Should the driving age in the UK be raised to 18? The current driving age is 17, but there is debate as to whether we should raise the age to 18. The topic was raised because a large number of road accidents are caused by young drivers, therefore measures should be taken to correct age hazards. One of the main reasons why it is necessary to address the issue of driving age is the number of victims caused by young people on the roads. According to the UK Department for Transport, a fifth of all deaths on British roads involved drivers aged between 17 and 24. They believe raising the age would lead to a reduction in road accidents and deaths, but would also reduce the death toll by 4,471 and save £224 million. This means that fewer young drivers would be on the roads and fewer accidents would occur. I think this is true because it is not something that teenagers can easily disobey, unlike laws on drinking or smoking. Another point regarding the issue is that the driving age should be increased so that the limit is in line with other adult responsibilities. You must be 18 years old to drink alcohol. You must be 18 years old to smoke cigarettes. You must be 18 years old to vote for your choice of government. So why is it enough to be 17 years old (when you are less mature) to endanger your life and that of others by driving? In most countries, 18 is considered the age at which the transition from adolescence to adulthood occurs. Driving can be very nerve-wracking for young people and perhaps they would benefit from waiting until they are 18 so that they are mature enough and ready to drive. I agree with this because I think 18 is an age where you can start moving forward and start living independently, so at 17 I don't think some people are ready to drive. Another reason to change the... paper average......driving age would take away the rights and freedoms of current teenagers. I believe the age should be increased as allowing time for further brain development is not only important for 18 year olds learning to drive, but also for other drivers and pedestrians. Works Cited http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/traffic -travel-news/pupils-not-happy-at-raising-driving-age-1-6148752 http://www.dailymail.co.uk /news/article-452390/-Immature-brains-make-teenagers-bad-drivers.html http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-minimum-legal-driving-age-be-raised-to -18 http://www.debatewise.org/debates/116-the -minimum-driving-age-should-be-raised-to-18 http://www.drinkdrivingfacts.com/drinkdriving/drink_driving_facts .aspx http://news.sky.com/story/152957/driving-test-could -raise-to-18 http://www.standard.net/topics/opinion/2011/03/03-driving-age -should-not-be-raised