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16 year old Kayla was on her way to school. Since she is now able to drive to school, she
thought she could wake up a little later. Not keeping track of time Kayla was late for school so
she rushed into her car. Driving as fast as she could, Kayla got a text message. She stopped to
look at her phone for one second and ran a red light, then crashed into the car in front of her.
Luckily Kayla was not severely hurt but she did a lot of damage to her parents car. Getting a
driver's license on a teen's 16th birthday has become a rite of passage. But there are reasons why
teens may not be ready to take on the responsibility of driving a car. The fact that car crashes are
the top cause of death for U.S. teenagers is enough to make many parents withhold the car keys.
Teenage driving is not only legal in most countries but it is also highly dangerous. Every year
almost 2,700 teens die from driving according to the Drivers institute. To prevent deadly teenage
driving, it would be most appropriate to raise the age limit in driving to specifically 20 years old.
Despite those who agree with the current driving age limit, raising the teenage age driving limit
to 20 years old will be beneficial because they will be more mature, wont be as deadly, and they
wont be easily distracted.
First of all, raising the age restriction will allow the teens to gain their responsibility and
maturity level. Teens don't understand the consequences that come with driving. Teen drivers are
not only vulnerable because they need more experience behind the wheel, but also because of the
unique makeup of the adolescent brain. During adolescence, the brain is at its peak in terms of
acquiring and retaining new information. However, the areas needed for impulse control and
mediating emotional responses are the last to develop and may not reach full maturity until the
early 20s, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health. (National institute of
Health). At such a young age the brain is not fully developed yet or it isnt at its full mature level
to understand the new experiences of adulthood. However, learning how to drive is a great
encouragement tool for teens to use. When a teenager loses their driving privileges as a
consequence, most of the time they become disappointed. Parents who let teenagers drive have a
tool with which to motivate positive choices and behavior. School attendance, chore
completion, grades and other important life elements can be directly tied to the driving
privileges. The more logical connection, the better. (ebscohost) Few teenagers are willing to
break rules when it means losing their ability to drive and be independent. To conclude, many
teens don't take responsibility for themselves which leaves to the conclusion of teens not being
mature enough to handle adult situations. Most teens who drive between the ages 16-17 don't
have the mental capacity enough to be mature, they can make the wrong decisions such as
drinking and texting when driving which causes a lot of accidents. (ebscohost). Although teen
driving has a great encouragement tool, being a little older makes a huge difference when driving

because having a mature brain and personality will acknowledge the driver to focus more since
he or she is more sophisticated and responsible.
To continue, teenage driving is deadly. Teens text and drive and put themselves plus other
people in danger. Teens are increasing car wrecks, and the number of injuries are rising quickly.
Teens don't know much of the complications that can be riskful and hazardous when driving.
Teens also party and drink, and when they drink and drive, that's another wreck and death
waiting to happen. A lot of teens just want a car to drive, they don't really drive the proper way.
(Drivers.edu). Most teens think that driving is like driving in video games. But driving comes
with great responsibilities that a driver must stay on top of. In order to be that expert driver one
must be aware of him or herself but even more aware of the people surrounding them.
Approximately 2,700 adolescent drivers aged 16 to 19 died on U.S. roads in 2010, according to
the Center for Driver's control. These consequences for irresponsible behavior behind the wheel
can be devastating. This age group has a three times higher risk of dying on the road than any
other age group. While it can be frightening to allow a teenager to drive, there are some benefits
to allowing controlled, well-trained driving in this age group. Since teens are not 21 years old
that means they are not aloud to drink. This will prevent them from being drunk and driving but
being more alert or cautious when on the road. I don't think it matters what age you are," the
Hinsdale Central High School sophomore said Monday before hitting the road for her driver's
education class, "as long as you have the practice and experience." (P.O.V). If all teens were
accountable or responsible enough to drive and practiced very often, there would be less
accidents in the teenage driving world. Even though practice does make perfect, based on the
amount of teens that have died from crashes outrule the positives in teen driving. Having the age
limit raised will reduce the amount of deaths from crashes."Driving is thus arguably the greatest
public health threat facing U.S. teens. Still, the United States remains the earliest-licensing
nation in the developed world, and U.S. teens have a greater risk of being killed or injured in a
car crash than do their foreign counterparts.(ebscohost). Allowing teens to drive at a young age
has caused many accidents. Raising the age limit for driving the dangerous vehicles will reduce
the amount of deaths caused by teen driving.
Thirdly, teenagers can get easily distracted. Many teens spend most of their time on their
phones. Whether it is listening to music, texting, talking, or checking social media, this is the
number one reason why teens get killed in car accidents. Recently studies show, that almost 14%
of teens get pulled over for texting and driving. Teenagers can simply be distracted so it is most
probable they are caught texting, talking or even eating when driving. Moreover they are not
fully developed especially the frontal lobe part of their brain which is the part responsible for
weighing risks and making judgements. If the driving age was raised thousands of innocent souls
would be saved. (P.O.V) This proves that many teens have been more focused on their food or
phone when they should be concentrating on the road. Despite the fact that teens can get easily
distracted, driving can also benefit a teen driver to become independent. Teenagers who have to
depend on others for rides can miss out on social and work opportunities. In addition, they can be
placed at risk if they are catching rides with peers who do have drivers licenses but maybe not
much driving experience. Allowing teens to drive provides them with independence and the

