"Are you nuts? 18 is the perfect age to start driving - young people can learn to become responsible drivers - any higher would be overkill!"
Driving Essay - Legal Driving Age
In many countries eighteen is considered the right age to start driving a car
However, some people say that the legal driving age should be twenty-five.
Give your own opinion and include reasons for your answer.
Driving essay - Legal Driving Age
The minimum legal age of eighteen for drivers has been long established in many countries. While there may be some people who believe that raising the minimum age for drivers to twenty-five would be preferable, there is little evidence to show that such a change would bring any serious benefits.
Firstly, a young adult of eighteen normally has the right to vote and do most things in their society, such as get married, enlist in the military, and so on. It would therefore seem implausible to ask young people to wait until they become twenty-five to begin driving as this would hinder their employment prospects and general mobility. There would also be an economic impact in terms of the delayed entry into the automotive product market, such as automobile purchase, fuel, and vehicle insurance, among others, which would adversely affect many companies.
Secondly, there is no substantive evidence to prove that a novice twenty-five-year-old driver is any safer than a novice eighteen-year-old driver. It would therefore not make any sense to prohibit those younger than twenty-five from driving. There is also the argument that if an eighteen-year-old is not considered to be responsible enough to drive, then by default they should not be able to ride a motorcycle or operate dangerous machinery in the workplace, which again would, in certain cases, curtail employment prospects and mobility of young people. Additionally, other family members might rely on their younger family members to transport them to various destinations, and if this is not available then it also impacts on these other family members adversely.
Overall, the lack of evidence to support such a change in existing law makes the idea somewhat impractical, as it would then lead to debating if the minimum age were increased to thirty years old then drivers would be even safer, which most people would consider simply ridiculous.
How would you answer this driving essay question about eighteen is considered the right age to start driving?
Discussion Questions
Driving Age Essay - What Should The Legal Driving Age Be?
In many countries, 18 is the legal age to start driving a car, but people who have children who are 18 say that it isn't the right age because 18-year-olds don't have enough life experience to get behind the wheel. Most 18-year olds still live with their parents or with someone in the family.
On the other hand, many 18-year olds are actually very mature. They might find it frustrating if people consider 18 is too young to drive a car, but 18 isn't the right age for everyone. Those 18-year-olds who want to make decisions about important things such as driving cars should have the freedom to do so.
Waiting until they reach age 25 or even older to get a driving license is too long. 18-year-olds can show more responsibility and dedication in driving than people who are 25 or older. Waiting until they are 25 years old means that they will have to wait even longer, which won't be easy for them. By the time they can apply for a driving license, they will already have been able to vote, get married, and do many other things.
Another important reason to allow 18-year olds to drive is that it is no safer for the driver and passengers if a 25-year old drives instead of an 18-year old who have more driving experience.
Overall, there is no clear advantage of the driving age being 25 years old instead of 18, as people who are 18 can be more responsible while driving than those who are 25 or older. Therefore the driving age should be lowered to eighteen years old, at least for the time being until there is evidence that driving at 25 can make driving safer.