DEBAT
Making judgments
otoo young to drive a car?
All signs point toward a rise in the driving age to 18
I
f you are looking forward to
driving when you turn 16,
you may want to sit down
before you read on. There is a
good chance that by the time
you turn 16, the driving age will
have changed to 18. For years,
parents and lawmakers
considered 16-year-oids mature
enough to handle driving a car.
But due to high rates of teen
auto accidents, many adults are
reconsidering. What do you think? Are 16-year-olds too
young to handle today's roadway risks?
Y E S : TEENS TOO YOUNG
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
have found that the part of the brain that weighs risks,
makes judgments, and controls impulsive behaviors is
still developing during the teenage years. They have also
found that a 16-year-old's brain is generally less developed
in this area than that of a teen just a few years older.
In fact, 16-year-old drivers crash at far higher rates
than older teens. According to the National Safety
Council, one infive16-year-olds will be involved in a car
crash within thefirstyear of getting their driver's license.
The high accident rate prompts many people to want
to increase the driving age to 18. According to a USA
Today poll, 61% of adults say 16 is too young to drive.
yes
Adults aren't the only ones
who feel this way. Rosie Dodds,
a sixth-grader at the Ashford
School in Ashford, Connecticut,
says raising the driving age is a
good idea.
"Too many teens are getting
into accidents," she says. "It's
better to be safe than to get
independence with a license."
NOiTIMETOORIVE
jamon Thomas, a senior at Victory Field High School
in Vernon, Texas, disagrees. He got his driver's license
when he was 16 and doesn't see why all teens should
suffer for the irresponsible ones.
"Many 16-year-olds need their driver's license to drive
to jobs and don't have parents available to take them,"
explains Jamon. "And when a family member has a
disability, a 16-year-old driver can be a big help."
Some lawmakers realize that increasing the driving age
to 18 would be a burden on many families. Many states
are opting to restrict teen licenses instead.
In New Jersey, teens get a provisional license at 17.
They can carry one teen passenger and can't drive
between 12:01 a.m. and 5 a.m. After a year, at 18, they are
permitted to get a basic license.
> What do you think? Is 16 too young to drive a car?
One in five t6-year-olds get in accidents soon
after they start to drive. Most teens want a
license so they can ride around with friends.
But many states don't allow other teens to
ride with 16-year-oId drivers. Getting a
license at 16 may seem cool, but it's just not worth the danger.
test that teens need to pass, instead of raising the driving age.
iF YOU SAY YES: What if a t6-year-oid depends on driving to
get to a Job?
i
IF YOU SAY NO: What if a 16-year-oid you know was in a
car accident?
WRITE YOUR OPINION! city, state, and response to us at
22
SCHOLASTIC SCOPE JANUARY 23, 2006
Sixteen-year-olds have been driving for
decades, and most teens drive
responsibly. Many teens rely on driving to
get to jobs, to school, to do errands, etc.
Maybe lawmakers should create a maturit
maturity
Me a persuasive paragraph explaininq your opinior. Then e-mail your name, age,
. We may print your thoughts in a future issue of Scope!