Introduction
In a 2019 overview of the fatality rates in the United States, while teenagers drove less compared to all but the oldest people, the number of deaths and crashes associated with them were disproportionately high. By comparison, between 16 and 19 years, the number of fatal crash rates was three times more than crash rates among drivers over twenty years (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, n.p.).
Furthermore, the risks of such fatal crashes and deaths were reportedly highest in teenagers aged between 16 and 17 years. With the understanding established, Fritscher argues that, among various reasons, teens should be allowed to drive because it plays a fundamental role in teenage development. The purpose of the essay is to compare, therefore, and contrast the rhetorical elements associated with whether the states should raise the legal driving age to 18. While teenage development is vital in growing up, it does not compare to the risks associated with teenage driving. Hence, the states should raise the legal driving age to 18.
Main body
Fritscher on Reasons why teens should drive shows that despite research showing the risks that come with teenage driving, the majority of the people in the U.S. consider teen going an essential element of life. By 16, getting a driver’s license is regarded as a rite of passage in the majority of the states in the U.S. (Fritscher, n.p.). In the understanding by Erik Erikson, developmental theorist, this rite of passage contributes to discovering the identity and plays a fundamental role in teenage development. Teenagers require space to break away from their parents, develop personal values and morals, and spend time with their peers (Fritscher, n.p.). While some metropolitan regions in the U.S. have excellent public transport systems, most similar areas do not and thus, require teenagers to drive in search of their independence.
While teenage development is a significant aspect of growing up, the search for independence, personal values, and morals might come at a cost, both in the lives of teenagers and other road users as well. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Fatality Facts 2019: Teenagers aims to show that the independence sought after by teenagers comes at a high cost. In a study to analyze the licensing systems in the U.S. between 1990 and 2019, the graduated licensing for National studies found that lower fatal crashes were reported when every state adopted graduated techniques. In the presence of solid laws, there were associated lower fatal crashes and substantially lower insurance claim rates among teenagers (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, n.p.).
With substantial restrictions on teen passengers and nighttime driving, alongside raising the licensing age for teen drivers, the insurance firms encountered a decline in insurance collision claims resulting in reduced fatal crash rates.
From the findings of the study by the fatality analysis reporting system (FARS) of the U.S. transportation department, reports posted in March 2021 showed that in 2019, there were over 2,370 teenagers involved in automobile crashes. Compared to the same statement made in 1975, the figures associated with 2019 were over 70 percent more than in 1975 and 5 percent more than the previous year (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, n.p.). By breaking down the number of deaths, in terms of gender, the Institute discovered that two-thirds of the teenagers killed were male, and the number of male deaths since 1975 has been on the rise. Compared to their female counterparts, the rate of male teenage drivers who were reported dead rose by 76 percent, unlike 64 percent of female adolescent drivers.
Rouse, on the Pros and cons of driving at the age of 16, seeks to show that while teenage driving is essential, it might be inappropriate to allow teenagers to drive. It might be problematic for teenagers to go because it is the main contributor to the increase in fatal crashes among teen drivers. An increase in fatal crashes has been highly linked to the lack of experience by these young drivers (Rouse, n.p.).
Since these young drivers have only been driving for a shorter timeframe, they encounter dangerous or challenging situations where they lack experience in understanding how to respond safely. In a 2008 article by the New York Daily, the article reported that because of the lack of experience, the leading cause attributed to teenage deaths was car crashes (Rouse, n.p.). Minimizing the possibilities that come with adolescent driving might require all states to raise the legal driving age to 18 years.
Conclusion
While teenage driving, like a rite of passage in most Americans, might seem appealing, considering the risks and rates of fatal crashes is an equally attractive point to emphasize in the lives of Americans. The absence of experience from teen maturity levels, while it might be argued to increase responsibility, threatens the lives of many others due to the possibility of encountering dangerous and challenging situations. A high time has come when all states should legalize the driving age to 18 years, primarily as a way of combating the increased number of fatal crashes attributed to teenage driving.
Work Cited
Fritscher, Lisa. Howtoadult. 2017. Web.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 2020. Arlington, VA.
Rouse, Britany. Howtoadult. 2017. Web.