Why driving age should not be raised to 18

Schools would require fewer parking spots to accommodate student drivers, which means the land could be used for other facilities or needs. Fewer vehicles would also mean lower emissions generated for our transportation needs since students would carpool or take the bus to school, which could give our environment a small boost. That is one of the reasons why kids in this age demographic tend to be impulsive, emotionally unstable, and fail to predict what the consequences of their actions will be.

Because all of these skills are essential to the driving process, raising the driving age would allow for young people to finish physically maturing in a way that will eventually make them better drivers. Driving today is a very different experience for young drivers than it was even a generation ago.

Teens in the s were still managing all aspects of the driving experience through their personal skill because vehicles came with minimal features. Now year-olds have access to lane assist technology, automatic braking, and some vehicles can even park themselves. By working with these features early, they can begin to master them as they gain more wisdom behind the wheel.

Even someone who gets behind the wheel at age 25 without any experience will struggle in the same ways that a year-old does during their first driving sessions. It makes the family schedule more challenging to manage. When kids reach a certain age, they begin to manage a job while they are going to school.

There are athletic practices to attend, often right after school. If a year-old or 17 is unable to drive because the driving age was raised, then someone else in the family must step up to provide these transportation services. This added pressure could make it challenging to manage the career responsibilities of the parents in a single-guardian home or one where both are working to make ends meet.

It communicates a lack of trust in the young drivers. Although young drivers do make significantly more serious mistakes on the road when compared to others, it would be incorrect to say that year-olds are responsible for every major incident. If we decide to raise the driving age because of these statistics, then we are effectively discriminating against these kids since the same process is not followed for older drivers.

This disadvantage shows that we do not trust all drivers of a certain age, even though there are many young teens who are very responsible behind the wheel and never in accidents. It would prevent them from learning the responsibilities of vehicle ownership. The idea of getting behind the wheel is very exciting for most new drivers, but the responsibility of vehicle ownership is a necessary part of the experience. Raising the driving age would prevent some teens from learning about the responsibility of budgeting for fuel expenses while traveling to school and work.

It could place the safety of our children at risk. Although taking year-olds out of the vehicle would potentially reduce the risk of being in an accident, having them take public transportation or carpool just increases the potential for problems in other areas. Teens who walk, take a bicycle, or ride a bus to school have a higher risk of encountering a dangerous person or situation without adult supervision present to protect them. Arguments against raising the driving age. It limits transportation options for teens Teens these days are involved in more activities than ever.

School, extracurricular activities, jobs, and social events usually require some form of transportation. This can limit the options these kids have for personal growth at a critical age. It will delay the gaining of valuable experience The best way to learn how to do something is to do it. The argument here is that the higher crash rates for and year-olds may just be because they are new to driving and lack experience.

Delaying the start of driving may just delay that learning and shift the crash rates more toward the and year-olds. View on Amazon. Read full disclaimer. Keep an eye on teenage drivers Watch our video on vehicle GPS trackers:.

Related pages on SafeWise. Accessed October 21, Compare the top car safety products. DroneMobile X Rexing V1P. Torin Big Red. Garmin DriveSmart Written by. Celeste has dedicated her decade-long career to reporting and reviews that help people make well-informed decisions.

She oversees editorial strategy and production for SafeWise, with a goal to help people find the information they need to make their homes and lives safer. She continues to report on local news as a volunteer with the community paper. Obtaining a drivers license is a huge new step to a 16 year old.

Most may think that it is sense of independence and freedom. It is exhilarating to be a year old and know that they will no longer depend on their parents to drive the to school, party 's, theaters, meeting with friends, and many other places. Unfortunately, being a year old with a drivers license has brought a lot of problems to teens and their families. But in my opinion it should not be raised because young people need the driver license to get to where they want to go.

The driving age should not be raised to…. One-third of those accidents killed teen drivers and the other two-thirds killed the passengers or other vehicles. Would the trust be extended to something that everyone does everyday?

As children transition into adulthood, they learn how to drive and start commuting themselves to their errands. In America, the legal driving age is 16, but some people believe that the age should be raised.

However, the driving age should not be raised to 18 because that will cause drivers to be less experienced behind the wheel and will push back the ability to get a job. Essays Essays FlashCards. Browse Essays. Sign in.