Argumentative Essay

By: Bailey Tollefson

Teens Driving
There is a tremendous issue in America with teens driving. A big reason why is because car crashes are, “the number one killer of teens in the United States” (“Safe kids Worldwide,” 2014). Many parents realize the danger that their kids are in once they get their license, and get freaked out. This is because teens are inexperienced, they easily get distracted, and most do not realize the importance of safe driving, and how unsafe driving can affect their lives. Teenagers have little experience once they get their drivers licenses. This is a major problem, because when you are young you feel invincible. This certainly is not the case. In 2013, 2,163 teens in the United States ages 16–19 were killed, which means that six teenagers died each day (“Get the Facts,” 2013). These crashes were mainly from lack of experience. “The first 500 miles for teenage drivers are the most crucial. During this time, they are 10 times more likely to be in auto crashes than adult drivers” (“Teenage Car Accidents,” 2012). A big concern for driving at night is reduced road visibility. “In 2009, 61 percent of teen crash deaths occurred between 6 P.M, and 6 A.M… this is primarily due to a combination of the visibility challenges caused by dark conditions, and slower response time brought about by fatigue, and a lack of experience driving under such conditions” (Canfield, 2013). Also animals are more active at night, which would lead to an animal related accident, and can cause major damage. Once teenagers obtain their licenses, many teens like to drive fast. They have no clue what kind of danger they are putting themselves, and other people in by speeding. A common reason teenagers speed is to impress friends. “Only 44 percent of teens said they would definitely speak up if someone were driving in a way that scared them” (“11 Facts about Teen Driving,” 2014). Many people believe that if the driving age was raised, there would be a decrease of fatal teenage car crashes. Although some would disagree, most teenagers do many things that distract them from driving. Having friends in the car is a big distraction for new drivers. Another distraction would be drinking, and driving. Lastly, the most common distraction of all, which is texting while driving. Having friends in the car is a distraction, because some teens will speed, and drive in other dangerous ways to impress friends. Another distraction would be having the music too loud. When friends are in the car, listening to music is enjoyable. But if the music is too loud, fire truck, ambulance, or police sirens could be hard to hear, and can result in a big fine. Another distraction is driving while under the influence. Although teenagers are under the legal age to drink, this still happens. “Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration of .08% than when they have not been drinking” (“Teen Drinking and Driving,” 2012). That is a giant risk of injury, or even death. The most common distraction, mainly for teenagers is texting, and driving. “Drivers who were texting were 23.2 times more likely to crash than those drivers who were not texting” (Jackson, 2013). He also stated, when people are texting, they have their eyes off of the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. That does not seem like a long time, but accidents can happen in a split second. Every split second you do not have your eyes on the road you are putting yourself in serious danger. The majority of teens do not realize, or care about how breaking some driving laws can affect them. Cops have a point system that some people do not know about, and if drivers get too many tickets they can get their licenses suspended. A poor decision that some kids may have done, and not have known the consequences for doing it at the time is fleeing the scene of an accident. Drivers may not be aware of this, but cops have a point system, “once a driver reaches a certain number of points within a predetermined time period, he/she ends up with a suspended license” (Sparks, 2012). No matter how big or small the ticket is the points will still accumulate, and they add up quick. In Oregon, “your license will be restricted for 90 days if you have 2 convictions, 2 accidents, or a combination of 2 convictions, and accidents” (“The DMV Made Simple,” 2014). It is different for every state, but the majority of offenses are between 2-4 before they suspend a license. If drivers get in a car accident no matter how small, they are required to stay at the scene, or leave a note with your contact information. This can be a common mistake for teenagers because they might panic, and leave. “In most states, leaving an accident scene is a misdemeanor hit-and-run… a misdemeanor is usually couples with large fines of about $1,000, and possible jail time of up to a year” (Wang, 2013). If the other car’s owner is not present at the accident scene for instance, if a driver backs into a parked car, and the driver leaves without leaving a note that has their contact information on the car they hit, that is considered a hit and run. Even if the driver sees no damage, he or she must leave a note explaining what all happened. Teenage driving is an issue that should be looked at more carefully, and many rules should change. If some of these rules change, there may be less teenage fatalities. Finally, although teenagers may not agree with the driving age being changed, it could potentially save their life, as well as other innocent bystanders.