Ever since I was a little girl, I have been dreaming of my sweet 16.  This was the birthday that would change everything. My freedom as a teen would grow drastically because I would be able to drive! Of the millions of teen drivers I would be joining on the roads, over 5,000 of them will be killed in a car accident this year. People argue that 16 is too young to drive, but why should I have my independence stripped from me for two more years because of their mistakes? The driving age should not be raised to age 18 by law due to college and adult responsibilities, but could be your parents choice.
            What many adults misunderstand is that it’s not the age that causes teen driving accidents, it’s the inexperience.  Looking at my grade, I see many immature students, mostly boys. Some of them may not be ready for the road, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give them a chance to drive. According to the Florida Highway patrol, “on average, there are 8,455 driving fatalities per year between 16 and 20 year olds.” The same source says, “about half of them are 18 or older” so is it fair to say 16 year olds are the main problem? Scientists at the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus say, “The brain isn’t fully developed until age 25. A 16 year old could have a more developed brain than an 18 year old just as someone two years younger could be taller than you.”  It is common for teens to make mistakes, no matter what age. The National Youth Rights Association says, “men are 77% more likely to kill someone driving than a woman.” Would it be right to ban all men from driving? A big problem towards getting teens the driving practice they need is the parents. Some only give them the lessons the driving school offers and don’t take extra time to help their kids. Ashley Bunk of Yolee High School says, “Parents don’t spend enough time teaching their children to drive.”

To help young drivers get the experience they need, the Graduated Drivers License system was introduced, making the automobile death rate significantly lower. Since driving accidents caused by teen drivers are blamed on their lack of experience, this program allows new drivers to get plenty of safe practice. This system doesn’t allow people under GDL to drive with more than one teen passenger or drive at night when “52% of traffic fatalities occur” according the the National Safety Commission. Scott Masten of the California Department of Motor Vehicles found that “16 year olds were 26% less likely to die in a crash when they had strict driving restrictions. However, 18 year olds who no longer faced these restrictions were 12% more likely to have a fatal crash.” On top of GDL, driving schools have decided to make the test harder to pass, provide more traffic patrol, and have a longer permit phase. The Illinois Department of Transportation discovered that when they made their permit time three times longer, “the number of teen crashes dropped 47%.” The road is becoming safer now that you are unable to text and drive and in some states call. It is also easier to get your license suspended. A study at Washington State announced that “since GDL, fatalities on the road with teens have dropped 46%.”


            Being 16, many teens have new responsibilities that make it critical for them to drive. Most high school students have or are getting jobs at this age. That is a big step of independency and you shouldn’t have to rely on your parents for rides anymore. Your family is starting to count on you to help out with running errands or picking up siblings while they are busy. I remember when my older brother started driving I could always call him for a ride whether it was for sports or going to a friend’s house. It helped my parents out a lot when they had to work. If you wait until 18 to drive, you miss out on these opportunities and would have to get your license while in or going to college. That would be extremely difficult and a take a lot of time. Bill Van Tassel, AAA manger, states that “parents are tired of chauffeuring their kids around and want their kids to be able to drive.” If you keep delaying teens of this chance before they are adults, they will never learn this responsibility.


The other side of my argument believes 16 year olds are too young to drive and not responsible enough to operate a “deadly weapon” as they call it. Parents don’t want to let their teens out on the roads alone, they would rather hold them back a few years. The three main reasons there are teen accidents on the road is because of inexperience, risk taking behavior, and immaturity. Gordon Booth, Chief Instructor of Drivetrain says “Increasing the driving age to 18 would not necessarily change all three primary reasons. Therefore, we must consider other possible solutions as well, such as the driving education process itself.” As I have stated before, the number of teen fatalities have gone down, proving that systems like GDL and better driving education programs is a better solution that just raising the driving age.

I know it is a big step for parents to have their kids be driving, but it is an ever bigger deal to teen drivers. Only having my permit, I am a very cautious driver just because of the fear crashing gives me. Most teens are smart behind the wheel and there are some who make mistakes. Jean Shope of the University of Michigan Transport Research Institute says “teens learn and react well.”Educating and showing teens the possibilities resulting in bad driving alone will make us more aware of our surroundings.  Not all new drivers should have to take their blame and wait two more years to drive.This is why the legal driving age should not be raising to 18, but rather a parent’s decision.