Minimum Driving Age

Minimum Driving Age

Topic: The driving age should be raised to 18; people at the age of 16 are too young to handle the responsibility of driving a car.

Earning a driver's license is a most important event for most young American. Sixteen is the minimum age at which Indiana teenagers can obtain a driver's license. How can anyone say that rising the driving age would be favorable to the general community? While it is true that the amount of car accidents involving teenagers is notably higher than the number involving the older portion of the population, that is still not a likely reason for declining fifteen and sixteen year olds the right to drive. Some people might say, "Most sixteen year olds do not have the experience it takes to be in control on the road." How can one become experienced without practice? There would be so many disadvantages to raising the legal driving age by even two more years.

When most American youths are fifteen and sixteen, they are still under the constant watch of their parents; every aspect of their life is analyzed. While this may be annoying to some teens, it does tend to keep them out of trouble. Most teens need the driving tips and lessons provided by their parents. A lot of teens are out on their own or in college when they turn eighteen. Therefore, their parents are not there to teach them how to parallel park or merge into a lane of traffic.

Being under your parents' roof also provides extra motivation to stay out of trouble. Many parents tell their children that their license will be taken or they will be grounded if they get a parking ticket or get busted speeding. The never ending harass of parents tends to steer teenagers away from alcohol, drugs, and other disobedience issues. When you are on your own, your parents are not there to remind you to obey the speed limit and stay a few car lengths behind the car in front of you. These may sound like minor things, but if they are not practiced, you can get into a lot of trouble.

According to the teen driving statistics that are provided by the insurance companies, 16 year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than individuals who fall within the range of the average age of all drivers. Therefore, I think the legal driving age should be raised to 18. One thing I've found is that it isn't necessarily the age, but that they are inexperienced. The driver's ed classes are also factors. The classes need to emphasis more on driving safely for the rest of your life. Although reckless teenage driving has recently resulted in couple tragic deaths, most teens are mature enough and knowledgeable of safety on the road. Safety and financial problems will get better by raising the legal driving age to 18.

I've researched about teens driving at the age of 16, and I found out that ...