Should states raise the driving age to 25?

Question

Can 50 million insurance companies' actuaries be wrong,

or the recent brain imaging research showing the relative immaturity of the 12 -25 year old's pre-frontal cortex?

Okee-doke, I'll add some line items to the bill:
---recruiting for military doesn't start til you're 30.
---if your feet can reach the gas pedal, you can drive around your daddy's ranch.
--DECENT PUBLIC TRANSIT FOR *EVERYONE*

Answer 1

As soon as I saw your question, I was on my way to disagree with you...UNTIL I saw the additional details you posted. Anyone who's old enough to go fight for our country, to be killed(aren't we over 3,000 dead now?) or to be permanently maimed(50,000 plus last time I looked), and/or to kill enemies and innocents alike(almost 100,000 women, children, and other noncomabatants in Iraq alone)...anyone who's old enough to do all that to assist another one of our country's illegal, imperialistic campaigns...then they ought to be legally old enough to drink, drive, have sex, smoke pot, or any other form of recreation they desire so long as they don't bother their neighbors or disrupt the community.

On the other hand, where the legal age for draft/enlistment is raised, then perhaps the driving age should be raised. The statistics don't lie. The vast majority of accidents on the road are caused by people under 25, especially where there is more than one person in the car and/or at least one of the people is under twenty. The problem, if this were implemented, would be all the older folks having to ferry the non-drivers to and fro. Oh, but wait! You had an answer for that even...more and better public transportation...like the kind that our country used to have before the automakers and oil giants bought off our government to kill off mass transit. If this nation really wanted to reduce its oil dependence it would develop systems of mass transit comparable to what countries in Europe, Asia, and even many third world countries have. This would also reduce the need for people under 25 to drive.

Answer 2

When talking about the immaturity of the prefontal cortex, they are talking about immaturity of size relative to it's eventual development...not how well it works. In fact, I'll be willing to bet that some 12 year olds would be better drivers than 30 year olds if they were allowed to get their licenses that early.

I think the driving age shouldn't be raised at all, but I would venture to say there should be a driving limit on how old you can be and still carry a license. Anyone over 60 should have annual driver's tests (both written, oral and eye exams)...

Answer 3

No,most people are out of high school by the age of 18 and not all go on to college but get jobs. In rural and some suburban areas,there is no public transportation so getting to work would be next to impossible. I do think raising the minimum age to 18 would be benefical because 16 and 17 years olds often lack the maturity to handle such a great responsibility. By 18, most people have begun to look to the future and thier own mortality and act in a more adult manner.

Answer 4

no i don't think they should. I think the driving age is 16 because kids are doing so much that it is almost impossible to get more then one kid there, if they are in sports. Kids will be trying to get jobs at the age of 16 and no beginings. NOt to mention the fact that however some people may go to college in a huge city were they can walk. But how do you expect students to get from place to place on vacations and such? People can't take busses everywhere and there is no way someone who goes to college outta state could deal with that. I think if you were being reasonable you would see that there is no possible way to raise the age to 25 parent's and teens alike would riot.

Answer 5

No. I am 41 and I still say NO!!! Why even consider dividing the US into a two class system. There was rioting this year in France because they considered setting up age-based employment rights. A driving age of 25 would never be supported by the powerful auto industry -- imaging not being able to sell a car to someone between the ages of 16 and 24. So rioting and a huge hit on our economy and layoffs in the auto industry and lots of per 25ers loitering around -- doesn't sound like a place worth living in.

Answer 6

Drivers under 25 are not only bad drivers because they're irresponsible and immature - they're bad drivers because they're inexperienced. The irresponsibilty is taken care of by higher insurance rates - if you ban driving until 25 then people will be just as bad until they're 30, possibly even more so, as it's harder to learn how to drive properly when you're older.

Answer 7

Consider that by 25 your ability to learn has been steadily decreasing the whole time. Immaturity means your brain isn't set in stone yet, aka, you still have lots of room to learn. Start driving at 25 and it's that much harder. And frankly, the people I know who waited to drive for whatever reason are really crappy drivers...

Answer 8

No, but if states would allow insurance companies to charge rates based on real risk rather than what the state thinks, tehn that might reduce the number of accidents by making it too expensive for them to drive.

Maybe we coulod raise the voting age too. After all, if they are still taht immature when they are 25, that might explain why they vote democrat in larger numbers.

Answer 9

You can't tell someone they can fight for our country and die but sorry you can't drive to McDonalds. That is insane!!! A ton of the working population is under the age of 25 how are they going to work and go to school. Also your considered an adult at age 18 does this mean you have to apy child support till your children are 25 now. It will NEVER work!

Answer 10

Are you really for real? What a question. In Texas you can get a drivers license at 15. AT15 it is called hardship license. My daughter that is 22 now got one at 15. I was to ill to drive. In fact at age twelve I gave her the keys to my SUV and said go for it around the ranch.