Legal Driving Age Raised
COM 101
Argumentative Speech
Legal Driving Age Raised
I. To vote you have to be 18, to buy cigarettes you have to be 18, and to buy alcohol you have to be 21. So why is it that teenagers are able to drive at such a young age? Driving should be one of the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. While some may say, it prepares them for adulthood and it’s essential for young people to have the ability to travel for their livelihood. But every year the same headlines occur, “High School students, die in car crash”, “Teens killed in car wreck”. What needs to happen in order for families to not go through such tragedies? So, that’s why today I am going to support the following claim that the legal driving age should be raised for the following three reasons. The first reason why the legal driving age should be raised is because it would make the roads safer, second the lack of experience at age 16, and third the maturity level at age 16.
II. A. The first reason is because it would make the roads safer. 1. Less Accidents a. “16 year olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.” www.rmilia.org/auto/teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.asp b. “16 year olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.” http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers 1. Distractions a. Cell Phones b. Passengers
“Two or more peer passengers more than triples the risk of a fatal crash with a teen at the wheel.”
Winston FK, et al. Risk Factors for Death Among Older Children and Teenage Motor Vehicle Passengers. Archives of Pediatric Medicine. March 2008.
B. The second reason is because the lack of experience at age 16.
1. “Teen driver crashes are the leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. The overwhelming majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions, not “thrill-seeking” or deliberate risk taking.” www.impactteendrivers.org/the-ugly-truth 2. Requirements
Argumentative Speech
Legal Driving Age Raised
I. To vote you have to be 18, to buy cigarettes you have to be 18, and to buy alcohol you have to be 21. So why is it that teenagers are able to drive at such a young age? Driving should be one of the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. While some may say, it prepares them for adulthood and it’s essential for young people to have the ability to travel for their livelihood. But every year the same headlines occur, “High School students, die in car crash”, “Teens killed in car wreck”. What needs to happen in order for families to not go through such tragedies? So, that’s why today I am going to support the following claim that the legal driving age should be raised for the following three reasons. The first reason why the legal driving age should be raised is because it would make the roads safer, second the lack of experience at age 16, and third the maturity level at age 16.
II. A. The first reason is because it would make the roads safer. 1. Less Accidents a. “16 year olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.” www.rmilia.org/auto/teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.asp b. “16 year olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.” http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers 1. Distractions a. Cell Phones b. Passengers
“Two or more peer passengers more than triples the risk of a fatal crash with a teen at the wheel.”
Winston FK, et al. Risk Factors for Death Among Older Children and Teenage Motor Vehicle Passengers. Archives of Pediatric Medicine. March 2008.
B. The second reason is because the lack of experience at age 16.
1. “Teen driver crashes are the leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. The overwhelming majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions, not “thrill-seeking” or deliberate risk taking.” www.impactteendrivers.org/the-ugly-truth 2. Requirements
Cited: www.rmilia.org/auto/teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.asp http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers Winston FK, et al. Risk Factors for Death Among Older Children and Teenage Motor Vehicle Passengers. Archives of Pediatric Medicine. March 2008. www.impactteendrivers.org/the-ugly-truth www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/license_laws.html