High school students crave the ability to drive. I’ve always wanted the freedom of doing what I want, when I want. From a young age, television and cinema glorified the greatness of driving. The movie “Cars” attracted kids to driving and as the teen years arrived, movies such as “Fast and Furious” enticed me and many others to one day appreciate the thrill of driving. However much thrill it actually brings, driving also comes with the risk of death. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the crash rate of 16-year olds is 3.7 times higher than drivers of all other ages

From the perspective of an up and coming sixteen-year-old, facing the truth that the required age-limit to legally drive needs to be raised is difficult, but it is simply too dangerous for a 16-year-old. Like many my age, I hoped to one day, be able to drive to make my life easier and definitely more fun. As time went on I realized it wasn’t going to be so simple. While riding around with licensed friends (responsible and well experienced ones at that), I saw countless mistakes that could have resulted in accidents. They may not have resulted in crashes (albeit very close), but they did show that no matter the experience, teens are bound to make mistakes; that is how we learn. This learning experience may be considered beneficial, but then a teen must ask if this lesson is worth the risk of a car accident. Not only is the teen’s life is in danger, but also those of the many children and safe drivers out on the road.

Teens also tend to find themselves speeding and not wearing seatbelts more than the average driver. According to Teen Driver Source, nearly 50% of teens report not always wearing a seatbelt.  As school lets out anyone can see the many distracted, music-blaring students that speed out of the parking lot onto the dangerous roads. If that’s how respected Dreyfoos students handle having a license, then it’s quite scary to think of how teens at other schools drive. On top of this reckless driving, the CDC claims that in 2013, only 55% of teenagers reported always wearing a seatbelt, making crashes much more dangerous.

At 16, drivers find themselves not focusing on the road far. Photo sharing app Snapchat is littered with driving posts so much to the point that the app’s creators had to implement a warning message to not take photos and drive. Still, many see taking a quick selfie more of a priority than the road. Taking photos has and never will be a safe alternative to texting, which has already proved to be a deadly combination with driving.

Taking advantage of teens’ fascination with social media, AT&T has created the hashtag #itcanwait for their twitter campaign. In an effort to make the roads safer, AT&T hopes to have drivers pledge to never text and drive.

Efforts made to prevent car accidents continue to grow along with repercussions for un-safe driving. According to Insurance.com, car insurance for 16-year olds can total up to $3,000, three times the average adult’s at around $1,000. When an accident occurs, insurance rates spike significantly more than adults’ as well.

While some argue that raising the age limit will only suspend the deaths another year, with inexperience as the inevitable factor, it would change a lot more than can easily be seen. Raising the age limit would give teens more experience with a permit under the supervision of an adult while also giving their brain more time to mature for better decision-making.

Becoming a licensed driver will remain a sacred gateway into adulthood, but for the safety of everyone, delaying that would be for the better.