SCREECH! Tires squeal as young Taylor is attempting to learn to drive but her mother's yelling, screaming, and slamming on imaginary brakes deter her from relaxing and learning properly. While Taylor tries to learn what its like behind the wheel, her "instructor" is only worsening things while wondering "is she ready for this?" Maybe she should be asking herself if she's ready. With proper education and knowledge on the subject, Taylor could have been able to drive years ago. All over the United States, similar scenes are acted out endlessly as parents fret their children driving. Some believe that the driving age should be raised but, modulating the age to be lower could increase a feeling of responsibility from the teen. According to the 2009 U.S., 2,020,000 people 19 years of age and younger were involved in a car crash while 2,480,000 were aged 20-24 and 2,750,000 were within ages 45 and 54. This goes to show that the rate of accidents for the most part among drivers is not related to age but instead skill level. Do kids at age 15 really want to be stuck at home while parents are away? Taking extracurricular activities and being with friends on teenagers' own time is an essential part of growing up. Teenagers in NYS should be able to drive at age fifteen to satisfy their needs and even wants of life. .
For younger teenagers, learning to drive early could help allow and encourage them to be more independent and self-sufficient. Learning to drive is usually considered a great highlight in the life of a young adult. A social aspect should be considered when thinking about having the advantage of a car. Having to wait extra years to be able to drive is a tedious. monotonous time for a young, anxious fifteen year old. Davis Riley(2008) says that "a car is like a kind our freedom"(para. 5). Teens have had to live under a certain set of rules beneath their parents roof for years; being able to drive would permit them to feel that they actually have some independence.