16 Year-olds Should Not be Allowed to Drive…and Here’s Why.
A recent plea by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety asks that states raise the minimum driving age from 16 to 17. The argument comes from studies that suggest, well, to put it bluntly:16 year-olds kill themselves a lot while driving. The study highlighted the mortality rates of 16 and 17 year-old drivers in New Jersey and Connecticut. In New Jersey 4.4 out of every 100,000 population 16 year-old drivers died in a car accident. Conversely Connecticut had 20.7 per 100,000 16 year-olds die in car wrecks. The difference is that New Jersey does not allow 16 year-olds to get licenses, where as Connecticut does. The trend was also encouraging in 17 year-olds, where rates remained about the same for both states, indicating that not being a licensed driver for the 16th year minimally effected mortality rates in the 17th.
This study really has me thinking. Would you trust a 16 year-old to do anything that puts your life in danger? Why do we allow people this young to get behind a multi-ton slab of metal, and allow them to propel themselves down our interstates at high rates of speed? Given the recent SAT scores, which indicate that high-schoolers are dumber then ever, why do we allow such a massive responsibility to be held by these kids? Did you know that in South Dakota you can get your license at 14.25 years of age? The idea of someone getting behind the wheel, cranking up the Jonas Brothers on the stereo, and(in earnest) driving to their friends house to watch “High School Musical” really, really makes me nervous.
16 year old can drive if they put their minds to it!!! don’t misjugde us!!!!!!!!!!
dont get me wrong they are crazy but thats how they learn. dont tell anyone that they cant do something because you are just discouraging them by making them feel stupid! and they are smarter than they act!!!!!!
16 shouldnt be allowed, 18 should be the age!
Ellen,
Thank you for your support! I didn’t drive until I was 18, and I’m glad I didn’t because I know I would have been in a bad crash. I know at 16 everyone is really wanting to drive, but it’s safer for them and everyone else on the road if they wait in my opinion anyway.
I think that they should make the driving test a little more difficult so the people that pass can drive so there would be less teens dying because of crashes. I thank you for reading my comment.
your being totally short sighted hear, you cant even think that every 16-17 year old will end up in a car crash, yes you have you stats but thats not that much of a terrifying statistic, im sure you would of wanted to drive as quick as you could of when you was 16-17, thats what the problem is in this world, short sighted people like this who dont let the growing generation experience anything for them selves, we are the future…..
Dont judge all 16 year olds by some stupid statistics. I’m 16, been driving my parents around since I was 12 and I can say I’m a better driver than most middle aged women on the road today. I think if you get into an accident and it is your fault, no matter what age you are you should have your lisence suspended for quite a while. Give all ages the same strict punishments and get them off the road if they cause accidents, and the roads will be safer with plenty of 16 yr olds still on the road.
Hey Im 17 but whats the difference if you’re 16 or 17 yrs old when u start driving you’ll have the same level of experience. Your argument is illogical wheres youre proof of the SAT scores? A lot of teens may have died in car wrecks but what were the reasons? They could have been texting or drinking or anything, and thats not affected by the age of the driver.
Age has nothing to do with it, respobsibility does. There are sixteen year olds who drive much better than people in their 40s. Parents should be making sure that their kids are respobsible enough to drive. It’s up to them to set limits and keep their kids out of dangeorus situations.
some of you people are really narrowminded. Dayle argues that the author is ’short sighted’, not letting ‘our generation experience anything for itself’, and yet he cannot even punctuate, nor spell, nor distinguish the meaning of could’ve as a CONJUNCTION. could of makes no sense whatsoever, so why would you be trusted to misjudge a yield sign on the road? oops, dead child, no biggie, small statistic, right, Bobby? But i doubt to that family, or especially to the dead kid, its not a big deal. Nate- you may have the same level of experience but your brain is much more prone to reckless decisions and careless distractions than at 17. Your brain fully matures at 24, but obviously if the driving age was raised to it would be neither convenient nor socially accepted. Raising the driving age to 17 would at least prevent the higher amount of accidents and deaths from 16 year olds, because the judgment part of a teens brain matures more by the time a teen is 17. So no matter how much experience a driver has, their age literally represents a drivers judgment and decision making abilities.
i am 17 years old and i have been driving since i was fifteen and i have not once in been a car crash….you can not say all 16 year olds are bad drivers and wind up dead..
Dayle, you are very stupid.
Tamwyn.. youre not helping the cause…
i think 16 is too young to start driving especially since most teens think theyre invincible and drive intoxicated, im in no rush to start driving until im 18
Im so against 16 yr old driving
I could wait another year to drive a car if that means i would get into an accident less often if i started driving at age 16.
In my opinion 18 should be the age to put an end to the reports of some drunk 16 years old crashing their car which is some how meant to generate sympathy because their live’s were cut short.
