TeenÐŽ¦S Hands On The Wheel

For teenagers in the United States, their sixteenth birthday makes the day when they are able to start driving. On the other hand, for their parents, who often start worrying whether their son or daughter may be involved in a car accident, it is a day of trepidation. Indeed, there is some credence to their concerns as research studies show that ÐŽ§Teens need to understand driving is a major responsibility that requires both experience and maturity,ЎЁ a spokesperson for Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association said. One effective way to reduce injuries is to place restrictions on teenager drivers. Limiting the number of passengers in car and hours of driving will contribute to reduction of teen driving accidents, as well as providing driving education.

As a result of large number of accidents, many states in the America are now passing laws that place special restrictions on young people behind the wheel and make it tougher for teenagers to drive. Teenagers have different opinions regarding this issue, ÐŽ§The restrictions placed on teen drivers are foolish,ЎЁ said Kati Stoneroad, 16-year-old. But lawmakers have good reasons. It is estimated that 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers. According to National Teen Driving Statistics, in 2003, 3,657 drivers aged 16-20 died in car crashes, making up 14% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes. Therefore placing restrictions on teen drivers is the right thing to do.

The main causes of teen driving accidents are a lack of maturity and experience. ÐŽ§For instance, tailgating and not using safety belts are misjudgments teens make more often than older drivers,ЎЁ said the Drive Home Safe Organization. Teenagers speed and do not wear seatbelts when driving because they donÐŽ¦t realize the potential danger of their actions. They only think about how convenient and time saving it could be to speed. It is also important to educate teen drivers.

Laws in Connecticut make it illegal for new teen drivers to have passengers under the age of twenty in the car, while in Maryland, provisional license holders under the age of eighteen canÐŽ¦t drive after midnight without supervision. These restrictions are helping to decrease accidents occur among teenage drivers. Although teenagers take driving tests and safety tests before getting a license, teens are more likely to get into car accidents. The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association states that ÐŽ§ItÐŽ¦s not that teens canÐŽ¦t drive; thatÐŽ¦s not the issue. ItÐŽ¦s just that it takes more than a license to be a good driver.ЎЁ

According to national statistics, ÐŽ§Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents had a youth passenger in automobile 45% of