Keep The Driving Age At 16!

       Recently there has been much debate on whether or not the driving age should be raised to 18. Now, if your a enthusiastic teenager of 16 you probably wouldn't be very thrilled with raising the driving age to 18, your so close but then suddenly its all taken from you. But if your a 47 year old who has 2 irresponsible teenagers around your house you would probably be all for it , after all it could save society from a whole lot of trouble. . . Personally, I think the driving age should NOT be raised.

       According to a study done by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, between 1995-2004 there were 30,917 deaths involving 15-17 year old drivers. Many people would say that these deaths are caused by the teenagers lack of "maturity", is it really? Yes, it might be true that some of these accidents are caused by the teens not paying attention, or texting their friends. But aren't adults just as bad?

       Truthfully I don't think "maturity" is the problem. Everyone matures at a different age, I think it's the inexperience that has caused these accidents. Maybe instead of raising the driving age, the driving schools can be more strict on who passes and who fails their driving tests. After all even if the minimum age is raised to 18, these accidents will still happen, just not done by 16 years olds anymore.

       For parents there are both pros and cons to raising the driving age. Some parents are work at home parents who can easily drop off their teens to school, but many are not. Getting a car at the age of 16 can really take some stress off the parents, there's no more coming home early dropping the teens off at home and rushing back to the office. This would often waste TONS of gas and cause much pollution.

       Some parents are against driving at 16 due to legal troubles. At age 16 the teens are not yet legal adults, so therefore the legal side of it would be pushed onto the parents. That does sound un-appealing but hey, that's a whole lot better then wasting money on gas and causing pollution.

       Raising the age would also give parents more control and authority over their teens. But truth is, there are lots of alternatives in controlling their teens. For example: set limits when using their car, set curfews, or like my dad, give extra math.

       Raising the driving age can also take a toll on the economy. In 2007 about 41% of the nations 16-19 year olds have jobs and are part of the United States labor force. That's almost about half! If the driving age is raised to 18 the 16 and 17 year olds most likely will not be able to work, their parents still work and most likely will not be able to handle dropping them off at both work and school. That means only about 20% of 16-19 year olds will be working. Who will be working in malls, and restaurants?

       There can be many ways of preventing the driving age from being raised. Representative John D'Amico of the Illinois State Legislature is one of the many people who wants to see this law passed. But there are also many people who doesn't want to see this law passed. You can help by following the below link to sign a petition to keep the driving age the way it is!