ipl-logo

Synthesis Essay: Raising The Driving Age

1230 Words5 Pages

Driving Age Synthesis Essay Despite living in the suburbs of a city built around the car, I have neither a driver’s license nor a car - despite being well above the minimum age of sixteen in my state. I often look with jealousness at my friends who drive themselves to and from school, having received their driver’s licenses on their sixteenth birthdays. With some of my friends, and teenagers in general, getting into trouble for using their newfound driving privileges irresponsibly, some people have argued that, to prevent the damage caused by those irresponsible drivers, the driving age should be raised to eighteen. However, raising the driving age would fail to improve safety and deny teens and parents the benefits of driving. Many proponents …show more content…

The rise of the automobile in the 1950s allowed teen culture to thrive and develop by giving teenagers a sense of independence; taking the automobile away would rob teenagers of their independence. Indeed, the Herald Online argues that raising the driving age will perpetuate teenagers’ dependence on parents (Source F). When they reach college, teens will be thrown into the deep end; not only will they have to traverse living away from homes and families, they also will have to learn to navigate the world of cars and driving. However, letting teens drive at age sixteen gives them practice with the independence they need, and gives them some experience with the feeling so they are not so unprepared for future experiences. Teens agree; one opined that learning to drive was a “growing-up experience” (Source G). Learning how to drive teaches teens responsibility, and after crashes inevitably happen, it teaches them that there are consequences to their actions. Personally, not having my own car makes me feel dependent on my parents and tied to their household; teenagers want to experiment with their own tastes and desires without the controlling influence of their parents, and driving an automobile gives them the freedom and independence to do that. Raising the driving age would take away that

Show More
Related
539 Words | 3 Pages

In this letter, the author argues that all students should be required to take the driver’s education course at Centerville High School which is a mandatory program sponsored by the high school to solve the teenage driving problems in the town of Centerville. He supports his argument by presenting some evidence, however, there can be a number of flaws in his argument, rendering it unconvincing. First, the author assumes that Centerville High School students should take driver’s program because several accidents in and around Centerville have involved teenagers. However, the evidence the author needs to provide that the accidents may have been caused only by Centerville High School students.

Read More
2892 Words | 12 Pages

Parents also find it easier for their 16-year-olds to get their license, since it is more convenient for their children to get to their extracurricular activities. Lastly, the 7th quote proves that waiting until 18 to get a license is too late, since 18-year-olds are too focused on their academics and won’t have time to practice driving. Overall, it’s better to just get a driving license and drive from place to place where it’s safer, easier, and less time-consuming. Rationale: We chose the second text, “Fatal Car Crashes Drop for 16-Year-Olds, Rise for Older Teens?”

Read More
331 Words | 2 Pages

The most compelling ideas in Kate Willette’s argument is the idea of other factors other than inexperience and age that contribute to teenagers getting into car accidents. Raising the driving age may simply put teenagers at a higher risk because they would be lacking more experience and the other factors would still exist as problems. Given that the writer blames the driver’s education system for it’s outdated lessons, Willette believes that teenagers do, in fact, have the ability to take on the responsibility of driving. Since she takes the sides of teenagers, Willette does not point her fingers at the teenagers, but rather at the system because of the lack of providing proper training.

Read More
1882 Words | 8 Pages

Alcohol seems to be an important part of daily life for many people. It's a substance associated with having fun amongst friends and family. Fortunately, certain laws help to protect us against the dangers that alcohol potentially brings upon our society. Although a section of the population argues for lowering the drinking age to 18, there have been many benefits with keeping it at 21. The main purpose of setting the Minimum Legal Drinking Age at 21 is to provide safety for the public, which should be the primary responsibility of the government.

Read More
874 Words | 4 Pages

“Every year 500,000 teens are injured in a car wreck. Every year 5,000 teens die in a car wreck meaning an average of 14 teens die a day. Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens in the U.S. Even more than alcohol and drug abuse, violence and suicide”. Teens are always excited to earn their license and drive out on the road for the first time, but not every time will be a success, it might also be their last.

