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MatthewRosa

Gardner

10HonorsEnglish

3May2015

TheSafetyConcernwithTeenagersandDriving

Zernik,anationalcorrespondentfortheTheTimes,tellsusthatcrashesaretheleading

causefordeathofteenagers.Teenagershavebeendrivingvehiclesforalongtime,butthe

realityofpeopledyingisstartingtosetin.Manyciviliandeathsareduetoteendriving.Should

teenagersbeallowedtodriveatsuchayoungage?Orshouldtheageminimumberaised?In

California,teenagersarelegallyallowedtoobtainaprovisionallicenseattheageofsixteen

(DMV.org).Withsomuchnewtechnologyintodayssociety,moreproblemsarearising.Many

ofushaveseenteenagerseithertextingontheirphoneswhiledriving,ortalkingontheircell

phone,butalongwiththeseproblemscomesinexperience.AsBeSmart.BeWell,awebsitethat

covershealthandrealworldinformation,putsit,Inexperienceistheleadingcrashrisk,with

mostteencrashesoccurringinthefirstsixmonthsofhavingalicense.Althoughteenagers

mighthavesomewheretobewithoutanyonetodrivethem,livesaremoreimportantthanleisure

activities.Theminimumageforteenagerstoobtainalicenseshouldberaisedbecausemoneyis

saved,GDLlawsaretakingtoomuchtime,andliveswontbeputatseriousrisk.

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Initially,manywouldarguethatiftheminimumagerequirementwasraised,thenmore

deathswouldbeoccurringinnew,olderteenagedrivers.Forexample,Roan,aLosAngeles

Timesreporter,statesthatdeadlyaccidentsineighteenandnineteenyearoldshaverisentoan

equalamountofyoungerteenagers.Thishasonlytransferredtheranksofinexperienceddrivers

fromyoungertoolderteens(Roan).Alongwithranksbeingshifted,equalamountsoflives

wouldbeputatriskifpeoplestarteddrivingattheageofeighteenandnineteen.Additionally,

teenagersneedtobeabletogettoschool,work,andsportspractices.Ifparentswereableto

drivetheirteenagerplaces,lessstresswouldbeputonthem.Kennewickdescribesthesweet

freedomforparentsafterallowingtheirteenagertodrive:

Theparentsdiscoverawholenewworld,whereoneoftheirfledglingscangoto

andfromthenestalone,freeinguptimeusuallyspentasaparentaltaxi.Parents

canactuallysendtheirteentorunerrandsforthem,freeingupevenmoretime

andmakingtheyoungperson'sdayallatonce.

Manypeoplewouldbenefitwithteenagersdrivingontheroads.Tosummarize,if

teenagerswereallowedtodriveontheroads,theywouldbeabletogettopractices,andother

placeswithouthavingotherpeopledriverthem.Althoughlifewouldbeeasierforsomewith

teenagersontheroad,manylivesarestillputindanger.

Admittedly,teenagershavethingstoseeandplacestogo,butlivesareputatseriousrisk

withteenagersontheroad.Whenoneconsidersdriving,moneyisalwaysafactor.Ifteenagers

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gottheirlicensearealaterage,theirinsuranceratewouldbeadmittedlylower,andmoney

wouldbesaved.AsDMV.orgputsit,usually,thepremiumswillincreasewithteenagersdriving.

Ifteenswaitedtilltheywereanadult,theratewouldbelower.Forinstance,insurance

companieswouldbemuchhappierinsuringsomeonethatseemsmoreresponsiblethana

youngerteenager.Ifonehasgoodgrades,theirpremiumswillalsobelower(DMV.org).Based

onthisresearch,moneycanbesavedifpeoplewaitedtogettheirlicenseatalateragebecause

theirinsurancebillswillbecheaper.Inconclusion,moneyisasubstantialfactoringettinga

license,andneedstobetakenintoconsiderationforanotherreasontoraisetheminimumage

requirement.

Furthermore,GDLlawsaremakingithardforteenagerstopayattentiontootherthings

goingoninlife.Forexample,Allthattakesextratime,butitalsodampensenthusiasm

(Painter).GDLstandsforgraduateddriverslicensingandisathreestageapproachtogranting

youngdriversfulllicenseprivileges(rmiia).Athreestepapproachisonlyappliedtoyounger

drivers.Thisiswhymostteensarenotgettingtheirlicenseimmediately.Youarealmostbetter

offgettingalicenseattheageofeighteen,becauseyoudon'thavetogothroughthisprocess.