ability to have more control over where they go, with whom and for how long. With a drivers
license comes a sense of responsibility. Going over rules, crash statistics, and car maintenance
with your teenager and reiterate the importance of responsibility while driving. If he or she feels
obligated to taking care of their, passengers and car, this will give the teen a sense of
responsibility. (Drivers.edu) Teens who are 16 and 17 years old are getting ready for their
college years. By allowing them to start driving will give them the responsibility and
independence to prepare them for college. Therefore, teen drivers should stay away from driving
because they can get simply distracted by their phone, food, or an other object. Teenagers
represent only 6 percent of drivers, that are involved in 14 percent of fatal crashes. And the crash
rate among the youngest drivers 35 crashes per million miles driven by 16-year-olds is
nearly nine times the rate of the general population. (ebscohost) Anything can happen when a
teen is new at driving. By being so young, it would be safer to put the lives of teens out of
danger.
Next, the government is deciding whether they should change the law on teen driving.
There are so many reasons why 16-year-olds shouldn't drive, that the public has become
interested in changing the laws regarding teen drivers. In fact, a 2004 poll taken by USA Today
revealed that 61 percent of Americans favored raising the driving age from 16. Politicians at the
state level who are trying to pass such bills, however, have an uphill battle in trying to convince
their colleagues to sign on to legislation that would raise the driving age. (Drivers.edu) As of
2013, New Jersey is the only state with a driving age above 16, while six others have minimum
ages of under 16. Although teens can get supervision from their parents, family members, or
guardians that have their license. Letting teenagers drive while they are living at home gives
parents a degree of control and supervision that they will not have once their young adult moves
out. Inexperience is a key factor in many accidents involving teenagers. (Drivers.edu) Setting
rules, such as curfews, no driving with friends in the vehicle and other restrictions, can be
imposed until the teenager builds his or her confidence and demonstrates he or she is ready for
more responsibility. Even Though there are some benefits to teen driving, Car crashes kill more
teens each year than any other cause, and of the crashes in which they are involved, teens are
overwhelmingly at fault. Teens crash at rates far higher than those of older drivers, and the
younger the teen driver, the higher the risk-sixteen-year-old drivers have crash rates 250% higher
than those of eighteen-year olds.(ebscohost). Young teens who are 16 and younger are too
inexperienced to be driving. Based off of there age and how many times teens get into an
accident, it is not worth it. By raising the age limit for driving will allow teens to practice driving
more so that they are ready for the real driving world.
Lastly, teens should not be driving at night. Teens believe since they are able to drive,
they can drive whenever they want. This is the most lethal thing a teen can do because they
arent experienced drivers. Teens tend to be easily distracted and not as cautious as people in
there 20s and so on. The example the institute uses most prominently is New Jersey, the only
state with a minimum driver's license age of 17. The report cited a study from 1992-96 in which
the rate of crash-related deaths among 16- and 17-year-olds was 18 per 100,000 in New Jersey,
compared with 26 per 100,000 in Connecticut, which had a minimum driver's license age of 16

and 4 months.(Drivers.edu) Teenage driving is already as fatal as it is, but when a teen drives at
night they have a higher risk of getting into an accident then they would at day time. Despite the
fact that driving at night is dangerous for teens, as teens age, they become more active or
involved with different activities. School clubs, social functions, weekend activities and afterschool jobs typically require transportation. (P.O.V). Parents are usually first on deck to provide
their children a ride to an activity, and if there is more than one teenager in the house, the coming
and going can become chaotic. Letting teenagers drive gives mom and dad a break as the teens
take on more responsibility for getting themselves around as well as -- when they are ready -helping with the transportation needs of younger siblings. However, laws aren't made on a
bespoke basis. We don't all have the laws of the land individually tailored to suit our talents and
failings. When you know 60 per cent more young drivers are killed in this country compared to
Australia, you know something is wrong (ebscohost). The driving age should be raised and
training should be more comprehensible and professional to give teens every chance of making it
through their teen years.
In summary, it is considerable for teens to experience adulthood and become
independent. Teenagers will be able to drive to after school activities, sports, and hangout with
friends without having their parents run around, but there are many reasons why people under 20
years of age shouldn't get their driving licenses. The possibility of parents losing control over
their children, the immaturity of teenagers, and the history of the teenagers' accidents and deaths
are the main reasons. Statistics show that people under 20 are more likely to die when driving
than older people. Those accidents could not only kill teenagers, but it can also take the lives of
many innocent civilians. Parents would rather have their teens living life to the fullest than to
have their children risk their life by driving. Many lives might be in danger by giving immature
teens licenses to drive including themselves. Driving is, after all, a skill like any other; it is not
mastered overnight or after a few weeks of classroom instruction and a couple of hours in the
seat.