Raising The Driving Age To 18

In the U.K., the current legal age to start driving is 17. In a lot of other countries, the legal age is the same, or slightly higher at 18. For a long time, there

have been rumours in the U.K. about raising the driving age to 18 also. Countries such as Ireland, Iceland and Poland all have the same driving age as the U.K., and

people from all of these countries have considered the effects of raising the driving age. Other countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Norway

etc don"t have the dilemma of considering raising the driving age to 18 because in these countries it is already the legal age. It leads some people to question

whether raising the driving age to 18 is better.

In some countries, you can start legally driving before you can smoke or drink alcohol. To some, this seems bizarre if you consider how dangerous driving is and

how many young people are involved in accidents within a two year period of passing their driving test. Raising the driving age to 18 so that it is the same age you

are legal to do other things

What are the pros and cons of raising the driving age to 18?

Pros:

Raising the driving age to 18 will lower the number of road accidents that happen each year. New teenage drivers are one of the most likely groups of people to be

involved in accidents. Teenage drivers tend to be the ones who drive most dangerously, according to statistics, so denying them the privilege of driving at such a

young age will hopefully give them time to become more responsible adults.

In the U.K., when you reach 18 you are legally considered an adult. At this age, you can smoke and drink as well as a whole host of other things. Raising the

driving age to 18 will simply ensure that everything you can do as an adult is available at the same time.

Raising the driving age to 18 could also help governments tackle the problem of obesity. Teenages will grow up to be less dependent on cars to get them places and

walk much more, which could reduce the level of obesity.

Cons:

Although young drivers tend to have more accidents, this can be to do with experience not age. Raising the driving age to 18 could simply result in 18-19 year olds

being the ones in the most accidents instead of 17-18 year olds.

Many older drivers started to drive when they were 16 or 17 and they are still careful drivers. It is unfair to penalise all 16-17 year olds just because some are

involved in accidents.

Raising the driving age to 18 will not stop "boy racers" from driving or causing accidents. You"d be punishing the needs of many for the crimes of a few people that

could turn to driving underage anyway.

There are many teenagers who need to be able to drive as soon as possible in order to do all of the things they need to do e.g. learn to drive themselves to college

if they live in a rural area instead of relying on an infrequent bus service. You would be restricting an essential skill that a lot of people need.

What would happen if the U.K. decided to raise the driving age to 18?

If the U.K. Government decide to go ahead and change the age that residents can start learning to drive, new laws would need to be put in place. Notice of a new

bill would need to pass through the houses of parliament. It is likely that tougher driving lessons and tests as well as lessons in school about road safety while

driving are to be part of Government proposals concerning raising the driving age to 18.