If you're like me, you couldn't wait to get your license when you turned sixteen. And I was fortunate enough to have all of my driver's education out of the way by my sixteenth birthday so that on the day in question I was able to go down to the DMV and get my license.
I also remember less than a couple of hours later, the first time I was able to get out of visual range and earshot of my parents, which coincides with the exact moment I thought "Let's see what this thing will do."
Flash forward a couple of decades and my own daughter was fast approaching driving age. I thought I would have forgotten my youthful thrill seeking exploits, but unfortunately they were all too clear in my mind. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly breathless with anticipation over the thought of turning my daughter loose on the roads by herself.
Fortunately for me and my well jangled nerves, my daughter backed off the idea of getting her license at 16, deciding that she was not quite ready for that particular gig just yet. She waited for a year, got her license at 17, and has gone on to become one of the safest and most responsible drivers I know, coming up on two years without so much as a warning ticket to show for it.
So should the driving age be raised? And if so, how much? 17? 18? 21 (which seems to be the milestone by which all other adult activities are measured)?
Teenagers do get into more than their share of accidents, which would seem to suggest that inexperience combined with a lack of maturity is a recipe for disaster. However, there are also professional teenage drivers in everything from NHRA to NASCAR.
I would like to suggest that the age for drivers' permits be raised to 16, with a two year probationary period during which the new driver can gain experience and confidence while being accompanied by a parent. At the age of 18 a full license would be granted. New drivers would benefit from the extra experience and we would hopefully see a decrease in teen car accidents, at least those that are obviously caused by poor judgment as the result of immaturity.
And I am not alone in my conclusions, as the Institute for Highway Safety has also endorsed the idea of a higher legal driving age, citing car crashes as the leading cause of death among teenagers.
One study from the 1990s found that the rate of crash-related deaths among 16- and 17-year olds were 18 per 100,000 in New Jersey, compared with 26 per 100,000 in Connecticut. Those rates, researchers said, have dropped even further since both states instituted graduated driver's license programs.
I think we all want what is best for our children, and while we understand their desire to learn to drive and exercise some measure of independence, sometimes telling them "no" or "wait" is far more beneficial.
Source : www.articlesbase.com/teenagers-articles/teens-and-driving-age-appropriate-4428844.html
