Raising the driving age from 16 to 18

===============================Refutations====================================== To refute my opponent's points, my opponent stated that "A 16 year old would be more likely caught drinking underage then am 18 year old, completely making the alcohol factor irrelevant." This point completely helps my side because a 16 year old is more likely to drink, so therefore if he can drive, more accidents. 2) My opponent stated that it would reduce convenience: we have to look at this debate as a whole, on my side, I have all my points (below) on the Con side, you have convenience. If we raise the driving age we could save lives, is convenience really worth lives? A human lives cannot be measured in the amount of convenience it has cost. ====================================Main points================================ Crysis you asked me for one good reason? I have 3. I. Reduces The Number of Accidents. a.If we raise the driving the number of accidents would go down considerably. It's a known fact, teenager are way more likely to hace accidents than older drivers. In the USA there were over 30,000 deaths in crashes involving 15-17 year olds between 1995 and 2004. Raising the driving age will lower this number considerably. b.Teenage drivers are very dangerous so delaying when they get a license will make roads much safer for everyone. Young people (especially boy's). have a different attitude to driving compared to older ones. For example, they can be fearless and thrill-seeking, taking risks that older drivers would not do. They see good driving as about being to control their car at high speeds. They are also more influenced by peer pressure and more competitive, both of which make risky behavior more likely. II.Many countries have already done this. a.Over the past ten years many countries and most US states have already bought graduated driving licensesing ( or GDL). This means that new drivers have to go through two or more stages or restrictions before they earn a full license. b.Few countries think 16 and 17 years are grown up enough to vote, drink alcohol or smoke. Yet most allow them to get behind the wheel of a car, even though it is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. Society usually sees 18 as the age at which young people becomes adults. Shouldn't driving be one of the privileges of adulthood? c.Believe it or not, if we lower the driving age it'll help us tackle the problem of obesity. Lack of excersice a large reason why many pele are overweight. Obesity leads to ill health for the individual and society suffers. If we lowered the driving age this would force teenagers to walk or use public transportation giving them much needed exercise and more exposure to the outside world. During the age(s) of 16-18 is also a crucial time in life where people develop habits and stick with them for life. This means that raising the driving age will have a wider impact as people grow less dependent on their cars. ===============================Sources======================================== http://www.usatoday.com... http://searchwarp.com... http://www.boston.com... ===================================VOTE PRO==================================