Teenagers are the future of our society. We need to protect our teenagers and protect our future. It is time to raise the driving age to 18. Overall, 33% of teen deaths occur as a result of motor vehicle accidents. The people of the United States collectively should do a better job of preventing needless deaths by raising the driving age to 18.

First off, drivers under the age of 18 cause more than 10% of all motor vehicle accidents. 2/3 of all driving related deaths are a result of drivers under the age of 18. In 2011, the official death toll tallied 3023 teen deaths as a result of motor vehicle accidents. That number keeps on rising. In the first 6 months of 2012, deaths of drivers ages 16-17 increased 20% from the prior year. Simply put, by raising the driving age to 18 years old, we can meaningfully reduce the number of teen deaths.

The leading cause of deaths in teenagers is motor vehicle accidents. In fact, 33% percent of all teenage deaths occurred because of car crashes. It is statistically proven that people within the age range of 16-17 are 10 times more likely to crash and injure themselves than any other age demographic. Furthermore, 35% of teens don’t consistently wear seatbelts. This supports the fact that teenagers are not responsible enough to drive. Research studies have shown that 16-17 year old driver death rates increase for every passenger added. By increasing the driving age to 18 years old, we as a society can make a huge improvement, and reduce teenage death rates by 30%.

Most importantly, the annual cost to society as a result of car crashes by drivers under the age of 18, is a staggering $34 billion. Each teen death as a result of a car accident, costs an average of about $3.8 million. (This figure takes into account both the medical and legal costs related to each death.) Each injury from a car accident caused by a driver under the age of 18, costs society about $50 thousand. There is no debate, accidents that occur by drivers under the age of 18 years old, result in a huge debt to society.

A drivers license, sometimes a license to kill, should not be indiscriminately given to people under the age of 18. The people of the United States can save money, lives, heartache and grief simply by raising the driving age to 18. Let's protect our teenagers, let's secure our future, let's change the driving age to 18.