Read More
497 Words | 2 Pages

Fourth, raising the driving age is not a fair solution to the problem of accidents caused by young drivers. Many young drivers are responsible and cautious on the road, and they should not be punished for the mistakes of a few. Instead, authorities should focus on identifying and addressing the specific causes of accidents involving young drivers. It may be difficult for some families to arrange transportation if their teenagers cannot

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Driving seems like a simple task, after all most people in the world do it in what seems to be an effortless way. What people fail to talk about are the difficulties of driving after doing it for such a long time, specifically when you reach your elderly years. Elderly drivers are faced with multiple issues when driving on the road, including weather conditions that make them experience fear about driving, medical complications and health status that affect the way they drive, and age-related vulnerabilities that alter the way they used to drive as an adult. Elderly drivers should be required to reapply for their driving licenses to not only ensure the people around them are safe, but also to ensure their own safety. As people become older,

Read More
523 Words | 3 Pages

According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel crashes due to drivers ages 16- 20 have killed 8,000 people per year. Already this is a devastating amount of accidents and injuries to be accounted for because of young drivers. We should not add to this number and do everything we can to lower the statistics. This can only be accomplished if we do not permit young teenagers, at age fourteen and fifteen, to receive their driver's license.

Read More
647 Words | 3 Pages

In New Jersey, a study of deadly crashes did not look specifically at 21-year-olds; they were mixed into a larger group of 20- to 24-year-olds. But the research still found a 10 percent increase in deadly crashes in that group after New Jersey’s tougher graduated driver licensing program was instituted, suggesting that 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds may be waiting out the tough restrictions there as well¨.(¨Source 2¨) This shows that we need not to make the driving age higher. The same people who say the drivers factuallies are high between 15 -20 years old fail to realize that we have least fatal car crashes, fatal multi car crashes, and fatal single car crashes(¨Table 2¨)

Read More
1233 Words | 5 Pages

Many people look forward to the day they are able to first drive a car. It’s part of the American dreams. So, should we restrict our youth from driving at such a young age? It’s not just a black and white situation, there are some in-betweens. Some people believe that teenagers should just grow up and be responsible when it comes to driving and the consequences (Sommerfeld 1).

Read More
1466 Words | 6 Pages

According to Robert Davis, “Brain and auto safety experts fear that 16-year-olds, the youngest drivers licensed in most states, are too immature to handle today's cars and roadway risks” (Davis, Par. 2). Due to the immaturity of teenagers it makes them not safe to be driving on the road. They don’t pay attention or make the best decisions when driving. A study showed the part of the teenage brain that is undeveloped

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

I think the driving age should stay at the age of 16 because as you get older you have more experience driving. Every thing goes best when you start young because of all the practice you've had over the years. starting at 16 can can lead some teens to good cares like: NAS car, or driving for movies. I think the age of 16 is a good place to start, because its like they say know more about the job before the interview, so that way you have a better chance of getting the job. Safety still is a problem because 16 year olds are reckless as well so its a bigger chance that more people could be in danger young teens that are behind the wheel going fast and doing what ever else they do when there alone trying to be cool for who ever.

Read More
461 Words | 2 Pages

Driving at 16 allows parents to oversee young drivers before they are legally independent adults. Lawmakers may think by raising the minimum driving age that they can minimize accidents, but in actuality, they are depriving teens the chance to learn under adult supervision. If the driving age were raised to 18, kids would be out on their own and learning to drive on their own. At 16, teens are still covered by their parents ' insurance driving closer to home, which offers more support should they get in an accident. Before teens leave home, parents can be sure they have a solid driving history that they can be comfortable with while gaining valuable experience.

Read More
355 Words | 2 Pages

When a teen is driving they are in control and they have to be aware of their surroundings. Driving has taught me how to be more responsible. A sixteen-year-old has to learn to become more responsible when driving a vehicle because if they are not being responsible then they could cause an accident or get a ticket for not obeying the laws. When I am driving I have to be responsible enough to follow the rules and not be a reckless driver. When driving I have to be aware of other drivers that may be careless, as hwy could cause me to be in an accident.

Read More
911 Words | 4 Pages

It’s concluded that making the driving age as a minimum age of sixteen has had a negative impact. This minimum age has affected the road safety negatively. It has caused premature death and severe injuries among teenagers aged 16 and 17 years old. Research suggests that some risks of driving are contributed to the lack of skill and experience. Furthermore, age plays a crucial role in deciding the risks valid in

Read More

More about Synthesis Essay: Raising The Driving Age

Open Document