Raise Driving Age in the United States

Argument: Raise Driving Age in the United States

Introduction

Driving is a convenience as it enables one to get to where they are going when they want to get there. When it comes to teenage driving, the most common causes of road carnage are drunken driving, reckless driving, speeding and a lack of experience (Cefrey, 12). Conventionally, one is considered a mature adult on attaining the age of 18. The driving age in the United States varies with states, ranging from 15 to 21 but the stipulated age at which one can acquire a driving license is 16 (Irving 216). While this driving age has been in force for a while, some teens at this age still do not show ability to be responsible, sparking up a row as to whether or not the legal driving age in the United States should be raised up a little higher, a decision carrying both pros and cons.

Pros

According to a research carried out by the Centers for Disease Control, road accidents account for 36% (5,000 teen deaths) of all deaths in the age group of 16-19, injuring 400,000 teen drivers (Anderson, 2004, p. 48). Teens lack adequate driving skills and experience needed to avoid running over pedestrians, or to act quickly to avoid an oncoming vehicle. By raising the driving age, parents will be allowing their teens ample time to first mature in their thinking, to learn how to drive and then polish up their driving skills before actually getting on the road Devore 295). This will not only be saving the teens’ lives, but also the lives of pedestrians and other motorists.

Another reason for teen road accidents is recklessness. Driving is a new and exciting experience for a beginner. A 16-year old may be too eager to drive that they do not take precautions when driving. They may want to show off their new ability to their peers, risking their own lives and the lives of their passengers in the process. Tied to this is over speeding. In an attempt to exercise their newly acquired skill, teen drivers end up over stepping the legal speed limit. It becomes difficult to swerve to avoid hitting a pedestrian or another car. Teenagers who start driving at a later age have more time to mature and will therefore have a more sober approach to driving vis-à-vis those who start driving earlier. Such incidents as drunken driving will be significantly reduced.

The teenage phase is a stage when young people are curious to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Teenagers know it is wrong to drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but they usually do not comprehend the magnitude of the action until it actually happens. Drunk, excited teenagers do not hesitate to get behind the wheel; putting their own lives at risk along with the lives of their passengers (DuPont & Ford139). While it is important to advocate against indulging in drugs and alcohol, a further step should be taken to raise the driving age. If teens cannot abstain from drugs and alcohol, then they should not be allowed to drive either.

Raising the driving age will lead to a reduction in teen road accidents. As a result, the police will spend less time in investigating road accidents caused by inexperienced teens and focus on more pertinent issues affecting the citizens of the country (Kirk103). A higher age required for driving would also translate to fewer cars on the road. A positive effect would be in compelling the teens to use a more environmentally friendly means of transport such as the train. This action will lead to a reduction in air pollution caused by automobiles.

Cons

Raising the age at which one is allowed to drive has its disadvantages too. Being a huge responsibility, driving is a way of enabling teenagers to take charge of some aspect of their lives, slowly ushering them into adulthood. Apart from delaying teens’ appreciation of responsibility, raising the driving age will continue to place a burden on adults who would be forced to continue driving their teens to where they want to go. It would save adults a lot of time if their teens were able to drive themselves. In addition, teenagers have numerous restrictions imposed on them already. For instance, they cannot participate in the democratic process of voting and cannot watch certain TV programs and movies they cannot watch. It would seem fair to argue that the driving age should be maintained at 16 to give them a right they too can enjoy.

Experience in driving is not particularly dependent on age. It can be safely argued that a 35-year-old driver with 6 months driving experience is just as likely to be involved in a road accident as a16 year old with 6 months driving experience. With this argument in mind, the age factor becomes totally irrelevant in determining whether one should or should not be allowed to drive. People, both adults and teens, should be subjected to driving lessons and tests to prove their driving skills. Restrictions can be placed on in-experienced drivers in terms of the roads they are allowed to drive on, and the number of passengers they can carry. With this, the new driver, young or old, will learn to take precaution.

If the age were to be raised, it would most probably be set at 18, or even 21, based on the common belief that 18 and 21 year olds are less likely to be involved in road accidents than 16 year olds are. However, research has shown that the brain is only fully developed at the age of 24 (Johnson, Munakata & Gilmor 148). Therefore, in terms of brain development, 16 to 21 year olds are pretty much on the same level. It would be illogical to enforce a law requiring one to turn 24 before they can get the mandate to drive. As stated above, the most effective way is to subject new drivers to driving tests and lessons before issuing them with a driver’s license. Rather than age, driving should be based on maturity.

Finally, statistics show that teen male drivers have a more than one and a half times car accident death rate than female teen drivers do (Sternheimer 124). Males are more of risk takers than females, and when it comes to driving, it is no exception. Males tend to drive at higher speeds than their female counterparts do. In the event of an accident, passengers driven by a male driver are likely to die than those driven by a female driver. Does this mean that the age at which male teens are allowed to drive should be raised higher than for a female driver? Regardless of this fact, the age requirement for driving should be the same to avoid legislation that will discriminate on the basis gender.

Conclusion

It is justifiable to argue that raising the driving age will infringe on the rights of teenagers. However, giving up some rights is a better place to be as compared to endangering the lives of teens, their passengers and pedestrians. Even though not all road accidents and death can be prevented, raising the age requirement for driving will go a long way in preventing teen accidents and deaths caused by reckless driving. In addition, it would be unreasonable to wait for full brain development at age 24 before allowing an individual to drive. The logical compromise would be to start teaching teenagers the basics of learning as soon as they are mature enough to learn; be it at age 16, 17 or 18. This knowledge will instill in them the confidence and maturity needed on the road. Finally, reckless driving is not the only cause of accidents among teen drivers. Other factors such as poor state of roads should also be weighed in as a factor to consider.

Works Cited:

Anderson, Sheila. Serving Older Teens. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, 2004. Print.

Cefrey, Holly. Frequently Asked Questions About Drinking and Driving. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008. Print.

Devore, Dorothy. New Developments in Parent-Child Relations. New York, NY: Nova Publishers, 2006. Print.

DuPont, Robert & Ford, Betty. The Selfish Brain: Learning From Addiction. Minnesota: Hazelden Publishing, 2000. Print.

Irving, Shae. Nolo’s Encyclopedia of Everyday Law: answers to your most frequently asked legal questions.Berkeley, CA: Nolo, 2008. Print.

Johnson, Mark et al. Brain Development and Cognition: a reader. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell, 2002. Print.

Karen Sternheimer. Kids these days: Facts and Fictions About Today’s Youth. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Print.

Kirk, Donald. Vehicular accident investigation and reconstruction.Florida: CRC Press, 2000. Print.

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