Yes, Bobby you are the future………..if you have one ………….but its not looking very hopeful with the continued denial of this culture that we cannot sustain our gas consuming habits. As the BP spill continues to gush daily at 60,0000 barrells……it amazes me that your generation are not up in arms about so much of the mess to your future……….instead of the right to get behind the wheel so you can contribute to the spewing. I am not saying you should have no rights to drive but what is the hurry? If all the 16, 17 and 18 year olds of this country did not drive and were willing to take the bus to school and to work with their parents, neighbors and so forth to get rides the CO2 emission reductions would be considerable. But so would the symbology of the determination of your generation to shame the older generation who were your role models…………to give you that desire to get behind the wheel…………..to take responsiblity for the mess we have already made and to try to reverse some of it.
A 16 year old who has that kind of foresight would be one I would call more mature and ready to take on more responsibilities.
the age of a driver doesnt matter. there are some 16 years olds who are better drivers than most adults. what matters is focusing on driving and a 16 year old is capable of doing that as well as a 40 year old person. anyone could get in a car wreck and die, not just teenagers between 16-17 and there are adults these days who dont even follow the laws and text while driving, so they are the problem just as much as teens are.
yes ur rite..teenagers should wait till they 18 to b able 2 drive because they get so many distractions with txting n changing the radio station..
yes , i think the driving age should bee 18 not 16 !
16 year old should be let to drive and also they should let 14 year olds drive
we are the future… but what is ahead i hope is positive
I agree whith that to teens should
drive at 18 not 16
The age should 18. Period. Teenagers tend to be more irrational. I know they will have a problem with this and will further my point. If you are 16 you will be surprised when you’re 18 thinking how stupid you were. Mark Twain has a quote. “When I went off to college my parents didn’t know anything. Fours years later I was suprised in how much they learned. A teenager just doesn’t have the life expierence. Wait until you are 21 and you will see what adults mean. A 16yo endangers themselves and more important to me, myself and all my loved ones.
I can honestly say that I am 16 years old and driving, and the only accident I have ever been in, is when an ADULT rear ended me, while i was stopped at a red light. I see adults engaging in risky, immature things, as much as teenagers do. I see men and women driving around talking on cell phones as much as teenagers do. Adults speed constantly, and drink and drive. Just because some teenagers make mistakes, does not mean you should lump us all together into one big stereotype. People call us stupid and immature, but we learn by watching. So who did we really pick up those habits from?
Nice one Zack. It really isn’t fair to just lump us all together. This Petter pays for Paul and Paul pays for all remark is stupid. Yes some 16 year olds can be very reckless an immature for their age, and driving in such a condition is ridiculous. So, adults can be the same. That doesn’ mean that we should just summon it into one way and say all 16 year olds can’t or aren’t ready to drive, neither saying that ALL adults are no better than 16 year olds. It is quite stupid to summon it all together and say that. Not every 16 year olds are the same. They tend to be very different in many ways.
I’m only fourteen, and I am smart enough to know that drinking and driving could cause an accident. Is not wheter or not you are immature. Its that you no the rules and BOTH Teens And Adults sometimes ignor them. So saying that 16 year olds should not be able to get their liscense is stupid. We should all be able to have an even chance as same as all the adults.
all of you are stupid even 30 year olds get in car crashes , does that mean we should have to wait till 45 ? no ! i believe that if you pass the driving test. your old enough to drive!
16 year olds shouldnt be able to drive! Last week i got hit be a 16 year old girl cause she was texting! Now i have to drive my BMW M5 instead of my audi r8. It doesnt make sense to me how they are able to be out on the streets and put all of our lives at stake.
OK guys, it’s all about the responsibility. 16+ should be allowed to drive if they pass the driving test. It totally shows that they can manage a car. Plus who wants to be driven everywhere by their parents? Don’t be so stereotypical – that’s immature and narrow-minded so you know BACK-OFF.
You want to drive at 16, even at 14. Maybe you should learn to spell first, so you can read the signs.
to me you should be able to drive at 16 because even thorugh u have the stats not all of them all right … it saying bascially that ya a 16 y.o was driving so they caused the crash.. maybe the road was slippery or the other driver crashed into them. they’re so many ways teens die in car crashes and the only thing the statictics look at is if they were a teen and if they lived or died.
[...] National Transport – Remember that post that we wrote a while back where we talked about why 16 year-olds shouldn’t be allowed to drive? Well, one of the major reasons why this was the case was due to the fact that, statistically, [...]
Most of the people here are saying “18 not 16″ without an explanation. And about the SAT scores: what does that have to do with people driving? It means you know your English or math not how to stop at a red light. In Monterey County there have only been 2 or 3 accidents in the recent 10 years. the whole driving at 14 things may be a little extreme. Only one person admitted they got their license at 18! Which could mean the rest of you adults got your license at 16. My dad said that these are the years that you can do stuff without regretting it just take a moment to think about it before you do and think to yourself “is this right?” One more thing before all you guys and girls comment on this is it isn’t your choice! neither is it ours! it is the parents. If the child is mature and has proven themselves then let them go. They know not to do anything stupid. Tell me one incident where a mature 16 year old got into an accident.
