New Jersey's Driving Age; Unnecessary Precaution or Crucial Regulation?

Growing up I was extremely close with my cousin Amanda. We spent our summers together in Virginia; I would travel six hours from New Jersey, and she would travel nineteen hours from Kansas, so we could spend a week together at my grandparent's house. As a little kid, I loved the fact that I was six months older than her. Therefore, when Amanda turned fifteen and received her license I was devastated. I still had a full year and half to wait for mine! The fact that I was six months older than her did not seem to matter any more; all I cared about was that I could not drive until I was seventeen.

New Jersey has the highest minimum licensing age in the country (Weekly Reader Corp). At age sixteen, one is allowed to start taking driving lessons. At age seventeen, they can take the test for a restricted driver's license as long as they have completed six hours of behind the wheel, supervised driving. Finally, at eighteen a full driver's license is received (Motor Vehicle Commission). I think that New Jersey's driving age should be reduced from seventeen to sixteen. The high age required to obtain a drivers license in New Jersey, greatly impacts teenagers parents, puts restrictions on after school jobs, makes it difficult to participate in after school activities, and is also safety hazard.

My parent's only got to enjoy my ability to drive unattended for less than one year. I turned seventeen the October of my senior year. Prior to that my parents were constantly picking me up from my various after school activities, or driving me to school. My dad works long hours, consequently, the responsibility of driving my two sisters and me around was my mom's. She was always very willing to take us where we needed to go, but transportation became quite an issue my sophomore year of school. My older sister had just left for college, so it was my first year of high school without a ride to school. If I needed a ride to school, we would usually leave the house around 6:45, and due to the heavy traffic that occurred around the high school every morning, my mom would not be able to get back to my house until 7:25. My little sister needed to catch the bus at 7:20, and my mom felt that that at nine years old she was too young to go the bus stop by herself, and she also needed my mom's assistance in getting ready for school. This situation led to a lot of problems over the next two years. Very often, I would have to get to school much earlier than necessary, or I would have to ask for a ride from a neighbor.

Throughout my high school years I was also actively involved in the Drama club. The spring musical requires a large of time commitment and as a result I would have voice rehearsals immediately after school until four, and then be expected to return to the school at five thirty for stage rehearsals. These rehearsals would usually run for about three hours, and I would then need to be picked up from school at nine thirty at night. My parent's were extremely supportive of this pastime, and my dad was able to help out with the transportation because he was home from work, but it was a little ridiculous that at age sixteen I could not help out my parents, and drive myself to and from play practice.

The most important reason New Jersey's driving age should be lowered is for safety. As a freshman, sophomore, and junior in high school I was always offered rides from my upper classmen friends or from some of my friends who were older than me. It was an offer I usually declined because every day I witnessed cars speeding out of the schools parking lot packed with six or seven students, which was two or three more passengers than the car's were meant to hold. Teens would not feel the need to cram into a car to get a ride home, if they were able to drive themselves around.

Of course lowering the driving age in New Jersey would be met with strong opposition. New Jersey is a densely populated state, and it makes sense that they would not want such a large number of inexperienced drivers on the road. Also "car crashes are the leading cause of death of teenagers in the United States. According to recently released statistics, about ten U.S. teens ages sixteen to nineteen die in teen-driven car accidents every day. And even though teens make up only 6.7 percent of all motorists in the United States, they account for 14 percent of the fatal crashes. Officials say teens' inexperience and recklessness on the road have a lot to do with the deadly statistics" (Weakly Reader Corp).

It is very difficult to argue with the statistics regarding the fatalities among teen drivers, but rather than making them wait until they are seventeen, start teaching them earlier. The one year between sixteen and seventeen will not make a difference in the quality of a teenager's driving. It is the amount of practice time that needs to be increased. At age fourteen teenagers should be able to take a state mandated course on the laws and regulations of driving, and upon passing be able to start behind the wheel instruction. Following six hours of behind the wheel instruction, teenagers should then receive a permit that allows them to drive with a licensed driver over the age of eighteen. Finally at age sixteen they will receive their license and have had almost two years driving experience.

Legislators need to consider that even though car crashes are the leading killers' of teenagers, that perhaps with more practice, the statistics may change. The driving age in New Jersey needs to be lowered. A lower licensing age would benefit parents, and would lead to safer behavior while driving. New Jersey should take a cue from other states and give a lower licensing age a chance.
Works Cited
New Jersey. Motor Vehicle Commission. GDL Special Learner Permit: 3 Step Program. 2003. 6 Oct. 2005 http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/cit_permits/d_gdl_special_learner_permit.html>.
"Road to Ruin: Car Crashes are Top Teen Killer." Weekly Reader Corp. 8 April 2005. Thompson Gale. 6 Oct. 2005104/ai_n13619888>.