Do you think the driving age should be raised?

In light of the recent teenage accidents and in knowing one of the victims, I still feel that the driving age should not be increased. Drunk driving occurs some of time with teens and adults; drag racing occurs almost every weekend in Wheaton and Langley Park as well as Rockville and speeding is a problem among everyone, not just teens. If the driving age were increased there would still be problems with drivers and their inexperience. Raising the driving age would just make inexperienced drivers older and would solve nothing.
-senior Erica Nowak

Although reckless teenage driving has recently resulted in several tragic deaths, most teens demonstrate the maturity and knowledge of safety on the road. The Maryland teenage driving age should not be raised as students become more involved members of the community; driving reflects the independence of many teens and allows them to reach sports events as well as academic competitions, and encourages them to be more independent and productive members of society. The state government should crack down on teenage drinking, the most prevalent threat posed on the road.
-junior Pearl Horng

The driving age should not be raised because age does not necessarily bring more maturity or responsibility. Instead, driving laws should be enforced more strictly.
-junior Alice Li

I do not think the teenage driving age should be raised due to the recent accidents. Those accidents were caused because people were irresponsible. There should be restrictions on how many other teenagers are allowed in the car.
-senior Rebecca Widmayer

Even in the light of recent teenage driving accidents, I don't think that the Maryland
driving age should be raised. In all likelihood, the accidents did not happen
because of the driver's young age but by alcohol or drugs, which are things that
affect adults as well.
-sophomore Pawel Przytycki

Yes! Maryland should driving age should be raised because in an ideal world
young drivers would drive more carefully and under the speed limit, but in reality
teens like to drive like crazy. They take the streets for themselves and drag race
just to prove their manhood.
-sophomore Wilber Zavala

Although I do not believe in changing the driving ages, I do believe that people
should crack down on speeding. Schools should provide programs to help kids
stop aggressive driving.
-junior Miguel Noel-Nosbaum

Some people think that 16 is too young an age for people to be driving because
teenagers are not responsible. However, the requirements to earn a license,
passing a driving test and have 40 hours of experience, shows that not just
anyone can become a driver.
-freshman Pia Nargondkar

I think that the percentage of recent teenage driver accidents is not only due to the
inexperience of these new drivers, but also of the never-ending construction on
many of the streets. Especially while Silver Spring is trying to grow, new traffic
patterns and more traffic are forming. More traffic enforcement is needed.
-sophomore Garrett Duncan

I don't think that the Maryland driving age should be raised. No matter what their
age, new drivers are going to have the same amount of inexperience and be just
as dangerous.
-freshman Noah Sennett

I think that if teenage drivers can't act up and show people they can drive then I
say we should leave the Maryland driving age the way it is. If accidents continue
to happen, the driving age should be increased. Accidents would decrease, and
would help teenagers grow into a mature stag before they start driving.
-junior Algeni Liriano

I†don't think that the Maryland driving age should be raised. †There are numerous
teenagers driving in Maryland right now who are responsible, competent, safe
drivers who have never been and will never be in an accident. †I†think accidents
happen to teenage drivers because of their lack of experience, not their age of
maturity.
-freshman Ly Li

Regardless of the recent teenage driving accidents, the driving age should be increased because teenagers are more inclined to put themselves in high-risk situations. It's terrifying to imagine some of the people my age behind the wheel of a two-ton hunk of metal.
-junior Leslie Hong