Mrs. Hagmann's Ace Debate

http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=d0508

If the driving age was raised to 18, roads would be safer and teenage death rates from car accidents would be lower. All that we have to do is raise the driving age for safer roads and safer teenagers. Imagine everyone you know that died from a teen crash, coming back to life

Teen drivers like to be more dangerous than older adults. This can lead to high speeds, and drag races. This interferes with others trying to drive places, putting there lives in danger

At age 16, most people are not fully mature. Many teens do not realize that their reflexes and hand-eye coordination skills are not fully developed yet, and they can end up getting in accidents. This is why they should raise the driving age

Statistics have shown one of every five 16-year-olds will be in a severe motor vehicle crash within two years of getting their license- and that number is only rising- yet only for drivers 17 years old and younger. At 18, the rate of crashes drastically declines. The radical but now new idea of raising the legal driving age is most assuredly a controversial issue, and is gaining momentum, but if the lives of over 5000 teens lost in the year 2009 to motor vehicle crashes can’t convince America of the desperation in this cause, what will?

All on one after school drive, the radio is blasting, phones are endlessly ringing and vibrating, and four teenagers are eagerly and distractingly chatting about whatever life or death situation occurred in between sixth and seventh period that day. This normally would not be a problem, for an experienced driver capable of blocking out distractions with the necessary focus skills needed that only time and practice can perfect. Yet, with an inattentive 16 year old who recently received their license behind the wheel, the lives of all four teenagers become more at risk with every inch traveled down the pavement by that car.

All 50 states prohibit 16-year-olds from drinking alcohol, buying cigarettes, and purchasing handguns. Yet somehow most states are willing to put them in charge of a car, which could potentially be a deadly weapon. This could be be very dangerous

37,000 people were killed in a year by car crashes, and taking away teen drivers which are 3 times more likely to crash would take away lots of deaths. Comparing this to the vietnam war, it would take 3 of the deadliest years of the war to match the deaths of one year of highway driving. Thats a lot of deaths