On average ten American teenagers die every day from car accidents (Johnston). Which I believe it is not age related, but due to lack of experience. Changing the driving age to twenty-one would only move the high rate of accidents to twenty-one instead of sixteen. Statistics related to accidents due to different ages of people usually show a U-shape pattern, with people of the age twenty-five and under at a higher risk of being involved in a car accident, then a decrease during the middle age and then an increase in older aged adults (Judd). This proves lack of familiarity with driving and driving circumstances will raise the statistic, and of course old age will increase the risk as well; depending on their health conditions. A study in North Carolina by AAA showed that 57 percent of crashes that involved a beginning driver were caused by three mistakes: not reducing speed in time, failure to pay attention, and an error to yield (“Teen Driving”). Those are all fixed with experience, and good examples. If the driving age were raised those statistics would only be transferred to being the statistics for twenty-one year old drivers instead of sixteen year olds. The driving age should not be raised to twenty-one because driving at a young age establishes responsibility, and changing the age would not only decrease the number of available employees but it would also delay the expected inexperienced driver death statistic.
Being able to drive at sixteen enables teenagers to experience responsibility at a whole new level, before they are on their own. Changing the legal driving age to twenty-one wouldn’t allow teenagers to be able to mature like they should by the age of twenty-one. Driving as a sixteen year old still allows teenagers t...
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...riend, without it the accident rates would increase tremendously. The current statistics wouldn’t increase or decrease by changing the age but transfer to the new age. I believe by keeping the current age as is, and increasing the experience level will decrease the high rates of accidents and car related deaths.
Works Cited
Johnston, Lori. "Federal Graduated Driver Licensing Would Reduce Teen Crashes." Teen Driving. Ed. Michele Siuda Jacques. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Federal Driver's Licensing Bill Seeks to Put the Brakes on Teen Auto Accidents." 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
Judd, Alan. "Age Concerns." Spectator 11 July 2009: 43+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
"Teen Driving." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
She does this because she was misunderstood when it came to understanding her “drinking problem.” She talks about the statistics with a conversations tone about how excessive drinking cause the brain to only make dopamine when alcohol is present in your body. Your brain makes the metal connection that in order to be happy and feel good, one must drink. Alcoholism comes upon one quickly. When you find yourself drinking to feel pleasure you have crossed the line of a social drinker into an alcoholic (113- 118). She uses the cucumber-to-pickle analogy to explain this by saying, “you can try to stop a cucumber from turing into a pickle but there’s no way you can turn a pickle back into a cucumber”
Just one become only two, which then leads to number three that will be the last… so they say and apparently so will the one after that, after that, and after that until they can physically drink no more. For some, this might happen on their twenty first birthday or only once, but for many people in the world this happens every month, every week, or even every day. “Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the U.S. 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence” (“Alcohol”). The need and overdose of alcohol is called alcoholism. This addiction causes pain, anger, and loss of control all over the world. One might say, “I can handle myself. I am just fine,” but we all know they are not fine because most of the time they are causing hurt around them. In Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, her father, Rex Walls, is an example of one of these 17.6 million alcoholics and this disease affects the family in multiple ways.
Drinking: A Love Story (1996) is a memoir by Caroline Knapp where she shares her experience of gradually becoming an alcoholic. She found drinking to be the most important relationship in her life; she loved how it made her feel, how it coped with her fears and worries. She chronicles some of the effort and self-realization required for recovery from this addiction, but her primary focus is on the charm, seductiveness, and destructiveness that she was able to find in two decades as an alcoholic, hopelessly in love with liquor. Her relationship with alcohol started in early teenage years and progressed through young adulthood, until she finally checked herself into a rehabilitation center at the age of thirty-four.
