Allowing Teenage Driving before the Age of Eighteen Essay

Allowing Teenage Driving before the Age of Eighteen - Essay Example Accidents due to teenage driving in this group are more in comparison to accidents from other age groups. III. Teenage drivers below the age of eighteen years have very poor driving skills, which disregard all the rules. A. Drunk driving is a major issue associated with teenagers below the age of eighteen years. It is crucial to note that alcohol impairs once mind affecting their coordination and thinking. B. Parents’ failure to be strict on the rules made teenagers below the age of eighteen years fail to observe even the most of basic rules like using the seatbelts. IV. Most teenagers in this age group do not understand the complexity involved in driving. A. Teenagers’ social and emotional development of their minds is immature in comparison with that of an adult. B. They are vulnerable to distraction and peer influence. V. Teenagers below the age of eighteen years should drive. A. Some members of this group are mature, responsible, and dependable. In effect, locking p rohibiting them from driving is discriminatory. VI. No teenager should drive. B. The dependable and responsible teenagers in this group are a minority. In effect, none should drive. VII. In conclusion, accidents resulting from teenage driving result to half of the causes of the deaths in this group. In effect, none should drive since allowing them to drive puts them at a risk of vulnerabilities. Allowing Teenage Driving before the Age of Eighteen Years In the current world, characterized by the information and the knowledge economy, the debate about the right age to drive has remained in the public domain for a period. In fact, different countries have enacted different legislation regarding the right, or rather the legal, age for driving. Indeed, most people agree that the art of driving does not require the skills learned in a driving school only. Rather, one of the most important requirements of a skilled driver is good decision-making at all times, and in other cases within a sp lit of a second. However, good decision-making skills are not skills that an individual learns in a driving school. In fact, good decision-making skills are inherent in an individual with the maturity level being a significant determinant. While some people argue that teenagers below the age of eighteen years should drive since some are mature, this essay posits that teenagers below eighteen years should not drive since they are vulnerable to risks associated with driving. A 1983 study by Karpf and Williams observed, â€Å"Nearly half the deaths of male and female 16–18 year olds in the United States resulted from motor vehicle use† (as cited in William & Lund, 1986). However, recent research by Chen, Baker, Braver, and Li (2000), noted that the deaths of this age group due to accidents stood at 36% towards the end of the last century. Nevertheless, this percentage is a manifestation of a grim scenario concerning licensing of teenage driving below the age of eighteen y ears. Therefore, prohibiting driving amongst this group would help reduce the number of deaths by a big percentage in this vital group. While observing that the statistics were from a developed country and their application to other countries may differ, it is essential to note that these dynamics may apply to any nation regardless of its development. In this regard, teenagers' dynamics are common or