There is currently a pressing problem today concerning accidents among teen drivers. Teen drivers are not acquiring enough driving experience on the roads before they are allowed to drive on their own with a drivers’ license. Teens are not aware of the danger that can occur when they are completely controlling any motorized vehicle without the proper experience. This has resulted in dangerous, and sometimes fatal, car accidents. “14% of all deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are teen drivers This age group makes up 7% of licensed drivers, but suffers 14% of fatalities and 20% of all reported accidents” (Drive). How many people have to be injured, or die, before we stop worrying about how the kids feel and start taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the teens that are driving and those affected by the teen drivers? Many statistics can be found to prove that teens are, in fact, less experienced, less educated and far more dangerous when it comes to driving. Teens are risk-takers. “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers” (RMIIA). Teens are usually the cause of the motor vehicle accident. “Of teen drivers fatally injured in automobiles, more than 1/3 were speed related accidentsMore than any age group, teens are likely to be involved in a single vehicle crash” (Drive). There are many reasons for this. Studies show that most teens will exceed the speed limit to impress their friend(s) in the passenger seat, especially if the passenger is a boy. “Teenage drivers-both males and females-were more likely to tailgate and exceed the speed limit if there was a teenage male passenger in the front seat, according to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health” (NIH). Why the need to impress other teens? It’s all part of peer pressure, being cool, part of being noticed. “The National Institute of Mental Health reports that the part of the brain that weighs risks, makes judgments and controls impulsive behavior is still developing in teens, and does not mature until about age 25” (RMIIA). The maturity level along with the age may lead people to believe there is no hope for our teens; but there is hope. There is a feasible, inexpensive and simple solution. One way to start is by making sure the teens get the proper information before even being allowed to get a Lerners’ Permit. There are a few adjustments that could assure our teens’ safety on the road. Currently teens get their Lerner’s Permit at age 15, then receive their Driver’s License one year after the date they receive their permit. I believe teens should still be allowed to get their Permit at age 15. The difference is; there should be a two-year waiting period instead of one year. The license should be issued at age 17. However, there should be special exceptions to this rule. For example, the permit holder should be allowed to receive their license as early as 1-year, after having a permit, if they have driven, supervised, a minimum of 80 hours or 500 miles for the entire year in a drivers’ education course. This course should include about 15 to 20 hours of driving on neighborhood streets, approximately 20 hours should be spent on highways and, last but not least, at least 15 to 20 hours of night-time driving should be included. There should also be time dedicated to driving in school zones, driving over railroad tracks, ample time on one way streets and back-roads and any other driving situation that one might come across. It seems like a lot of driving, but practicing driving is exactly what the teens are lacking pre-license. “A teenager’s first 500 miles of driving are the most dangerous. During that time, they’re 10 times more likely to crash than an adult” (Stafford). If the first 500 miles are supervised, it should reduce the likelihood of a car accident. Many will make an argument that there are some safe and responsible teen drivers. I do not deny that this is so. However, there are also irresponsible and unsafe teen drivers. We cannot rely on all the teens to be safe drivers’ without help from adults. Extra practice driving will only help the teens learn properly how to handle a vehicle on the road. Even the responsible ones will benefit from this. If the teens decide to take the extra driving course, then they will still get their license at 16 and will not have to wait until the 17 years old license limit. If the teens do not take the extra driving course, then it shows that they are too immature for driving and they will wait until 17 years old to get their license (when they have hopefully matured a bit more). A junior at Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland, Pearl Horng, says “driving reflects the independence of many teens and allows them to reach sports events as well as academic competitions, and encourages them to be more independent and productive members of society” (Yee). The truth is, this driving course should be taken and as a result of passing the course, the teens should be rewarded with their “independence” at 16 instead of having to wait until 17 years old. The point is all 16 year old teens are not mature enough to handle driving. Not all parents have time to go driving with their kids either. The only logical solution to this problem is making a driving course for teens with permits available. For the teens that take the course, they will be rewarded with a drivers’ license at 16 years old. For the teens that do not take the driving course, they will receive their license at 17. This teaches the teens how to drive with experience and it teaches them that by doing some extra training, they are not only more prepared, but also rewarded. Let’s all get together and petition for a change in the age for teen drivers’ and extend the driving classes to a minimum of 80 hours or 500 miles. Works Cited “Teen Driving Fatality Statistics” Drive Home Safe.com 28 April 2007. “Teen Driving Statistics.” Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA). 28 Feb 2007. 28 April 2007. “Teens’ Driving Riskier with Male Teen Passenger.” The National Institutes of Health (NIH). 19 Jan 2007. 28 April 2007. < http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2005/nichd-24a.htm>
Stafford, Rob. “The Perils of Teen Driving. A painful lesson for one family: 16-year- olds may be too young to drive.” Dateline NBC 28 April 2007. 8 July 2005. Yee, Tiffany. “Do you think the driving age should be raised?” Silver Chips Online 18 Nov 2004. 28 April 2007. < http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=4348>
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