I am sixteen. I think that sixteen year olds should not be driving. Many teenagers are Irrisponsible. They already illegally drink so why should they be trusted to drive safely? Young teenagers also don’t always think about the consequences of driving recklessly or racing their friends somewhere.
and just because you have passed a driving test doesnt mean you are responsible
16 year old people are very bad to drive.Because they would drive to places they shouldnt go and thay will get drunk and get druga and killed othet people
I say this because 16 year old people killed aa man who was going to be a father,for their fault
Then how are we supposed to learn before college?
I don’t know if the problem can be boiled down to just age. I have seen some really responsible 16 year drivers and some outrageous 21 year olds. I think it’s more about education and maturity and the onus is really on the parents to prepare their kids and monitor them.
My name is saman toghrol16 holly drive richmond hill ontario canada the earth. My car is a 1998 toyota corolla
16 year ols shouldn’t be allowed to drive. yeah i admit that some kids are good drivers, but who is to say the other kid driving is
i believe 16 year old people should be able to drive. my reasonining IS statistics. More people get into accidents between the ages of 23-27 then any other age group, including 16 year olds. And, there is a 15% greater chance at an accident when your 18 than when your 16. for those saying that we shouldnt drive because ONE PERSON hit your car, then maybe your the one who is immature. for those throwing out quotes, heres one for you: “to generalize is to be a fool.”
ya i don’t agree with people who are against it
Everyone drives different no matter how old you are. saying 16 year olds are bad drivers is so stereotypical and sounds like an excuse not to get your kid a car. pretty sad. Remember 15% Chance greater to crash when your 18. So what was that about delaying the license?
At this age, many kids are working jobs, playing sports and on top of all this going to see friends. It is hard on their parents to be driving them around at all hours of the day. I have sports practice at 6 a.m. some days, until 9:30 other days and games that sometimes aren’t over until 10:00 pm. On top of this, I go hang out with friends whenever I’m not at practice. It is so inconvenient for my parents to have to drive me everywhere. It is also hard to get to work on time with my parents’ schedules.
I wrote a report about this everyone agreed that I was right and that 16 year olds shouldn’t drive now I know I’m not 16 but my mom studdied the brain and our brain aren’t duvelleped at 16 so we have all the hormones and half the brain!
my brother almost died in a car accedent because so stupid 16 year old hit the corner of the car and made it swarve off the road and the car was toteled I am so agenst this driving thing I’ve made the dissition that I won’t drive till i’m 19.25 years old that’s 16.25 years from now! I’ll copy my report to this websight hold on!
Why 16 year olds shouldn’t drive
In New Jersey 4.4 out of every 100,000 populations 16 and 17 year-olds drivers die in a car accident.
Would you put your life in a 16 year-olds hands? I wouldn’t!!! So why do we put everyone elsts life when we let them get behind the weal of a car! Why do we allow this? Because you as parents are too lazy to get up and drive then to and from places instead you let them risk their lives and the lives of many others this needs to stop. Whenever I go anywhere in a car I always look out the window at the driver beside me to see around what age they are and to see if they are focussed on the road or on a hand held devise/ radio. I know I can’t stop the person but it makes me feel uneasy when they’re talking or texting on a cell phone or flipping through the stations on the radio I hate it! I heard from my family in BC that four 16 year olds were killed coming home from a dance one was driving and they went off the road and they all died the same thing happened a week after.
hi my names zelis I am 17 and I disagree because I love driving I haven’t ever beeen in a car accedent not once but I know a lot of adults who have ! I find it funny that you guys are discriminating agenst us but you guys cause most of the accedents!!!! like really shutup you are the problem not us!!!!! so stop blaming your mistakes on us you’re all stuck up that you can’t even tell the truth instead you blame it on the people of the fucher!!
hey are you kiddin’ this is stupid I’ve never been in an accedent if it didn’t inclued an adult hitting me!!!
i think children should be driving at the age of 15 instead of 16
if 15 year old’s drive there would be more accidents and deaths than when 16 year old drives
Why did the state choose 16 to drive a car? How come they didn’t just choose 17 or 18? Why does it have to be that specific number?! Yeah there might be 16 year olds that do stupid things, but don’t blame them. The parents should make sure their child is ready to drive and won’t make any wrong choices. There are a lot of 16 year olds that die because they were carefree but it was their choice. They didn’t have to choose that path but they did, and yeah some people think they should be 17 or 18 to drive, but you can’t think every 16 year old is like that. Half of them could be very careful when their on the road. Don’t just change it because a few messed up, because that’s like taking way every good drivers freedom, and people have to remember that they are the future, that they can change the world, that they live to tell the stories and that we dream big for the next generation after them because no one knows what the future will be like, but we can maybe predict it so that if anything bad happens that we can try to change it to make a better world