Duane, Is That Right? Raising the driving age?

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - In America, driving isn’t a right. It’s a privilege.

In most states that privilege is extended to people after they turn 16-years old.

Over the past decade many states have wrestled with the question of whether that’s too young to get behind the wheel. The driving force are claims that moving the age to 18 would save lives.

Before we dig into the issue of the debate, it’s important to know that teen crash deaths have fallen significantly. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports the number of teen crash deaths from 1975-2017 has dropped by 69 percent.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to list motor vehicle crashes as the top cause of deaths among teens.

Scientific research has fueled much of the debate about how age contributes to driving, as studies have shown that 16-year old brains are not yet fully developed and are prone to risky behavior and distractions.

To adjust for that lack of development, most states have adopted a graduated system for teens and driver’s licenses.

It begins with the learner’s permit, adding an intermediate step of earning a restricted license, before a teen becomes a fully licensed driver.

The restricted license limits activities, such as the number of passengers, talking on the phone and even nighttime driving.

Ohio issues restricted driver’s licenses at the age of 16. Indiana and Kentucky wait until 16 1/2 years old.

All three states give full driver’s licenses at the age of 18

So, back to the question: Would lives be saved if our states waited to give driver’s licenses until the age of 18?

For the answer, we go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

According to FARS, the national fatal crash rate for 16-to-19 year olds is 3 times higher than those who are 20 and older. And the highest death rate is for those who are 16 and 17 years old.

Those who oppose moving the driving age to the age of 18 contend moving the age would delay gaining important experience behind the wheel and would cause many of those fatal statistics would transfer to older drivers.

Still, in a simple statistical analysis based on numbers available today, shifting the age from 16 to 18 would save lives.

If you said that, you’re RIGHT.

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