A new study was just released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying that teen vehicle fatalities are on the decline. Considering its the number one cause of deaths for teenagers this is very good news. However CDC isn't exactly sure what is causing the decrease. Whether it be higher gas prices, safer cars, or better driver's license programs, the number is going down.
I think we can get that number a lot lower by doing one simple thing. Raise the driving age to 18. These teens are too blinded by texting, speeding, and just plan inexperience. They need to take a time out and extend the permit time from six months (Ohio Law) to two years. This way teens still get to drive just with the supervision of a parent.
My birthday is in December. When I got my permit I drove from June to December with my parents... notice anything wrong with that picture? Living in Ohio, driving in snow and ice is a huge portion of operating a vehicle. Luckily I didn't kill myself (yet) while driving in the winter. Also as a teen I wanted to see how fast I could drive (like in the movies) this is stupid high school thinking and again I'm blessed that I wasn't killed. The high school mindset and environment is a bad thing to mix with new drivers. Make them wait, I've never heard anyone say “I had too much practice.”Frankly I don't want to be on the same road as a person who has only had experience operating the machine heading straight at me for less than a year. I think forcing teenagers to put a sign on the top of their vehicles (like a pizza delivery guy) is also a great idea. This way when I have to brake I can look in my rear view mirror, see the sign and brace myself for the inevitable crash. High school aged people are not responsible its a fact of life. How can they be? They have little to no experience with responsibility because they have little to no experience with life. Also every four years when you have to renew your license you should have to redo the driving test. If you don't like that idea, its probably because you aren't that great of a driver and thus shouldn't be driving in the first place. Drivers license is a privilege, you want it? Earn it.
Go Bucks
If you are going to kick teenagers off the road then you need to look at the other leading age group of accidents..... The Elderly. They are causing almost as many accidents and deaths as teens but this is due to blindness, disease, and slower reactions time. Although we as a population tend to sympathize with them and allow them to keep their license way longer then is safe. Not that I am saying that sympathy is a bad thing, I truly believe we have a lot to learn from this population but safety is always issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the retesting at renewal idea. Maybe not every 4 years but I do think we should be retested for exactly what Stephanie said.
ReplyDeleteThe longer permit time may piss people off because it's an inconvenience but it is true. In states like ours it really should be required that we get so much winter driving practice before we test.
But I don't know if raising the legal driving age is the answer. Reckless behavior is almost a guarantee at any age when someone can finally do it. When people first start drinking they do it to the extreme and (usually) after a while of being able to do drink they typically calm down. I was 18 when I got my license and I also drove like a dumbass for a while because I could. Although, driving to and from school I've noticed that most people driving recklessly are the middle aged business looking man. Poor judgment isn't always related to age, but it's true that you count on most teenagers to have it.
Adam, does this have anything to do with the teenager that ran into your car?
ReplyDeleteIf you were 16 years old right now, I think your opinion would vastly differ.
ReplyDeleteWe keep on pushing the age becoming an "full fledged adult" higher and higher. It used to be that at 18 years of age you were an adult. Period. Maybe you went to college, if you did, your on your own. You could smoke, drink, vote, all at the same time if you chose to! Now we seem to push our "adult" age to our early 20's since most people don't even get real jobs until they are out of college. Plus, with adults having children later, "30" has been called "the new 20".
Screw all of this. Teens need to learn responsibility as young as possible. Having a car is a step to learning actual responsibility. Teens may need more experience before getting their full license, but that is for the parents to decide.