I'm doing a debate, could anyone give me any ideas on why the driving age should NOT be raised ?

Question

Try and give me statistics if possible!!!

Answer 1

This website gives the driving age statistics by state:
http://golocalnet.com/drivingage/
What I would then do is get age requirements for other important responsibilities: like, at what age someone can get married in that state. At what age can you drink (I think that might be 21 in every state--and I don't agree with it.) The draft age is 18, which is why I don't think you shouldn't be able to drink until 21 if they could draft your butt at 18....
Also, at what age can you be tried as an adult in court in that state?
Make comparisons that way, make the argument that if, for example, you are deemed to be responsible enough to be sent to jail as an adult for a crime at, say, age 16, then shouldn't you be seen as responsible enough to drive at that age?
As far as maturity, everyone's different. Some people are very mature and responsible at 16. Others are idiots at 30. Blanket decisions based solely on age aren't very valid.
I think this is a harder argument to make than to argue for raising the age, but good luck!

Answer 2

I fully agree with polarbaby that you've a hard time convincing
in the debate on why the driving age should NOT be raised.
I think, the driving age should be raised to 21 years for the sake
of 'mature driving' in kids.

Answer 3

I am a parent who is very pro-vehicle-safety - my 14yo and 11yo just stopped using booster seats within the last 2 years, my 6yo will be in one for some time yet. My 14yo is not allowed in a vehicle with anyone - especially other kids at school, but also other adults - without my advance permission. So far, she's never ridden with someone from school, and she likely won't for quite some time, if ever. However, that said, I am NOT in support of raising the driving age. In my state, you can get your license at 16years, 1 month old IF you take driver's ed (not provided by the school - and has gotten VERY expensive) or 16 years, 6 months old if you didn't take driver's ed. If my daughter doesn't take driver's ed, she will not be able to get her license until January of her junior year of high school and starting to drive on her own in the middle of an Indiana winter. I want her to get some driving experience at home, around our rather rural area, where she knows the roads and where she is going.

What I absolutely do NOT what to see happen is kids learning to drive when they are in COLLEGE. I have absolutely no desire to see my daughter starting to drive during her freshman year in college - when she is likely to be away from home, on a possibly wild college campus, where drinking runs rampant, kids are away from home for the first time and tend to go a little crazy. I would MUCH prefer her first couple years of driving to be while she is living at home, driving roads she is familiar with, and I have much more control. If she starts driving at 16, I control the car keys - I limit when and where she can drive and in what weather. If she is who-knows-how-many miles away at college, she HAS to get to class irregardless of weather and I have no control over where is is going and what she is doing in her car simply because I am not there. Nor would I want her riding around with other brand new drivers on a college campus or in a college town!

Basically, my feeling is, if we think we have problems with young drivers now, what in the WORLD do people think is going to happen when kids start driving AFTER they are out of high school (which is what will happen for some kids if the age is raised to 18, including my daughter). They are "adults" by then and there is very little parental control.

I also have no desire to be driving my kids to ALL of their high school activities and jobs - my daughter is only a freshman and during volleyball tryouts this past summer we spent an extra $60 a week just for gas to drive her back and forth to practices and workouts. If we have to drive her back and forth to a minimum wage job, we'll spend more in gas money to get her to/from work than she will make in a several hour (after-school) shift. We have 3 kids and work - we can't drive our kids everywhere they need to go all through high school - logistically it won't work. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for those who live farther away from school, have more kids, or have single parent households with no help from other family and friends.

I don't have any sources or documentation, but I wanted to pass on my reasons for not wanting the driving age raised.

Answer 4

it saves the school district money when high school kids can drive themselves. fewer buses.
it teaches kids responsibility at a younger age
new drivers who are 16 still live at home with parents, who can monitor their driving and give help and guidance. this gives them at least 2 years of practice before they move out on their own.

Answer 5

i doubt you will get much help because most people agree that it should be raised....16 nowadays is too young because they aren't near mature enough to be driving!!!