How can America pay less in automotive insurance, reduce the amount of traffic accidents and fatalities, and increase the use of public transportation? Create a federal law that will require automotive drivers be at least twenty-one years old to drive. 
The idea isn’t too far fetched. Already, many states have adopted laws that restrict teen driving, and twelve other states are considering similar laws. Some of these restrictions include: raising the minimum age requirement, increasing the amount of required driver education, and increasing parental or guardian participation in the learning process.
Why does each state have separate laws and programs for licensing its drivers? It is time for America to review the statistics: automobile crashes have been and still are the number one killer of Americans ages fifteen to twenty. In 1999, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 520,000 teens were injured and more than 4,900 died in automobile crashes, an average of over thirteen deaths every day. These numbers continue to go up in-spite of the fact that deaths and injuries for all other driver age groups have dropped in the last decade. By creating a federal law, America would have a standardized system designed to educate our young drivers and federally fund a driver education program that will ensure the highest possible results.
The new licensing process would be a total paradigm shift in the way America views teenage driving. Right now, a teenage driver license is more of a status symbol than a necessity to drive a car. People may argue that a teenager will require a driver license to drive to work. Well, that’s paradigm shift number one, teenagers will learn to use public transportation. For years the national and local governments have been urging, almost forcing drivers to use mass or public transportation systems. It’s a fact that most people use public transportation out of necessity, not convenience. If the driving age is raised, and there is an adequate public transportation system in place, teenagers will use it.
Another paradigm shift would be the training process. Public and private schools would incorporate driver education in the classroom starting in the ninth grade and would continue throughout high school. After one year of classroom training, a teenager may apply for a learners permit when they are seventeen years old. The learners permit will only be valid when the teenager is accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least twenty-one years old. This learner permit would be for day-time driving only. The purpose of driving at this age would be to learn the necessary driving skills “on-the-road,†not cruising around town looking for something to do. 
At the age of eighteen, the learners permit will allow for nighttime driving. Federal law would require at least fifty hours of documented nighttime driving before applying for an intermediate driver license. The intermediate driver license would allow a teenager to drive “unaccompanied†between the hours of 6:00AM to 11:00PM. When a driver turns twenty-one years old, the intermediate driver license will become a permanent license.
During the period of the learner permit or intermediate license, any infraction of a traffic law would be severely punished. Notification of an infraction would be sent to the student driver as well as their parents or guardian, both of whom would be required to attend traffic court. A significant fine and an automatic one year delay in the training process would be incurred. After a second violation, all driving privileges would be revoked for one year.
The American Automotive Association (AAA) reports that studies show the risk of having an accident declines sharply after someone has three to four years of driving experience—thus the importance of a licensing program that will allow youths to gain experience and maturity while reducing the risk by limiting the situations in which they drive. This new federal driver licensing program would do both.
This article posted 01 08 06
January 9th, 2006 at 2:25 pm
I agree!! I would be nice if all states had the same policy when it comes to driving. However, driving laws are governed by each state separately. I did a report in college last year on M.A.D.D. and those statistics you gave are low compared to the statistics of teens who drink and drive.
My son just went through driving school and the training was to short. How could he learn what he needed to learn in six classes of three hours each and eight hours of behind the wheel? I feel these driving schools get the money teach a few things and leave it up to parents. Hum dosen’t sound right….
I also feel age dosen’t matter too much because if you never have drivin at 21 years old then you don’t know what your getting into. Now yes I know 21 year olds should be more mature and this would be a better age. But after working with Adults that have gottin D.U.I s ages 18 and up. My 17 year old is more mature than 3/4 of them. So I feel it dosen’t matter how old you are. If you want your license then you should go through a long process of training. Remember when your out there driving or drinking and driving, my daughter, son, nieces and family are on those same streets so be careful.
January 9th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
Sounds like the Aussie system, Brad.
At 16 you can take a road rules test to qualify for your Learners’ permit. You must drive with an fully licsenced person at all times, and keep a log. You must have night driving practice, sunshine, dusk, dawn, rain, highway freeway rushhour etc. The car is marked with an L plate.
At 18 there is another test- both rules and proficiency, I believe. There are restrictions to what you can drive, there is a zero blood alcohol limit, any infractions you lose it and have to start all over again. There is talk of a night driving limit and a persons per car limit. This is for three years, you have to show a P plate for the first year.
At 21, with proof that you have been sensible with the car, you can get the full adult license, with all the regular rules etc.
It’s been this way in Australia for a long time.