Raising Drivers Age Limit

Running header: RAISING THE DRIVING AGE

Raising the driving age

Sandy

COMM 215

January 2007

Raising the Driving Age

Should the age to receive a driver's license be raised and, if not, should graduated licensing be instituted? This is a growing question across America. The percentage of teenage accidents involving automobiles is on a constant rise. Whether caused by the lack of experience or under the influence of alcohol, death has become all too common among teen motorists. This problem is not going to go away by itself; action needs to be taken.

Turning the age of sixteen is a huge step in the life of a teen. I myself remember when I turned of age and got my drivers license and than my own children turned of age and received theirs. When becoming the age of sixteen a new challenge is brought into a person's life, the task of driving a car. But are sixteen year olds ready for this task?

Driving a car is a task that should only be taken on by teenagers over the age of eighteen, because they are more responsible and understand the risk involved. Their maturity level at age of eighteen is much better than that of sixteen or seventeen-year-old drivers. Second, eighteen -year-old drivers are involved less in horseplay and drag racing. Also, they get less distracted. Third, they are more responsible of their actions on the road. They make wiser decisions than teens younger than eighteen. (Davis,R)

Sixteen-year-olds brains are underdeveloped and most of the driving they do is unnecessary. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16 year olds have the highest percentage of crashes-involving speeding, the highest percentage of single vehicle crashes, the highest percentage of crashes with driver error, and the highest vehicle occupancy. Thirty percent of the accidents on the road are caused by 16 year olds. Ever since young teenagers could drive more people actually began getting hurt, or even killed. This is clearly an issue because it is for everyone's safety when they are driving, but with 16 year olds driving crazy and having different distractions, such as loud radios, and cell phones it is putting every one in danger. (Davis, R)

In today's society the idea of sixteen and seventeen year olds operating cars has become a way of life. But if one stops to think about it, there is no need for these drivers to be on the road. Most of these drivers still live at home and have no job because they're still in school. So they have no job to drive to or from. To go to school they can take the bus or be dropped off by their parents. But since this is not going to happen there must be stiffer laws taken and action should be applied. Examples: Imposing restrictions on 16-year-old drivers limiting the number of passengers they can carry or mandate a curfew and barring late-night driving or flatly forbidding 16-year-olds to drive without parental. These actions are now applied in California. Thirty-one states now impose passenger restrictions and limit night driving for 16 to 18 year olds. (Yee, Larry)

My daughter now 16 has her license and a car of her own. I monitor her very avidly on her comings and goings and to whom she is associated with. Her travels are limited and monitored. I have to say although she