On January 10, 1999, Jenny Howard and her best friend, Mary Calvino, were killed in an automobile accident. Jenny was a young 16-year-old sophomore and had recently received her driver’s license. Jenny was driving her best friend to the movies when she pulled out in front of a speeding truck. The crash killed the two girls on impact and left the driver of the truck in critical condition. Jenny’s car caught on fire and their lifeless bodies were incinerated. The driver of the truck recovered months after, but is now a paraplegic. The event that took place that night was a tragedy for those involved.

The innocent truck driver never saw the car until the last second and had almost no time to react. The young girl’s inexperience and/or distraction from the teenage passenger, clearly led to the fatal mistake of pulling out in front of an oncoming vehicle. The families of both crash victims were affected greatly by the tragedy.

It seems that everyone knows someone that has been in a car accident or has a friend that knows of a car wreck victim. Car accidents are common in society today and are the most likely way a person 16-18 years of age will die (Moncivals). Don't forget new jersey cheap car insurance quotes before you leave! California law states that it is illegal to purchase tobacco as a minor (a person under 18), but at 16 years old allows a person to operate a vehicle that has the potential to kill themselves and others. It is illogical that an individual so young and inexperienced should be given the opportunity to put their own life and the lives of others at risk.

In the state of California, an individual can receive a driver’s permit at the age of 15 years if a multiple-choice exam is passed. At the age of 15, the individual is able to drive with an adult that is 25 years or older if the adult accompanies the driver in the passenger seat. Remember to get a washington cheap car insurance quotes today! When the individual turns 16 years and has had a permit for at least six months, the individual is qualified to take the driving test. When the individual scores a 70% or higher on the test, they are awarded a license with restrictions.

The restrictions prevent the driver from driving with passengers that are under the age of 20 or six months and are also not allowed to drive between 12:00 am and 5:00 am for one year. The state of California thought of everything except for how to prevent these young drivers from killing themselves and others out on the streets.

Ruben Rippley, an insurance agent at Cost-U-Less Insurance Center for the past 7 years, stated that the reason that teens have such high car insurance is because they lack driving experience, which makes them more likely to get into accidents.

This statement is upheld by Moncivals who also states that teens are more likely to be involved in single- car crashes, to make driver errors, to speed or drive too fast for road conditions, and to have three or more passengers, primarily other teenagers. Today's illinois cheap car insurance quotes are just a click away! Mr. Rippley also said that car insurance companies are aware that the fatal crash rate of a 16 year old is about seven times greater than drivers over 25 years of age. All qualified fingers point toward teens as the primary age group causing driving accidents.

Drivers age 16-19 have significantly higher crash statistics in comparison with older drivers, and traffic accidents are the number one cause of death in this particular age group. Car crashes account for 36% of all deaths of persons aged 15 to 19. The statistics are staggering that over 1/3 of California teen deaths are do to automobile accidents (Car Accident). Get a michigan cheap car insurance quotes right now for free! I believe the best way to prevent teens from hurting themselves and others is to delay their unrestricted license for a longer period of time until they are able to acquire more driving experience and allow time for maturity. In a survey conducted by myself on December 12, 2001, I concluded that 20 out of 25 adults would feel safer if young teenage drivers were kept off the roads as much as possible. Why don’t we make the roads safer for everyone by keeping inexperienced drivers off the road as much as possible? It makes sense to change a law if the current one is causing thousands of teens to be killed every year.

An obvious solution to reverse the high death rates in teens involved car accidents is to ban teens from driving all together. This would be a highly affective temporary solution, but would only prolong the high crash rates until inexperienced drivers are again allowed behind the wheel (Kelley). I believe that the most effective way to lower crash rates and still allow teens to drive is through my proposed graduated licensing program.

The idea behind the program is keep teens off the road as much as possible, but still give them driving experience until they turn 18, or in other words, become legal adults. Before you go, try a massachusetts cheap car insurance quotes with our network! This program is similar to the existing one up to a certain point. The individual must follow the current law until the age of 16, which is where the change occurs. At 16, the license holder is able to drive with a licensed passenger 25 years of age or older. The individual may only drive alone to and from school or to and from a job.

This prevents teens from constantly driving unsupervised and/or with a car packed with teenagers. When the individual turns 18, then the unrestricted license is issued. If the program were implemented, teens would spend less time on the road. This would no doubt lead to fewer accidents. Nighttime driving presents increased risk for all drivers, especially for teenagers. In 1990, 45% of fatalities for drivers ages 16-18 occurred between 9:00pm to 6:00am (Department for Transport). With the new restrictions on the license, teens would seldom be on the road during these nighttime hours preventing a large number of deaths.

Critics might argue that the program will be ineffective because teens will disregard the law and drive during the restricted hours. The solution is also apart of the graduated licensing program. Make reference of georgia cheap car insurance quotes before you go! If an individual is pulled over for driving during restricted hours, carrying illegal passengers, and/or fails to provide proof of employment, then the individual’s unrestricted license will be postponed for an additional six months. The additional six months would serve as a deterrent for breaking the new driving laws. If the law is broken again then the license will be suspended for an entire year with no driving privileges altogether.

Does it seem logical that a 16-year-old should be operating a potential 3,000- pound battering ram? I believe that this new program is in the best interest for everyone who drives on the roads of California. Despite expected teenage opposition to the program, it is for their safety and for the safety of those they come into contact with on the road. Saving lives is the key issue and this program will allow many lives to be saved.