The human condition which is spoken about in Alcoholics Anonymous is the dichotomy of the life of the alcoholic. These alcoholics are not easy to categorize; they are not always a Dr Jekyll by day and Mr Hyde by night. Bill, who explains his life story in the first chapter, explains how he studied economics, business and law to join speculators on Wall Street. Up until this point, drinking had interfered in his life, but was not a continuous plague. Yet, over the course of time he becomes an alcoholic for a variety of reasons, like many individuals described throughout the book. The alcoholics described are not portrayed as unintelligent, unsuccessful or insignificant. They are men who have high positions, who are by turns "brilliant, fast-thinking, imaginative and likeable" (139). The conclusion of a prima facie inspection of these individuals would not include over indulgence of alcohol. But under the alcoholic influence these attributes worthy of note slowly atrophy and...
After long-term use the consequences were unpleasant. She neglected her children and could not maintain a romantic relationship. Her excessive drinking embarrassed her family. It seems she was not getting the same relief from the alcohol causing her to find ways to drink more (i.e., making herself sick). As a result of years of use she had entered a neuro-adaptive state where tolerance had caused an increased need for alcohol. This state also accounts for the extreme withdrawal symptoms she experienced when she quit drinking.
...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.
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.
If people want to save lives by raising the driving age, then how about saving lives by allowing only women to drive? Except raising the driving age won't save lives. Studies show that it is inexperience, not age, that causes accidents. Raising the driving age will just create inexperienced, accident-prone drivers at 18 instead of 16. Teens need the ability to drive just as much as anyone else—to get to school,
More than 5,000 teenagers die while driving each year in the United States (Gregory). In my opinion this is due to three different, yet equally important factors. The first factor is that the teenage mind is yet to be fully developed, causing them to make irresponsible and sometimes reckless decisions. The second factor is that the experience of driving has evolved since the original driving age was established in the early 20th century. The third and final aspect to take into consideration would be that driving is the lowest minimum age of any adult restricted activity in the United States. Although, it can be one of the more harmful, not only to the perspective driver but his or her surroundings as well. Taking all three of these factors into account I believe the minimum driving age should be raised to 18 to decrease the accident rate amongst teenagers.
the constant exposure to the behavior of the alcoholic. The negative social consequences of alcohol consumption and stressful life events may trigger psychological, biological, behavioral responses, which interact to diminish the individual’s ability to adapt leading to emotional distress reaction and thereby increasing the likelihood of psychological
Sixteen year olds have a higher crash rate than drivers of any other age. “ in 2011, teenagers accounted for 10 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths” (Teen Driving Statistics). For this purpose, Many states have begun to raise the age limit by imposing restrictions on sixteen years old drivers. For example, limiting the number of passengers they can carry while driving. “The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a report in May 2012 that showed that the risk of 16- or 17-year old drivers being killed in a crash increases with each additional teenage passenger in the vehicle. The risk increases 44 percent with one passenger; it doubles with two passengers, and quadruples with three or more passengers. The study analyzed crash data and the number of miles driven by 16- and 17-year olds” (Teen Driving Statistics). Another example, is that many people believe that teenage drivers have a race boy/girl mentality. This mean that when any teenager gets into a vehicle of any kind they get some type of thrilled or that the driving laws do not accommodate them in any way, shape, or form. They would go drag race ...
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
In the article Crash Facts on the 16- to 19- Year-Old Age Group, written by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, it is stated that 11.1 percent of sixteen year old drivers are involved in car accidents. Sixteen year olds are less experienced and are accident prone 2.43 percent more than eighteen year olds. According to Ted Gregory, a Chicago Tribune reporter, in New Jersey, teenagers start driving at the age of seventeen unlike other states with a driving age of sixteen. After the law was enacted, the percentage in fatal accidents dropped 33 percent. This report proves that as teenagers get older, car accidents are less likely to happen. Many would argue that age is just a number and eighteen year olds cause many car accidents as well. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reported that in comparison to sixteen year olds, eighteen year olds are less likely to be involved in car accidents, with a rate of 8.67 percent. Sixteen year old drivers who are involved in car accidents are more likely than older drivers to cause accidents due to carelessness on the
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.
How old is it 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 contains 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.