Reduce Gas Usage and Save Lives

One of our greatest concerns today is the rising cost of fuel. We cannot pick up a newspaper or visit an online news site without reading about what is, can and should be done to solve this growing issue. We've heard about increased fuel efficiencies in newer cars, alternative fuels and drilling for oil in Alaska. There has been much emphasis on fuel savings in our current vehicles, such as slowing down, proper tire pressure, using cruise control, etc. Public transportation and car pooling has made a comeback. The list goes on and on.

There is one other area however that I have not heard any mention of. The legal driving age. In 1984, federal action was taken to raise the drinking age to 21 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). By 1988, all states had approved raising the drinking age. The NHTSA estimated at that time that this change would save more than 1,000 lives each year from deadly traffic accidents involving intoxicated young drivers.

Yet statistics as late as 2006 show that the number one killer of teenagers is still car crashes. It is estimated that around 6,000 teenage drivers are killed in auto accidents each year and teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely to die than drivers who are 25 to 29 years of age.

Without even bringing alcohol into the equation, younger drivers are more apt to be less attentive when driving. This has and continues to be more evident as technology surrounds our lives. If a teenager has a car, he or she more than likely also has a cell phone and an iPod. And chances are they are being used while driving. Cell phone use is just as dangerous as driving drunk, and hands-free phones are no safer than handheld phones.

So why not raise the driving age to 18? I know a lot of parents would frown at that idea but think for a moment about the positive impact.

In 2006, there were 3,763,061 licensed drivers under the age of 18. By removing over 3 million drivers, not only would lives be saved, but the impact to our economy would be astronomical.

A 2005 article in the Detroit News cited an AutoExtra.com survey that 75% of driving-age teens are driving their own vehicles.

If we removed 2,822,296 vehicles from our roads (the number of vehicles owned by teen drivers), here's what we would save:

According to AAA annual report "Your Driving Costs", the annual average cost of gas per car in 2008 was $1,750.50, based on an average of 15,000 miles driven per year.

Let's assume that the average teenager under 18 consumes only one half of that, or $875.00. Based on that assumption, by removing 2,822,296 teen driven vehicles from our roads, the annual savings in gasoline usage would be approximately $24,695,090.00. That's over 24 BILLION dollars, or 232,468 barrels of oil at current prices.

In addition, fewer cars on the road means less traffic congestion and less wear and tear to our road surfaces which also equates to cost savings.

While it is unlikely that the minimum driving age will change, this is one area that needs serious consideration by our lawmakers.

Sources:
www.resource4accidents.com
US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
www.bicycleuniverse.info
www.driversdrive.com
AAA