Should Driving Age be Increased to 21?
Should driving age be increased to 21? It is commonly said that driving age should be increased to 21 due to maturity levels, experience driving, and decisions while driving. Many people are concerned that teens are “likely” to drink and then drive, and many people also assume that teens are not mature enough to drive. Another argument is that teens could take the bus somewhere if they must go. This however, could not be more absurd. Teens are not “likely” to drink and drive. In fact, far more teens do not drink and drive, as opposed to teens that do. In addition, if maturity is an issue, parents have the complete discretion to not allow their children to drive until they are responsible enough to do
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Not to mention, many of the elders stating that the driving age should be increased started driving very early in life because of how they were raised. They helped on the farm and drove cars from an early age. Driving age should not be increased to twenty-one because a vast majority of people are going to college or have entered the work force at this age, they are legal adults by age eighteen, the current process of acquiring a license suits sixteen-year-olds best, the government should focus more on education, and teens can work as early as age fifteen and need transportation.
First, almost all twenty-one-year-olds have entered the work force or are in higher education. No twenty-one-year-old should rely on their parents to take them back and forth to school, to work, or to their social events. “One of the main reasons the driving age should not be moved up is because many teenagers need to drive themselves to work. Since 16 is the legal age to get a job, it makes sense that the legal driving age is the same, as many teenagers wouldn’t be able to get a ride from their parents every time they had to go to work. Therefore, if the driving age were moved up to 17 or 18, many teens would be stuck looking for a way to get to work and/or other places where they need to go” (Arrand 1). This idea is absolutely absurd for a mature adult who has been on their own for three years, and this article proves that statement. Most adults
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They have time to learn to drive with a parent because they still live at home. No twenty-one-year-old will have the time or desire to drive with their parent frequently. “When they gain their learners permits, most new drivers learn to drive from their parents. At 18, most teens will be going off to college, depriving them of the opportunity to learn motor skills from their parents. Instead, young drivers might have older friends from campus show them how to drive, but their emphasis on the teen’s safety would not compare to that of a parent. In addition, if you are currently under 18 and want to get a license, it is required that you attend Driver’s Education classes. If the driving age was raised to 18, it wouldn’t be mandatory, and far less people would take the classes, leaving them less qualified to drive. Making the classes a requirement for getting a license, regardless of age, would help more than raising the driving age” (Driving 1). Especially if they are both employed or the student is hours away in college. There is no way this could be feasible. “Also, ask parents and many will admit that giving their 16-year-olds the keys is a big convenience. After years of carting kids to school and back and taking them wherever they need to go, it's a relief to let them drive themselves” (Don’t