Why Teenagers Should Stay The Driving Age To 18

Throughout High School, there are many milestones teenagers look forward to. Getting a driver’s license is one of them. Some teenagers get cars for their 16th birthday awaiting that day 3 months from then that they are going to be able to drive on their own for the first time. Yet, many people believe that 16 is too young to deal with the responsibility that comes with driving. These people believe teenagers should be able to drive at the age of 18. However, the driving age should stay the same because it teaches responsibility and independence, teenagers should learn to drive before college, and there would be many logistical concerns that go along with changing the driving age. Being a teenager is tough. Teenagers are still treated as children but are expected to make adult decisions everyday. Learning to drive at 16 teaches responsibility and independence which could help with those adult like decisions they have to make. One of the responsibilities that come with having a car is making sure the car always has enough gas. Paying for gas teaches money management which is an important skill needed for everyday life that isn’t usually taught in school. Also, making sure the car is in good shape is also important. Washing it every so often, making sure to get an oil change whenever needed and keeping the inspection date up to date are all examples of responsibilities that teenagers need to learn in order to take care of a car. Parents are not going to be responsible for any of this when their children are adults so learning all the skills needed to take care of a car at 16 is important. Also, Many teenagers have jobs and some need those jobs in order to support their family. Their parents can’t drive their child to work everyday until they’re 18. That is unrealistic to think that parents have that much free time. Similarly, parents who work late hours need someone to watch their younger kids and maybe they can not afford a babysitter so they rely on their older child. The older child would have to be able to drive to pick them up or take them places. Many people rely on teenagers to …show more content…
Many teenagers learn from their mom or dad. Parents often cherish these moments with their children. Learning to first drive on roads that are familiar is important in the learning process. Sometimes, parents will take their kids to parking lots of places they know or back roads that the teenager is familiar with in order for them to have a sense of familiarity. Learning to drive can be very stressful but even more stressful if their first time ever driving is on unfamiliar roads at whatever college they chose to go to. Even parents who have been driving for quite some time get confused on unfamiliar roads. Also, in high school, teenagers take a drivers ed class that teaches them all the rules and laws of driving and how to be safe. If the driving age was moved up to 18, that drivers ed class would not be available to teenagers. Learning the rules and laws of driving is as important as learning how to drive. Some people argue that moving the driving age to 18 decreases accidents but in reality, it would most likely increase them due to teenagers lack of knowledge on where they