Expository Model Essay
As teenagers are growing up, learning to handle responsibilities and preparing for
adulthood, there is one privilege that many teenagers look forward to, and that is driving. Most
teenagers can get their license at 16, but lawmakers might be changing that soon. It is seen as
quite a controversial topic whether the legal driving age should be raised, but one thing is for
sure: a whole lot of consideration and thought needs to be put in by lawmakers when making that
decision. Factors that should be put into deep consideration when determining the legal driving
age include, the data that presents the argument that teenage drivers put everyone on the road at
risk, other causes of accidents because of teenage driving as well as stricter laws that could
prevent those causes, and the quality of the driver’s education programs available for aspiring
teen drivers.
A multitude of data is presented to argue the fact that teenagers are a hazard to road safety
and restricting the age that teenagers can drive can prevent deaths caused by accidents. For
instance, in the passage, “16 too young to drive? Some say wait till 17,” Adrian Lund, the
president of a research group called Insurance institute for Highway Safety, argues “The bottom
line is that when we look at the research, raising the driving age saves lives.” In turn, this further
proves that research supports the argument that raising the legal driving age can save lives, so
lawmakers should consider raising the driving age to do so. In addition, this argument is also
presented by safety campaigners who refer to multiple studies, all of which collectively agree
that raising the legal driving age can decrease the number of deaths caused by driving. In the
passage, “Youth Driving Laws Limit Even the Double Date,” it is stated that, “But safety
campaigners point to studies showing that the laws have significantly reduced traffic deaths...”
which proves that raising the driving age has prevented traffic deaths and therefore leads to
positive results. Not only that, but teenagers seem to not know the risks of being on the road nor
their ability to prevent such risks by driving cautiously without getting distracted. As the author
continues to explain, “Studies have shown that teenagers tend to overrate their driving skills and
underrate risks on the road, and have more trouble multitasking‑talking to friends, listening to the
radio and texting are particularly hazardous.” which also assists the point that teenagers on the
road can be hazardous and shouldn’t be allowed to drive in the first place, therefore the legal
driving age should be raised above 16. This point is worth mentioning; however, it also needs to
be considered why teenage drivers are such a safety hazard.
Another factor that should be considered when determining the legal driving age is how
teenagers are exactly dangerous on the road. Although it has been shown in data that teenagers
can increase the risk of traffic deaths, it is not exactly stated how. However, it is obvious that a
major and highly probable culprit is distracted driving, particularly due to cellphone use. As
stated by Andrea Summers, a coordinator of a teen‑driving program in Delaware in the passage,
“16 too young to drive? Some say wait till 17,” “others have chosen to toughen laws without
raising the driving age‑by banning teens from using cellphones while driving, imposing stricter
driving curfews and expanding supervised driving time,” which confirms that there are other
ways to increase road safety and make teenage driving less dangerous by placing stricter laws for
hazards such as cellphone usage while driving. Delaware is not the only state doing this,
however. According to the passage, “Youth Driving Laws Limit Even the Double Date,” there
was a bill passed on a federal level that also restricted teenage drivers in order to reduce safety
risks such as, “stricter limits on the number of passengers and the hours teenagers can drive...ban
cellphone use and to extend restrictions to age 18...” which supports the idea of increasing the
safety of teen driving by not only restricting cellphone and the time of day teens are allowed to
drive, but also the amount of passengers a teen can drive, in order to prevent distractions and, as
a result, ensure safety on the road without raising the legal driving age. Therefore, lawmakers
should consider other laws they can implement to ensure safety while also allowing teenagers to
drive.
Many believe that teenagers are too young and not experienced enough to be able to
drive. However, this may not exactly be true for all teenagers. It all comes down to how they
learn, and that is through drivers’ education. Because of this, lawmakers should also ponder the
quality of the driver’s education courses that are available to teenagers, as it determines whether
they are able to properly operate a vehicle. As stated in the text, “Doing Driver’s Ed Right,”
drivers’ education is the one-way teenagers can learn how to drive properly, and could be the
cause of how experienced teenage drivers are when they are on the road, “Still, practicing road
skills with supervision from an instructor can only help teen drivers improve...” this confirms
that practice is the only way teenagers will be adequate drivers. In addition to this, doing drivers
education correctly can have a massive impact on how safe teenagers are on the road. As stated
in the passage, “...experts say that the state’s driver’s ed program is responsible for the most
improvement in road safety...officials report lower numbers of accidents and tickets since the
course regulations were instated.” It comes to show that teenagers may not be the cause of
accidents, but teenagers who haven’t received the appropriate education that prepares them to be
on the road are. Furthermore, lawmakers should think about the quality of a teenager’s driving
education when determining the legal driving age, as it can impact how well a teenager can drive
and reduce the risk of traffic accidents. If there is proper driver’s education for teenagers, the
legal driving age shouldn’t restrict them from being able to use it.
To conclude, lawmakers should deeply consider the research that has been done in
regards to the risks of teenagers being present on the road and how raising the age can help
reduce traffic deaths, other ways they can reduce those risks by placing stricter laws on things
such as cellphones rather than raising the age limit, and the quality of the driver’s education
programs that are available to teenagers, as they have a major impact on how safe teenagers are
while on the road. It is crucial to contemplate these things because it can say a lot about how the
legal driving age is only part of the matter. It is more about why teenagers are considered
dangerous on the road and how risks they seem to impose can be easily prevented if the right
laws are in place. This can affect how lawmakers view teenage driving and therefore help them
determine whether the legal driving age should prevent teenagers from being on the road.
Possibly, teenagers can still gain the privilege of being able to drive at 16 if lawmakers consider
these factors.