Driving Age

Does responsibility show up one day when you turn a certain age? In my opinion, nothing in life works that way. There has been controversy over whether the age teenagers get their license should be increased or not. It doesn't matter either way. We see car accidents on the news every night and on the radio each day. Not all of these accidents are caused by teens, but of course, some are. The issue here is much more complex than just assigning an age limit like amusement parks do in roller coaster lines--you must be this old to ride--so the answer should also have some more thought put into it.

Teenagers are dangerous on the roads because of distractions like texting, eating, doing their make-up, messing with the music on the radio, and of course, all of their own personal thoughts flying through their heads. It is shown in studies that as people get older, their ability to focus for longer periods of time increases though. It happens at a different time for each individual though, so there should be a portion of the driver license process that includes having to take a psychological test, that tests your ability to remain focused and on task of something really important while things all around you are distracting you. If teens who want to drive pass this test, then they can move on to the next step.

There should be more added precautions before a teen can jump behind the wheel of a two ton hunk of metal. One test does not say it all. Teens should be required to submit letters of recommendation from teachers, principals, bosses, and other people in their lives that can say what kind of person they are, and whether or not they are responsible. Basically, what I am saying is that driving is a huge responsibility. The process to gain this privilege should be more complex like other big responsibilities, such as applying for a job, or college. Even though this means more work, it would definitely lower accidents on the roads from careless driving habits, and help the amount of traffic on the road by reducing the number of cars out there.

Just last year, outside of Alhambra High School, there was a car accident where a little girl died because two teenagers were supposedly under the influence of something, and drove too fast through the school zone. A little girl died because these kids were given driver's licenses. If we had a process like this one I am talking about (oh yea, a required drug test should be part of it too), we could make the minimum driving age 15 for all I care, so long as the only ones who get their licenses were the teens who passed all of the requirements.

Teens think that if we can skim a pamphlet about road signs, and not hit anything in a ten-minute driving course, they are good to go. It is too easy. Putting an age to something like this is way to arbitrary. Why should simply being alive for 16 years give you the right to all of the sudden take your life into your own hands? I say