Essay On Raising The Driving Age

For sixteen years, teenagers look forward to the day they get the ultimate freedom: driving, but with this freedom there comes risks. Every day another life is lost to teen driving. Along with risking their lives, teenagers are also not mentally prepared to handle the consequences that could come with driving. They are not only putting their life at risk, but the lives of others. No mother or father wants to bury their child, and this would be less likely if the driving age was raised. The legal driving age should be raised to save lives and have more mature drivers on the road.
Raising the driving age would prevent the unnecessary death toll that comes from teen driving. For example, in 2003 there were 937 drivers-- age 16-- who were involved
A new 17 or 18-year-old driver is considered safer than a 16-year old driver (Davis). Teenagers should wait until they are older and have more experience to start driving. “ The only way to become a good driver is to get out and learn,” says O’Donnell. But in 2007, more than 4,000 teenagers died as occupants in teen- driven vehicles (Palicz). Furthermore, teens lack of experience not only costs them their lives, but the lives of others. In the end, it does not matter that teens are not getting practice with driving, but that every day another life is lost.
No amount of practice or freedom should matter when it comes to the lives of others. Driving is a serious matter and should be given to adults who are mature enough to handle driving. If teenagers took a step back and thought about the consequences of driving, they would understand that no one's life is worth a little bit more freedom. No parent should have to bury their child on account of the risk they took by getting behind the wheel. The driving age should be raised to save the millions of lives that could be lost