Minimum Driving Age

1149 Words5 Pages

Picture 15 and a half year olds sitting in a lobby waiting to take a test to get their temps. They get their temps, walk out, and post it on every social media they have. They can 't wait to tell everyone in person. Now take that and add two years to it. If the minimum driving age is raised these teens will have to wait longer to get their temps. Not only will they have to wait longer, but they will not get the taste of freedom or adulthood most people want. The minimum driving age should stay 16 because drivers are more responsible, have more freedom and its easier on parents. One reason why the driving age should stay the same is because driving improves the responsibility of teens. Diamante White tells us, "I would really be upset because …show more content…

Some will say that "Getting the highest of the high-risk drivers away from the wheel probably isn 't a bad idea," said Dr. Barbara Gaines, trauma director at Children 's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (Gaines 1). Dr. Barbara is saying that teen drivers are a high risk on the road. If we take them off the road our problems will be solved. This is not true because teens are young and have little experience behind the wheel. Even adults can be reckless for a reason. Either they are drunk, crazy, or just mad at someone. These can all be reasons for teens to be reckless, so why not just ban the use of cars all together? Another reason people may think driving is dangerous is because “More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Safety Administration(NHSA). Many industrialized countries in Europe and elsewhere have a driving age of 17 or 18.” This is saying that 16 year old drivers are almost 10 times more likely to be in fatal car crashes the drivers around the age 30-59. Europe has the age set to 17-18 and many other places. The NHSA is saying that teens are involved in more crashes than adults. There can be many reasons why, but the main one is that the teens are new drivers on the open road with little to no experience whilst adults have years behind the wheel and on the road. If the age was raised then nothing would change. The 18 year old drivers would still have no experience behind the wheel. Even if they never got in a crash, on icy roads in the winter can and will ruin that. For both adults and teens. “5,000 U.S. teens die each year”. What if that 's from the environment and the icy