In the UK 15-19 years old experience almost double the risk of death from road traffic accident (82.5 deaths per million population) in comparison to the general population (42.2 deaths per million population) (Source: RAC) Should the legal age of being able to drive a car be increased to 21 in order to make the roads safer? Give reason for your answer and include any relevant example from your own knowledge or experience.

Sources from the UK reported that adolescents face twice the risks of road traffic-related accidents as opposed to society at large. This essay explains why the legal age of being able to drive should be increased because it will give time for teenagers to mature and they lack the concentration required for driving. Firstly, by increasing the legal age of driving, adolescents would have time to mature. According to neurologist David Warner, adolescents have underdeveloped frontal regions of the brain that controls decision-making, planning, and organization. Because of this, teenagers lack impulse control which consequently affects their rational thinking, and therefore, they have the tendency to make impulsive decisions while driving such as speeding. Besides that, the lack of maturity affects their abilities to make instantaneous decisions. The shortage of life experiences causes teenagers to have untrained minds incapable of adapting to the change in environment and thinking swiftly to act accordingly. As a result, they drive negligently and thereby endangering all road users. According to Kevin Peterson, a prominent lawyer in the tort of negligence, this is why most road accidents by adolescents occur. Secondly, the minimum age of driving should be increased because teenagers are susceptible to distractions while driving such as the habit of using smartphones. This is no surprise especially because of the inseparable bond between teenagers and their smartphones which results from their fixation on leaving their social footprint in the virtual world. Moreover, the premature assumption that teenagers have on their capabilities of multi-tasking is why they willfully expose themselves to distractions such as blaring loud music and even attending classes. For instance, it was reported by The Daily Star that a girl in Bangladesh was recently killed in a car accident because she failed to recognize the change in traffic light as she was otherwise distracted with her online class. Clearly, their lack of concentration in driving not only endangers them but also jeopardizes the safety of other road users. In conclusion, the legal driving age should be increased to 21 because teenagers lack maturity which affects their driving and they are easily distracted.