The Driving Age Should Not Be Changed

586 Words3 Pages
At first glance, it seems like a good idea to have the driving age raised to eighteen, but it is not as beneficial as it seems. Nationally, about forty percent of American teen deaths are from motor vehicle crashes, making them a major concern for parents and teens alike, but raising the driving age won’t fix this, and it could actually make this statistic worse. There are good reasons as to why the driving age should not be raised: it is inexperience not young age that causes crashes, parents of minors are allowed to deny their children licenses or permits, and raising the driving age would make it harder to get drivers proper training. It is true that the risk of crashing is higher for the sixteen to eighteen age group than any other. This is the main reason that a lot of people want to have the driving age raised. They think that when these teens are a little older, their risk of crashing will significantly decrease, making roads safer for all. The problem with this logic is that the main reason that this age group has the highest crash rate is that they are the least experienced. If the driving age is raised, the only thing that will change is the age group of the inexperienced drivers. Instead, a good idea would be to increase the amount of time a teen needs a permit for, in order to get more experience before actually getting a license. Advocates of raising the driving age often cite immaturity as a reason that the sixteen to eighteen age group has so many crashes. This is the part of the problem that raising the driving age will best address, but not all young drivers are immature. It would be unfair to punish the group as a whole for the actions of a few. Besides, there is already a way to prevent teens from driving before they are ready. If a person is under 18, they need parental permission to get a Thompson 3 permit/license. Who better to
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