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is it, that the law allows teenagers to get their drivers license at fifteen and sixteen, but it does not allow them to see a rated “R” movie or vote at that age? If teenagers are not mature enough to see these movies and to have their voices heard, then they are not mature enough to get behind a wheel of a vehicle. Driving a car may be the most dangerous thing a teenager will do in their entire lives. Parents ought to be willing to tolerate the inconvenience and temporary conflicts that would result from making these rational changes, which would in fact protect all of us, including our young drivers. (Confronting Traumatic Brain Injury: Devastation, Hope, and Healing.1998.p185)
In 2005, 7,460 teenagers were involved in fatal crashes in the United States (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA]). Such injuries are by far the leading public health problem among people 15-20 years old. In 2004, 38 percent of all deaths among fifteen-twenty year-olds from all causes were related to motor vehicles. The crash risk among teenage drivers is particularly high during the first months of licensure. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2005 [IIHS]. Drivers are not the only ones at risk. Teenagers who are passengers in others vehicles make up a surprising 87% of the fatality statistics. Lack of driving experience, disregard for traffic laws, speeding, drinking under the influence, and quick access to full driving privileges contributes to teen death. Yet, the law still allows teenagers to receive their license at fifteen or sixteen.
Most teens start learning to drive by the time they are 15 years old. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were “191.3 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2001. Young drivers, between 15 and 20 years old, accounted for 6.6 percent of the total” (2002). Teenagers are more likely to be involved in fatal traffic accidents because of the lack of...