Advocates for changing the legal driving age argue that teenagers are easily distracted by mobile media, driving is considered an adult responsibility, young drivers have a higher likelihood of being involved in serious accidents, and the government has authority to impose driving restrictions for safety reasons. The article recognizes valid arguments on both sides of the issue and notes that different countries have different legal driving ages, with some American states allowing driving at 15 or younger.
In several instances, the legal driving age is less than the legal voting age. This is due to young drivers being more susceptible to accidents, leading some legislators to propose raising the legal driving age. Although this is improbable, there have been talks regarding elevating the driving age to 18 in America. Interestingly, numerous European nations already enforce an 18-year-old driving age and have also considered raising it even higher.
Easily distracted individuals and studies demonstrating that young drivers have the highest likelihood of being involved in severe accidents are the primary factors driving the desire for this modification. Opposing views stem from the belief that the ability to travel is essential for young individuals’ livelihood, and acquiring driving skills is a crucial aspect of social development towards adulthood. Increasing the driving age, critics argue, would consequently lead to teenagers being more immature. An examination of both arguments reveals notable weaknesses.
Increasing the legal driving age is justified due to multiple reasons. It is commonly believed that young individuals are easily distracted, but even young adults (i.e., those aged 20-28) may be equally or more distracted by mobile media. This distraction trend is not limited to the youngest age group for driving. Moreover, statistics indicate that young drivers have a higher accident rate, which could be attributed to their limited driving experience and knowledge rather than solely their age. Therefore, emphasizing the need for stricter guidelines in the licensing process would help reduce teenage accidents.
In conclusion, the article undermines its own argument by claiming that “many European countries already have a driving age of 18”. Therefore, if these countries have already raised the legal driving age to 18 and still question whether it should be further increased, age alone cannot be the issue. The weak counterarguments presented in this article could have been supplemented with other points, as previously mentioned by me. Moreover, the article asserts that driving is a significant milestone for teenagers on their path to adulthood and increasing the driving age would consequently reduce their sense of responsibility.
This argument could be countered by asserting that teenagers can mature through other means besides driving, such as getting a job, taking on responsibilities for school work, and doing household chores. Additionally, it can be argued that prioritizing safer roads is more crucial than delaying a milestone for teenagers. Both arguments have valid aspects but also significant flaws. Increasing the legal driving age would not effectively address the issue of unsafe roads or high-risk drivers, as evidenced in European nations.