Onedoesnothavetopayforthefeesingettingapermit.Whileobtainingapermit,youcanonly

drivewithsomeoneovertheageoftwentyfive.Thismeansthatyouwillneedtodrivesomeone

elsescarandissometimesahassle.Youwontgetmuchpracticeindrivingifnoonehasacar

thatyouareabletodrive,andyourparentswork(rmiia).Painter,aUSATodaywriter,quotesa

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teenagerfromNebraska,I'mconstantlyinrehearsals,andthissummer,Iwastravelingalot,so

itjusthasn'tbeenmyfirstpriority.Teenagershaveaverybusylifemostofthetime,andGDL

lawscanonlymakethingsmorecomplicated.Itismucheasiertowaittillyouhavefreetimeat

theageofeighteenandobtainalicense.Asaresult,requiredlawsarecreatingconflictsinmany

teenagerslives,andtheminimumagerequirementshouldberaised.

Ultimately,livesaregoingtobesavediftheminimumagerequirementforalicenseis

raised.Inparticular,3,000teensarekilledinmotorvehiclecrashes.Thatseightteensevery

day(besmart.bewell).Lessliveswouldbeputatseriousriskifteenagerswerenotonthe

road.AsZernikeoftheNewYorkTimesputsit,Theyalsohavemoretrouble

multitaskingtalkingtofriends,listeningtotheradio,andtextingareparticularlyhazardous.

Adultshaveabetterabilitytomultitaskbecausetheyhavebeendoingitforalongertime.If

teenagershavemorepeopleinthecar,theyaremoredistracted.Thelawsthatstateteenagersare

notallowedwithanotherminorforayearshouldstandbecausetheteensneedtogetadjustedto

driving.Anotherrestrictionthathasbenefitedsocietyiswhenyoungerteensareallowedtoget

theirpermit.LeonardoftheTribuneBusinessNewssayswiththeagebeingchangedfrom16

andonemonthto16and6months(withdriver'seducation)ittooktheyoungestdriverswithout

supervisionofftheroad.Thisresearchshowsthateventheslightestincreaseinagehas

benefitedothers.Ifthiswaschangedforalongerperiodoftime,maybeevenmorepeopleslives

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wouldbeconserved.Thus,theminimumagerequirementshouldbechanged,becausemorelives

willbesaved.

Inconclusion,theminimumagerequirementshouldbechangedbecausemoneyissaved,

andGDLlawsaretakingtoomuchtime,andliveswontbeputintojeopardy.Withtheage

requirementraised,societywillgreatlyappreciatelesspeopledying.Ifwedonotactquickly,

moreliveswillbelost.

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WorksCited

"CaliforniaTeenDriversGuideGettingYourLicense,DriversEducation,Requirements,&

MoreatDMV.org:TheDMVMadeSimple."DMV.org.N.p.,n.d.Web.04May2015.

"GraduatedDriverLicensing(GDL)."RMIIA.N.p.,n.d.Web.05May2015.

Kennewick,Wash."DrivingFirstSteponRoadtoIndependence."SIRSIssues

Researcher.N.p.,17Sept.2008.Web.

Leonard,Mike."NewRestrictionsonTeenDrivingLedtoFewerCrashes."McClatchyTribune

BusinessNews.15Mar.2011:n.p.SIRSIssuesResearcher.Web.11May2015.

Painter,Kim."16CanBeEvenSweeterWithoutaLicense."USATODAY.14Sep.2010:D.6.

SIRSIssuesResearcher.Web.05May2015.

Roan,Shari."DrivingLawsMayBeShiftingtheFatalitiestoOlderTeens."LosAngelesTimes.

14Sep.2011:A.1.SIRSIssuesResearcher.Web.05May2015.

Snyder,Michael."18SoberingFactsAboutTheUnprecedentedStudentLoanDebtCrisisInThe

UnitedStates."EndOfTheAmericanDream.N.p.,7Oct.2014.Web.05May2015.

"TeenDriving."BeSmart.BeWell.BlueCross,n.d.Web.05May2015.

Zernike,Kate."UnsafeBehindtheWheel?."NewYorkTimesUpfront.08Oct.2012:67.SIRS

IssuesResearcher.Web.05May2015.