Mimimum Driving Age (Essay Sample)

The Minimum Driving Age Student Name: Institution Name: The issue of minimum driving age has raised mixed reactions recently. Some people claim that youths tend to drive carelessly thus causing accidents. On the other hand, a group of people especially the youths condemn the attempts to enact laws prohibiting people under the age of 21 years from holding legal driving licenses. Some researchers have conducted research to investigate these claims. The main issue of concern in this context is to determine whether a decision of amending minimum driving age is justified and would result in fewer road accidents. Williams (2009) compounded evidence from various sources like accidents data and public opinions to determine if there is any proof that young drivers are more likely to cause road accidents. According to the study, teen drivers are more prone to accidents. "In the United States, 16 year-olds have the highest per driver crash rates…"(Williams, 2008, P. 13). However, the study fails to demonstrate statistically the actual number of accidents caused by drivers below 21 years of age and those caused by older people for comparison purpose. Generally, evidence linking youth drivers with more accidents is limited. In my opinion, drivers below the age of 21 years may be more likely to cause accidents because of their limited driving experiences rather than carelessness. It is worth noting that even if individuals are caused to drive only when they are aged 21 years, they will start driving with no experience and that would shift accident-prone drivers fr...