Raising the Driving Age to Eighteen
Remember the feeling of your first time being free on the open road, with none but yourself to direct where your going. Every person remembers the thrill of freedom that getting your license at sixteen brings. What we don't remember is our first car crash, how lucky we are to have lived through it and the huge risk teen drivers are really taking by being on the road. Automobile accidents are a common sight on the road and the majority of the population has experienced one in their lifetime, but with over 5,000 teens dying in automobile accidents every year, making it the leading cause of death in the USA, teen driving has become a real and dangerous issue. After extensive research I have come to agree …show more content…
Socially and emotionally they are still immature and seek risk and novelty, making them a victim to poor choices when driving such as speeding, drinking, distractions, and not wearing a safety belt. This inability to reason is also accelerated when driving because of the high stress environment traffic and night driving creates, “…the frontal lobes help put the brakes on a desire for thrills and taking risk -- a building block of adolescence; but, they're also one of the last areas of the brain to develop fully.” (University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center). Since the young brain is not done being built, stress essentially hijacks the undeveloped brain to make bad choices, leading to dangerous accidents. “Crash risk is particularly high during the first months of licensure. The fatal crash rate per mile driven is nearly twice as high for 16-17 year olds as compared to 18-19 year olds” (Center For Disease Control). Proving that younger teens who drive, scientifically are more likely to crash, causing harm to themselves and others on the
Remember the feeling of your first time being free on the open road, with none but yourself to direct where your going. Every person remembers the thrill of freedom that getting your license at sixteen brings. What we don't remember is our first car crash, how lucky we are to have lived through it and the huge risk teen drivers are really taking by being on the road. Automobile accidents are a common sight on the road and the majority of the population has experienced one in their lifetime, but with over 5,000 teens dying in automobile accidents every year, making it the leading cause of death in the USA, teen driving has become a real and dangerous issue. After extensive research I have come to agree …show more content…
Socially and emotionally they are still immature and seek risk and novelty, making them a victim to poor choices when driving such as speeding, drinking, distractions, and not wearing a safety belt. This inability to reason is also accelerated when driving because of the high stress environment traffic and night driving creates, “…the frontal lobes help put the brakes on a desire for thrills and taking risk -- a building block of adolescence; but, they're also one of the last areas of the brain to develop fully.” (University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center). Since the young brain is not done being built, stress essentially hijacks the undeveloped brain to make bad choices, leading to dangerous accidents. “Crash risk is particularly high during the first months of licensure. The fatal crash rate per mile driven is nearly twice as high for 16-17 year olds as compared to 18-19 year olds” (Center For Disease Control). Proving that younger teens who drive, scientifically are more likely to crash, causing harm to themselves and others on the