Driver ' s License and Teens Essay

Submitted By melissasyg
Words: 793
Pages: 4

Traffic accidents are a big problem in the United States; many teens among these numbers. So, politicians are trying to put news laws in effect in order to resolve this problem. Teenagers have become their main target, as it’s easy for them to put blame on young people as they can not fight back. They believe that because of a birth date, young people are dangerous drivers and by raising the driving age to 18, the roads would safer. However, the truth is that the vast majority of teens are safe and responsible drivers. Things like speeding are daily occurrences that cops pull many drivers over for; it is a problem among people of all ages, not just teens. Plus, driving tests, which everyone takes in order to hold a license, are supposed to get rid of dangerous drivers whether they are 16 or 54. Raising the driving age would just create inexperienced, accident prone drivers at the age of 18 instead of 16. First of all, cars are a necessary for mobility in this country. Teens need the ability to drive just as much as an adult- to get to school, to get to work, to get to extra curricular activities and to hang out with friends. These extra curricula’s are not only important for college applications, but also help build a healthy life style and self esteem. Increasing the driving age would possibly prevent teens from participating in things like this because they could potentially become discouraged by not being able to find a form of transportation. Parents cannot be hauling their kids around forever, so there comes a time when families could really use the extra driver. This way, they don’t have to be forced to take their kids from place to place when they could be doing otherwise. If the people who were trying to alter the driving age were required to drag kids back and forth everywhere everyday, they might have a completely different take on things. This holds true for single parents, too. Single parents often already have to do twice the work of a parent in a traditional family, and then to tell them they have to drive around their child for an extra two years is just ridiculous. Raising the driving age would not only affect teens but also their parents, creating more problems for a lot of people. The next reason the driving age should not be raised is because the current driving age allows parents to watch over their teens while they are still learning how to drive by themselves. If the driving age were to be 18, parents couldn’t monitor how they drove by themselves because they would most likely be away at college and/or living on their own. This also puts teens at a time where they are free to do whatever they want. This leads them to try “new” things like drugs and alcohol. Although 18 is two years older than 16, teens are still learning, and it is best to do so under the supervision of their parents. Lastly, safer driving has