Driving at the Teen Age Essay Example
Driving at the Teen Age Essay Example

Driving at the Teen Age Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (1023 words)
  • Published: November 17, 2021
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A driving license refers to an official certificate that permits a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles such as a motorcycle, car, truck or bus on a pubic road (Garbarino, Nobili & Costa Pg., 28). There are various rules and regulations with regards to one having a driving license.

Some jurisdictions allow one to get a driving license after a driving test and some before they begin to drive. Licenses exist for different types of motor vehicles such as large trucks and passenger vehicles. Driver’s licenses were first introduced by the Motor Car Act 1903 with various countries such as the UK changing the age limit for the driving license age from 16 to 17 (Agar, Pg., 137). Driving at 16 is allowed in almost 50 states such as Alabama, Alaska, Arizon

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a, California, and Colorado (Bernie, Pg., 299). Driving at the age of 16 has many advantages to the parents as well as their children despite that a lot of people discourage it. Many researchers are against driving by 16-year-olds, but we cannot dispute the fact that there are some advantages for letting them drive such age.

For instance, the liberty that comes with being able to drive yourself to school or a concert without having to depend on your parent. The parent is also liberated and can trust their children to drive themselves without having to depend on them. This also creates a situation of learning at an early age, and as well known, learning is part of growth. And in as much as teenagers can cause accidents, even adults who have been driving for years also cause accidents on th

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roads. Conversely, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: about 2,823 teenagers aging between 13 to 19 years perished in motor vehicle crashes in 2012 which is 68 percent fewer than in 1975 and 7 percent fewer than in 2011 (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety n.p.). This is among other reasons why a teenager should not be allowed to drive.

In the generation that we are living in, teenagers cannot keep their hands off their phones. As per the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, texting while driving could be not only a major cause of distracted driving but also a major cause of death through road accidents (McKenzie et. Al., Pg., 557). When the teenage drivers have passengers in the vehicle, the situation is worsened.

There are people screaming in the car, probably drinking, shouting and asking for things causing a lot of distraction. Cell phones get all the attention, however, in most cases it is the teenager commuters who pose the major potential distraction for teen drivers. According to Arthur Goodwin, a senior researcher at the University of North Carolina Highway Research Centre, if you have multiple teens in a vehicle, they are more likely to be in a serious crash (Ewing Pg., 10). He as well states that it takes years of behind-the-wheel practice before you see the driving world in the same way an experienced driver does. According to some researchers, older drivers are more skilled and can anticipate problems behind the wheel.

However, it is not the same for younger drivers who do not have the same ability or skills of making similar decisions as their experienced counterparts in case of

a distraction. Driving at 16 should come with its limitations. This is to create order in a situation that would otherwise have created chaos. Some of this limitations are enforced by providing a graduated driving license which has such restrictions. The limitations are such as, a driver holding learner's permit should not have any passenger apart from either a qualified driving instructor guiding the leaner or other persons going with that instructor. The limitations are such as, a driver holding learner's permit should not have any passenger apart from either a qualified driving instructor guiding the learner or other persons going with that instructor.

The instructor ought to be not less than 20 years, he or she should have held the license for above four years and which during that time, the license should not have been suspended. May not use cell phones even if hands-free or other mobile electronic devices while driving. This includes any hand-held computer or other devices with a video display. Polls of teenagers indicate that they know the dangers of driving with teenage passengers or traveling in a vehicle being driven by their agemates. "Eighty-five percent of teen drivers, when surveyed about their most dangerous driving situation in the previous six months, cited events involving peers in their vehicles (Frisman n.p)."

Conclusion

It is quite clear from this studies that driving at the age of 16 will continue to be a hotly discussed debate for a long time.

Parents sometimes would like to enjoy the luxury that their children can drive themselves around without being supervised. What matters in this situation is that a parent can be able to guide her teen

and give proper curfews. For instance, not to drive at night, not to carry unlicensed passengers and not to drive when drunk. This is because despite that driving when drunk affects the experienced drivers, it is even more prone to affect the teenagers who have not mastered the roads and whose concentration may be way lower. Teenagers can be allowed to drive, but this should be well under strict conditions. However, in a situation where the parent does not feel confident to let their teenagers drive, he or she should not let them do it in order to ensure their safety and which is paramount.

Work Cited

  • Garbarino, S., Nobili, N., and Costa, G. Sleepiness and Human Impact Assessment. Germany. Springer Science & Business Media. 2014. Print.
  • Agar, J. The Government Machine: A Revolutionary History of the Computer. United States. MIT Press, 2003. Print.
  • Bernie, M. Florida Almanac 2007-2008. United States.

    Pelican Publishing. 2007. Print. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety,. "Fatality Facts". Iihs.org.

    N.p., 2016. Web. 7 May 2016.

  • McKenzie, James F, and R R. Pinger. An Introduction to Community & Public Health.

    United States. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2014. Print.

  • Ewing, René. TEENAGE DRIVING STUDY Final Report With Executive Summary. 1st ed.

    Washington: René Ewing & Associates, LLC, 2007. Web. 8 May 2016.

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