Raising The Driving Age
Of late, there has been a raging debate in many of the states concerning the revision of the minimum driving age from the current minimum of sixteen years to eighteen. While some quarters argue that the age should be increased as an ideal measure to lower cases of underage roads accidents, others asserts that such a measure would rob off the responsible drivers their privilege to get behind the wheel. In many states in the United States, the lawful minimum age at which an individual can be issued with a fully privileged license is sixteen years there are proposals by the policy makers to increase the age to eighteen years. The proponents of this amendment of the driving license law have cited the need to protect the public from the recklessness of the underage drivers as well as the concern of the safety of the minors themselves (Rafe, 2007: Para. 5).
The individuals opposed to the amendment however argues that raising the legal age for driving would greatly infringe the right of the of the young citizen as well as contravenes the ever increasing demand and responsibility placed upon the teenager in the society. In addition, rising the age to eighteen years- according to the opponents – would result to more constraints and difficulties in the lives of the young American citizens whose roles in the society are consistently increasing as the societies places more tasks and responsibility on this social group (Mona, 2007: Para. 8). Others argued that minors in the United States had been denied a lot of things by the existing laws since they could not watch an age rated movie, could not drink alcohol and had no voting right which was seemingly too restraining on the youngsters. Placing a restriction on driving on the youngsters’ life via rising the driving age therefore could be too burdening on this social group.
This argument however is greatly discredited by the fact that underage driving in the United States of America is greatly viewed as both a threat to the general public as well as to the minors themselves. Empirically, a number of reports and survey show that the accidents prevalence rates among the underage drivers was very high and a greet cause of concern among parents and authorities. This is perhaps one of the most convincing reasons why the states’ laws should denounce driving by the minors via increasing the legal driving age to eighteen. In fact, evidence of teenage recklessness often leading to road accidents, deaths and injuries are allover the United States. Irrespective of how much such a raise in age would be unjust to the rights of the minors drive, raising the legal age for obtaining a driving license is justified if at all the societal responsibility in talking absolute care for the minor is anything to go by. Harry, 2007 asserts that increasing the age will be a matter of concern and care for the minors and the general public safety and not a worry for the convenience of the teenagers pragmatically, minors are seldom responsible and mature as well as incapable of making rational decisions on the road (Mona, 2007: Para. 6).
Lawmakers and responsible adults across the united states of America have expresses theirs outrage that, irrespective of all the fifty two states having instituted laws to curb drug usage, indulgence in alcohol, buying and selling cigarettes to minors as well as selling hard gun and other weapons by the underage, the law still allow driving among the underage: a fact that they argue is equally dangerous. According to survey carried out by AAA foundation for traffic safety (Alex, 2006, Para 6), it was found out that between 1999 to 2004, a total of 30 917 fatal accidents involving drivers between the age of fifteen and seventeen years were reported; a third of which involved the minor drivers themselves while the rest involved the pedestrian crashed by the underage drivers, passengers and adults in cars which the teenage drivers crashed on. For the sake of sanity in the states roads, universal laws that illegalize driving among the minor would go a long way in reducing the accident rates among the minors. In fact, Mona (2007) these youngsters can wait till they reach a more responsible age to drive just like they wait to do other important national activities like the election process or even indulging in leisure activities such as alcohol taking and watching age rated films.
Rafe (2007:para. 6) argues that police spend a lot of time investigating accidents caused by reckless teenagers, which could have been more productive if such time was used in solving other important issues affecting the citizens of the united states. Irrespective of the argument of the critics of that the high rate of accident among the young age driver is caused by inexperience among the young driver there is evidence of lack of responsibility and recklessness among the minor drivers as that rate exceeds any other social group. The latter (Alex, 2006) argues that increasing the driving age would increase the number inexperienced drivers who have attained the majority age hence will not have solved the problem. Nevertheless, such arguments must be preceded by the fact that Responsibility increases with age, hence rising of driving age to majority may pose as a solution to the rising risk of minors dying, getting injures, killing or injuring others in road accidents; an issues that savage (2004:para 8 ) attributes to inexperience, immaturity and recklessness on the roads.
Processing your request, Please wait....
