Why do we give 16yr olds licenses to drive?

Question

If 16 yr olds have the highest death rate for accidents they cause, or direct result for their lack of maturity.. why do we give them licenses to drive?

This is not a loaded question. it is the statistical truth.. 16 year old drivers have the highest death rate for all car accidents.

sources..Traffic highway safety administration and the insurance and Teen Driving statistics website.

Answer 1

I do not know! I am 45. I remember when I got my license, and I did do some pretty stupid things. I,

however, didn't have a cell phone, or practice some of the driving habits todays kids practice!

When I was 16, my folks were a little less lenient

then the majority of parents today. When I screwed up, there were some real consequences to my actions.

I also had to earn  the money for gas, it wasn't just handed to me!

I also think that peer pressure is worse than it was back in my day, and the amount of traffic has also increased.

I never thought I would see the day where I would be the"Old f**t", preachin' to kids about responsibility!

Answer 2

its a teens first year driving if we made people get there liscence when they were 18 or 21 it would still be their first year driving it doesn't matter on age its all experience. The reason we don't let 13 year olds drive though is because they're not tall enough to see over the wheel, and they're not fully mature yet.

Answer 3

They like to show off to there Friends and have no idea how to control a car when something goes wrong. They also spend there time changing the radio or talking on the cell phone both which take there focus on there driving there for you have the answer why they have the highest death rate of all. Like they know what they are doing.

Answer 4

The maturity/age has almost nothing to do with it - the first year of driving is dangerous, because people are not very experienced.  If you waited until they were 25, then 25-year-olds would have double the death rate of 26-year-olds.

It is true that 25-year-olds think more clearly than 16-year-olds, but people need to be able to get to work before age 25.

Answer 5

We should not, we should raise the age to 18 because at that age they are somewhat a little more mature.....

Answer 6

I'm sure that same statistic would hold true if the age were increased to seventeen. New drivers are always going to be more vulnerable to accidents. Everyone has to start somewhere. Like anything, with more practice and experience comes a better handle on what you're doing. Rather than changing the age at which people are allowed to hold a drivers license, why not enforce stricter policies while on a probationary license?

Answer 7

In order to get a license, you have to pass an exam like all the other drivers do. It's only "fair"

Answer 8

I agree that it's not safe to have them driving, but I also wonder if it would even help to raise the age to 18. I think when kids first get their licenses, they think they just turned into the coolest person in the world, and a lot of them become so wrapped up in thinking that that they forget to be careful. I'm not sure raising the age would help that much. I think we should try it though.