Driving is apart of most teens, and adults lives for many years. There are many exciting moments from getting a license to cramming as many friends in into a car (Zermike 6-7). On the other hand there are terrifying moments from being involved in a car accident, to losing your life, and your friends life. It is important for teens to realize the responsibilities that come with driving. With car crashes being the main cause of death of teen drivers, there should be restrictions to help teens have a smaller chance of being involved in an accident. Teens are like toddlers trying to walk. It seems as if they are doing well, and then all of a sudden they fall. Teens may appear like great drivers, but there are still chances of them being involved in a car accident, or even causing one. Many states such as South Carolina, New Jersey, Illinois, many more of the …show more content…
In the state of New Jersey there are many restrictions being added on teen drivers. One being to make sure teens are not out past their driving curfew they have to add a red trim piece around their license plates, so police have a higher chance of knowing if teens are out past their driving curfew of eleven o´clock. Teens tend to overrate their skills on the road and underate the risks of the road (Zermike 6-7). One way teens tend to overrate their skills is by texting. Texting is a easy way to become distracted, and to forget about driving. Since texting has raised the chances of being involved in a car accident. Many states are now putting bans on using a cell phone while driving. Teens have
Teens look forward to turning sixteen so they can drive. Driving is now considered normal for young, immature teens. Parents think of it as a blessing to them. If parents would look back to how they drove and acted when they first started driving it would be a different story. In the essay “driving to the funeral,” Anna Quindlen bluntly expresses why teens shouldn’t drive at a young age.
More than 3,000 teens die each year in Canada in crashes caused by texting while driving In 2012 driver distraction was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. the statistics above are from: http://distracteddriving.caa.ca/education/
Driving gives teens more freedom. As teens are becoming adults they need more freedom. Many teens are dating and need a good way to go out. Teens may also need time with their friends and driving gives them an easy way to do it.
In addition, despite laws in place to restrict the use of technology, such as cell phones, while driving has not offered enough of a deterrent to stop this activity according to the Highway Loss Data Institute and the number of insurance collision claims. Even though adolescents are capable of fully understanding the risks involved in texting while driving, it doesn’t seem to be enough for them to stop engaging in this risky activity. Research has suggested another approach that seems to be more effective than ones tried in the past. Adolescents seem to respond more effectively with statistics shared that reflect the majority of their group not participating in risky behavior. In other words, opposed to focusing on the percentage of teens that engage in texting and talking on the phone while driving, there is a more positive response to campaigns focusing on the majority of adolescents that don’t participate in these activities.
Texting and driving has caused many deaths among teens and others, and many families grieve every day, wishing that the worst action anyone can do while driving to become illegal. In the year 2009, 5,500 people died in texting and driving related accidents (Johnson, 2012). From then the numbers only go up because of the growth of technology. Since the issue has grown and causing more and more problems, laws need to change and become stricter to fit the new forms of
“Every year 500,000 teens are injured in a car wreck. Every year 5,000 teens die in a car wreck meaning an average of 14 teens die a day. Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens in the U.S. Even more than alcohol and drug abuse, violence and suicide”. Teens are always excited to earn their license and drive out on the road for the first time, but not every time will be a success, it might also be their last.
Teens practicing their driving more in general, as well as having more experience in potential serious scenarios, would greatly help the cause. Also, teens discussing serious local accidents can make them more aware of just how possible it is for this dilemma to become their own dilemma. A foolproof way to make teens drive more safely is for their parents to make them pay their own tickets and fines (#9). Ultimately, one of the biggest influences for teens is their family, and how their families drive is no exception. Passengers are a huge problem in regards to teen driving.
The laws against texting while driving for those 21 and younger are completely valid; however, these same laws are completely valid for those of us over the age of 21, if not more so. As teen mentors, we must serve as examples for our kids. One of those pertinent examples is showing that we are not addicted to our cell phones. When I took a group of kids to a presentation held by one of the survivors of the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, I insisted that my kids turn OFF their phones.
Should the Driving Age Be Raised to 18? I take the position that the driving age should not be raised to 18. Many people believe that 16 year olds are too young to drive. However, many 16 to 17 year olds and their families disagree. Teens enjoy their freedom, and not all teens are stereotypically “wild” or “out of hand” on the road.
Because of safety concerns, many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. Teens need to have their own experiences. Driving at sixteen is a great way for teens to indulge in experiences and start a more independent life. The driving age should not be raised because driving gives one freedom, driving allows teens to work, and driving teaches responsibility.
(Dreschel, 2014) b. Texting while driving not only threatens your life, but also everyone else on the road. c. (Statistic) Eleven percent of drivers aged 18 to 20 who were involved in an automobile accident and survived admitted, they were sending or receiving texts when they crashed. (Smith, 2014) d. (Fact) (statistic) Nearly half of US high school students aged ≥16 years old report texting while driving during the past 30 days. (O'Malley, 2013) e. (Fact)
Learning to drive is a privilege that I strongly believe teens should keep, and here is why. Driving is an extremely dangerous task, but if you teach people while their brains are still maturing, it makes the process simpler and safer. Learning at a young age to drive is much safer than learning when you are of an older age because your brain is still adaptable. You will be able to learn quicker because your growing mind haven't fully developed. That being the case, your brain is still malleable.
You hear that many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive, raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18 years old. Who would want to experience their first time driving at the age of 18 when it 's better to start at 16? I disagree with the new rule because teens would have to wait longer, you would always have to ask for a ride, and at the age of 16 many teens are cautious and mature enough to drive. As a teenager myself i wouldn 't want to have to wait until I turn 18 to drive. Many teens want to go places with their friends in their own car without having their parents driving them around.
Everything you do in a car other than driving, such as talking to a passenger, singing a song, or checking your phone are all distractions which can take your mind off driving and cause an accident (Leonard). Having restrictions on new drivers has shown to decrease the amount of crashes caused by teenagers. “The researchers found that States with the most restrictive graduates licensing programs - such as those that required supervised driving teams as well as having night-driving restrictions and passenger limitations - saw a 26% reduction in the rate of fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers compared with states without any restriction” (Roan). Graduated licensing programs were linked to 1,348 fewer fatal crashes involving 16-year-olds. These restrictions prevent the teenagers from driving without an adult 21 or older, and with more than one passenger other than family in the car.
Our lives are unbelievably valuable so we should do everything rational to avoid deaths. Nowadays, teenagers are specifically dangerous due to their recklessness and they are the ones that are more likely to commit car accidents. Delaying when they get their driver’s license, the roads will be more secure. If the age of driving is increased, the amount of car crashes will decrease. For instance, teens think that they’re fearless, which is why they take silly risks unlike mature drivers.