More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes.
The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Safety Administration.
Statistics like these have several groups pushing to raise the legal driving age to 17 or 18. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the auto insurance industry, is calling on states to raise the age for getting a driver's license.
Many industrialized countries in Europe and elsewhere have a driving age of 17 or 18.
"Getting the highest of the high-risk drivers away from the wheel probably isn't a bad idea," said Dr. Barbara Gaines, trauma director at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. What do you think??
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20 comments:
No matter what the driving age is there will still be a period of time that you are a "high risk" driver.
Never having driven before is why kids are high risk not so much their age.
And maybe the elderly shouldn't have their licenses anymore because they are high risk also.
Raising the driving age might might lower the death rates but in my opinion accidents usually happen due to inexperience. If they raise the driving age there will probably still be the same amount of accidents because they won't have have any more experience than if they started driving earlier. Instead of raising the driving age, they should just make stricter rules for young drivers.
Yes they should raise it but it won't affect me getting a lisence. the thing is will it stop teens from driving illegally, I don't think so. Will it raise the age for getting a farmer's permit? That wouldn't make sense, so the law would affect kids who don't qualify for a farmer's. I just hope the new laws about the number of passengers will help lower the number of teen deaths. People just be careful if you use your phone while driving; cells phones increase your chance of getting into an accident by 300% and slow down!!!
no is shouldnt the economy will worsen because there are those that cant drive and they cant pay taxes if they cant get to work
I don't care. It doesn't affect me any. It probably would be a smart thing to do. But then again no matter what age you start driving its still kinda gonna be the same except more experience.
Yea...i think the driving age is at the right age right now. No matter what age you start driving, you are new to driving. I think if you can join the army at 18 you should already know how to drive by a couple of years. I agree with Shaylah about the elderly too...they are just as bad as us kids driving on the road!
The Driving aged should not be raised. If the government makes that law less people when 16 wont have jobs. The government don't need to make all those dumb laws they think they have a lot of power. 16 year old kids can drive just is good as 17 or 18 year old kids. They better not change the law.
i dont think it should be because no matter what, they are still going to have the first year of driving, where they wont have much experince. thats going to happen regardless of what age they are.
No! The driving age shouldn't be higher because no matter if your 16 or your 18 you are still either going to be a good or bad driver! You aren't going to just automatically just gain a bunch of driving skills when your 18 rather when your 18. Yes there are a lot of crappy 16 year old drivers out there but they aren't going to change any when they are 18. And there will be a lot of angry teenagers if they raise the age...not cool!
I think the driving age should stay. Everyone is inexperienced there first year or two. Sixteen is usually the age where people get jobs. How are they going to get to a job if they cannot drive there? Will there be a shortage of workers then? I also agree with miss menahga '08 =). Elder drivers are too cautious which makes them more of a hazard sometimes.
I don't think that it should be raised because kids always have some inexperience and they will eventually get over that. I think that old people are just as much a high risk as teens.
I think driving is a privilege and if you are responsible enough to drive at 16 let them i have never even been close to having a car crash and i started about 2 years ago there will always be a high risk of getting into a car crash your first couple years of driving
no, it should stay the same. everyone has been the high risk driver. you just have to get some experience behind your belt. And besides if they raise it, they are taking away some of the 16yr. old independence, because by that age most kids are ready to go places themselves instead of relying on mommy and daddy to take them there!
they should raise it to 18. it be less people killed in car crashes and anyone will be safe =P
They should definitely raise it. I don't that 18 year old would magically have better driving skills. They would be more mature though and therefore less likely to try anything stupid. Plus I already have my license so HA.
I don't think they should change the driving age. It would just raise problems and riots. No matter what age someone is, they will always be "inexperienced" at first.
i think the age should stay the same. people are going to be a high risk driving once you first get your license. not every gets it and knows exactly what to do in every situation.
i think 16 is a good age to get your license i mean if they are worried about them being inexperienced why give it to them when they are 18 and not 16 at least at 16 they will probably be with they're parents in which they might know more and learn how to be safer
i do not think they should raise it cuzz then 16 year old kids would not be able to have jobs. and i do not think it would help decrees the number of accidents cuzz i think a lot of them happen because of inexperienced drivers not because of your age.
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