. Research Information and Publications Center of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Fall 2011. Web. 5 May 2014.
Lenhart, et al. “Teens and Mobile Phones.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (20 Apr. 2010), Web. 06 May 2014.
Nilles, Melissa. "Technology Is Destroying the Quality of Human Interaction."The Bottom Line UCSB. UCSanta Barbara, 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 May 2014.
In this article written by the author Bruce Feiler, titled “Teenage Drivers? Be Very Afraid”, he talks about how he suggest the parents to stop being helicopter parents and allow their children to be independent. However, other professionals’ suggestions are the opposite when teenagers start to drive. As a result of the teenagers’ immaturity, the parents are told to be more involved because their child’s life may be in danger. As stated in the article by Nichole Moris “the most dangerous two years of your life are between 16 and 17, and the reason for that is driving.” There are various factors that play huge roles through this phrase of the teenagers’ life: other passengers, cellphones, and parents. In 2013, under a million teenage drivers were involved in police-reported crashes, according to AAA. The accidents could have been more but many teenage accidents go unreported. As a result, one of their recommendations to the parents is to not allow their children to drive with other passengers: other passengers can big a huge distraction and could increase the rate of crashes by 44 percent. That risk doubles with a second passenger and quadruples with three or more. Furthermore, as technology has taken over teenagers’ lives, the parents should suggest to those teenagers who insists on using the phones that the only safe place for it to be: in a dock, at eye level, on the dashboard. The worst place is the cup holder, the driver’s lap, and the passenger’s seat. Next, professionals also suggest that the parents implement their own rule and even continue the ones like the graduated driver’s licenses regulations. This regulation includes restrictions like not allowing their children to drive between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. To
Through out the years teenagers have been driving without a license. In this century teenagers are decreasing to get their license (Teens getting their driver license. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from ). Teenagers tend to think that just because they know how to pump gas press the brakes and rea...
Brooks, Jennifer. "Teens May Wait Longer for Licenses." Tennessean (Nashville, TN). 14 Jun 2010: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Feb 2012.
Irvine, Martha. (2008, September 9). HuffPost Business. “Teen Driving Age Should Be Raised, Says Auto Safety Group.”
I. Introduction A. Should 16 year old teenagers be able to drive? B. “Those who favor raising the driving age say that statistics show teenagers are more likely to get into accidents than adults. What they don't say is that statistics also show that men of all ages are 77 percent more likely to kill someone while driving than women.
Wilson, Kevin. “Back to School: Teenage Driving.” AutoWeek. 4 Sept. 2006: 18-20. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.
Davis, Robert. “Is 16 too Young to Drive? Growing Numbers Think So.” USA Today. 1 Mar.
Cell phones have crept into an owner’s possession at all times. “The mobile phone has become a part of us: our best friend who will save all our secrets, pleasures and sorrows” ("Exploring"). Teens have developed the need to know the latest news on social media every minute of every day; they do not want to miss any little detail. Since the beginning of smart phones, high school students have felt the need to have their media open on their smart phone in front of them so they do not feel empty. Once someone has become attached or addicted to something, it is hard to change their habits. Cell phones have changed people socially, especially with the availability to social media with electronics.
Rubin, Rita “Report Makes a Case for Raising Driving Age” 09 Sep 2008: n. page. Web. 27 Oct.
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
Getting a driver’s license can be the most exciting part of a teens life. But what do teens have to do beforehand in order to obtain that license? For some, it's months of training and for others, they can complete everything within a few months. But does all that training make teens better drivers? The three main reasons why more drivers education for teens is not beneficial are: restrictions for teen drivers make it harder on parents, teens have to be able to get around without their parents, and not all teens need more drivers education.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths for teens (16-17),” reported The New York State Department of Health. The most exciting thing about being sixteen in the United States is driving. Teenagers can not wait to be sixteen to drive, however, they do not understand the dangers that come with driving at such a young age. Sixteen is the age between child life and adulthood. It is a time when they are not stable and undergoing change, which makes them unsuitable to drive. Many teenagers would say that they need to get to places. In response to that claim, there are public transportation systems and bikes as available alternatives for young drivers. The financial stability and matureness of eighteen year olds proves
Sostarecz, Alexander. "Alexander Sostarecz: Raise Driving Age to 18 When Teens Are More Responsible." The Morning Call. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Netzley, D. Patricia. How Does Cell Phone Use Impact Teenagers?” Reference Point Press. San Diego, Ca. C.S.A. - 2013 Print.
In addition to teenagers gaining independence and freedom with a license, parents also gain more freedom as well. Teenagers who cannot drive rely heavily on parents, siblings, and other people to chauffeur them around. Not only does this cost more for the driver, ...