Should teens be allowed to drive at 16 - Essay Example

SHOULD TEENS BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE AT 16? Introduction Driving is a risky business for teenagers. Though the teenagers spend less time driving than all other age groups except the elderly, teenage drivers have disproportionately high rates of crashes and accident fatalities. Experts say accident rates for teens are so high because of their immaturity combined with their driving inexperience (Eldridge, 2005). There are several other reasons which contribute to the high crash rate of young drivers such as lack of adequate driving skills, risk taking, poor driving judgment and decision making, alcohol consumption and excessive driving during high risk hours. However, processing a drivers license is one of the biggest status symbols among the teenager particularly the high school students. Getting a drivers license is not only a social asset but it makes the teenager feel more independent than ever before. According to the American Automobile Association, teenage drivers account for only 7% of the driving population but are involved in 14% of fatal crashes. Traffic crashes are the number one cause of death and injury for the teenagers between the ages of 15-19 (AACAP, 2005). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. These deaths account for one-third of all fatalities in this age group. The NHTSA says three factors work together to account for these statistics for teen drivers: inexperience, risk-taking behavior and immaturity and greater risk exposure. Young drivers start out with little knowledge or understanding of the complexities of driving a car. Peer pressure and adolescent impulsiveness can result in poor driving judgment and participation in high-risk behaviors such as speeding, inattention and not using a seatbelt. Teens often drive at night with other teens in the vehicle. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that 43 percent of teenage motor vehicle deaths occurred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. In addition, two out of three teen passenger deaths occurred when the driver of the vehicle was also a teenager (Eldridge, 2005). USA TODAY examined all the deadly crashes involving 16-to-19-year-old drivers in 2003, and it was found that 16-year-old drivers were the riskiest of all. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, their rate of involvement in fatal crashes was nearly five times that of drivers ages 20 and older. Driver error is involved in 77% of fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers but in less than 60% of crashes with drivers 20 and older. About 3,500 teenagers died in teen-driven vehicles in the USA that year — a death toll that tops that of any disease or injury for teens. Along with their higher rate of involvement in fatal crashes, 16-year-olds make driving errors, exceed speed limits, run off roads and roll their vehicles over at higher rates than do older drivers involved in fatal crashes. About a third of all 16-year-old drivers and a quarter of 17-to-19-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes rolled their vehicles. Rollovers often occur when a driver overcorrects and runs off the road. Inexperienced teens are most likely to do so because theyre in the age group most likely to be involved in a crash. Highway safety experts say that teens should occupy vehicles least likely to roll and most protective when they crash. Yet, teens often wind up in small cars, which are especially vulnerable when hit by larger vehicles, or in SUVs, which are more prone to roll over (Donnell, 2005). Scientific studies on teenage drivers There are several studies that suggest that 16-year-olds are immature to take up driving. Brain and auto safety experts fear that 16-year-olds, the youngest drivers licensed in most states, are too immature to handle todays cars and roadway risks. Studies conducted by brain researchers at the National Institutes of Health explain why efforts to protect the youngest drivers usually fail. According to them the weak link, called "the executive branch" of the teen brain is not completely developed — the part that weighs risks, makes judgments and controls impulsive behavior. Scientists at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., have found that this vital area develops through the teenage years and isnt fully mature until age 25. Though there may be exceptions between one 16-year-olds brains that might be more developed than another 18-year-olds, just as a younger teen might be taller than an older one. But evidence is mounting that a 16-year-olds brain is generally far less developed than those of teens just a little older. For years, researchers suspected that inexperience was mostly to blame for deadly crashes involving teens. When trouble arose, the theory went, the young driver simply made the wrong move. But in recent years, safety researchers have noticed a pattern emerge — one that seems to stem more from immaturity than from inexperience. The NIH brain research suggests that the problem is human biology. According to Jay Giedd, chief of brain imaging in the child psychiatric unit at the National Institute of Mental Health, crucial parts of the teen’s brain — the area that peers ahead and considers consequences — remains undeveloped. Precisely how brain development plays out on the roads has yet to be studied. Giedd says, brain scans of teens in driving simulations might tell exactly whats going on in their heads. That could lead to better training and a clearer understanding of which teens are ready to make critical driving decisions. In theory, a teens brain could eventually be scanned to determine whether he or she was neurologically fit to drive (Davis, 2005). Conclusion The new insights into the teen brain might help explain why efforts to protect young drivers, ranging from driver education to laws that restrict teen driving, have had only modest success. With the judgment center of the teen brain not fully developed, parents and states must struggle to instill decision-making skills in still-immature drivers. More research on teen driving decisions is needed, before ultimate conclusions be made. The Graduated Driver Licensing (GLD) has recommended teens earn driving privileges in a three-stage process: learners permit at the age of 16, a probationary license after 6 months and an unrestricted drivers license at the age of 18 (AACAP, 2005). Though the drivers license allows the teen to drive independently, it is important that parents and other regulatory authorities establish clear rules for safe and responsible driving and rules for the use of the car. Parents need to work with their teens to help them gain the needed experience and judgment. References Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) (2005) Helping Your Teen Become A Safe Driver. Available: http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/76.htm Davis, R (2005). Is 16 too young to drive a car? USA TODAY. Available: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-03-02-teens-cars-main-usat_x.htm Donnell, O J., (2005). Deadly teen auto crashes show a pattern. USA TODAY. Available: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-02-28-teen-drive-cover-usat_x.htm Eldridge L, (2005). Driving with teenage boys. Available: http://www.connectingwithkids.com/tipsheet/2005/248_sep28/drive.html Read More