Raising the Driving Age for Teens?

As personal injury and auto accident attorneys, we see and hear from a lot of people involved in accidents and car crashes. In one case we recently filed, the defendant was 16 years old at the time of the accident.

That being said, there is a lot of talk lately about raising the driving age of our teens. A study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlights the fact that the leading cause of death for teenagers is auto crashes and accidents. Turning 16 has been a rite of passage for teens around the country because it’s the age when they can legally drive or obtain their learner’s permit – although laws vary from state to state. The one exception is New Jersey, which has the driving age set at 17.

As an age group, 16 year olds are more than 10 times as likely to have an accident than drivers aged 30 to 59. Additionally, more than 5,000 teens in the U.S. die from car crashes, according to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration.

Regardless of the driving age, all adults and parents need to do our part of teach our teens how to drive safely and responsibily – as well as teach them the consequences of not driving safely. For more information on raising the driving age and to view the complete study, please visit the Insurance Institue for Highway Safety. There are many resources available online regarding safe driving, including those available on our website in our Consumer Resources section.