Why Should The Driving Age Be Raised Essay

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While a teen is driving about 25 miles per hour above the speed limit, the segment of his or her brain that draws in the adrenaline rush is running fantastically. But the unit that considers conflicting repercussions is hopeless (Davis 1). “It’s an unfortunate truth, but auto accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers. A 16 year old is almost twice as likely to die in a car crash than a 30 year old” (Should the Minimum Legal Driving Age Be Raised? 1). Teenagers are in the process of gaining a well developed brain, are irresponsible/immature, and do not possess the focus needed for driving; therefore, the driving age should be increased.

As stated earlier, teens are still in the process of gaining a well-developed brain. “The brain is changing a lot longer than we used to think. And that part of the brain involved in decision making and controlling impulses is among the …show more content…

This means that a pivotal part of a teen’s brain remains undeveloped. This causes a careless attitude and makes rash emotions the root cause of teen’s decisions. Alexander Sotarecz states, “Many teens do not realize that their reflexes and hand eye coordination skills are not fully developed yet” (Sotarecz 6). In other words, a teen takes a long time to process whatever they see, which results in slow reactions to a problem or situation. All in all, teens still need more time for brain development before they head for the road.

Teenagers are immature and irresponsible as well. The causes of their car accidents are often immature. As claimed by research, “More than 20% of deaths on Britain’s roads in 2011 involved drivers aged 17-24 and about 10% of novice drivers are caught committing an offense within their probationary period” (Driving Age Increase to 18 and Curfew for New Drivers Mooted 1). This just goes to show that one-fifth of the deaths on the road were extremely young and 10