Synthesis Essay: Raising The Driving Age

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

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