Quest: ‘18 is the right age for driving if done with discipline’

One more flaw of increasing driving age is that underage driving will increase. Waiting till 21 to get driving license will make the teenagers restless. Though underage they may drive scooters or bikes. Sometimes parents also encourage such things. Definitely under aged drivers who Are restless and reckless will cause more nuisance to the society.

So here I conclude that driving age should not be raised neither decreased. Keeping the age same, other problems can be tackled easily.

– Rasika Kalgutkar, Dahisar Vidya Mandir

According to the driving law , the minimum age for driving a vehicle is 18. This rule should be altered and the age should be increased to 21. Increasing number of accidents are taking place due to the negligence of the young drivers. Due to the obsession of driving at high speeds, the young drivers break a number of traffic rules and lose their lives in the accidents.

If the driving age is increased to 21, the person becomes mature and develops a feeling of responsibility. A sense of duty is fostered in the person. He starts becoming aware of the ill-effects caused due to rash driving and drives the vehicle sensibly .

Thus, the driving age should be increased so as to reduce a considerable number of accidents and save lives of many people.

– Chirayu Choudhary, Class IX, Cambridge School, Kandivali

The highest number of road accidents take place in the age group of 17 to 25. We see it every day, right? Some irresponsible person on a bike meandering through traffic at 150 km/hr while the rest (including cars, buses, trucks) are ambling along at a steady pace of 20,maximum 40 or 60 . This of course, raises questions about 18-year-olds being too young to drive or ride bikes; therefore there is a need to protect them by restricting their road privileges. If the legal driving age was increased, there is a significant economic benefit. There will be huge reduction in petrol consumption. I am sure at least many would have started to drive before right age. Who hasn’t developed the first curiosity for that streamlined bike that your older brother owns, who quite generously welcomes you to ride it anytime, though he is perfectly aware that you shouldn’t?

– Kshitij Vanjare, Class IX, St Joseph’s High School, New Panvel

I strongly feel there is no need to extend the driving age limit to 21 years; it would just be an unnecessary restriction on the younger generation. The only result it would have is an increased number of underage, unofficial, untrained drivers on the roads being a more likely threat to safety of pedestrians. If the thought behind the change is that younger drivers drive in an indiscreet manner, I totally disagree because accidents have not necessarily been at the hands of younger drivers. No matter what age you make a person eligible to drive, inexperience likely leads to accidents.

There should be a change in the process of issuing licenses. An examination to study the person’s level of judgement and wit should be organized before handing him over a vehicle. In fact it is said that the average IQ of the next generations is higher than that of its preceding ones. The age limit on legal driving was set around three decades ago and demands a change. Hence, the legal driving age limit could be brought down to 16 years.

– Manas Acharya, Class X, St Lawrence High School, Borivali (West)

Truth is that the minimum age of driving to be 21 is justified, raising concerns about the high number of young drivers meeting ends in accidents. It is necessary, motorists would be more matured. Teenagers can use public transport until they can be trusted to get behind the wheel.

Some young men are crazy, modify their cars and engines and race them just for attention of others. It is impact of movies and television stunts .I believe till the age of 21, a person’s thinking is enough matured. A rule should be made for example, someone got his license at 18 years he should not use tuned cars, super cars and fast cars until the age of 21-25 years that should be a rule. I have noticed most accidents caused – lack of patience, Lane changing without any reason.

– Manish Gupta, Class IX, St Joseph’s High School, New Panvel

Getting a driving license gives a sense of inexpressible pride, and according to me this eminent feeling should be handed over to youngsters at the age of 18. India is a country having a dearth of literacy still a teenager who completes his/her 18 years of a age is been declared as a mature individual. When he/she can control his/her life, career and a girl is eligible enough to marry and decide her entire course of life just at the age of 18. Then, a vehement and a versed lad/lass getting a authority to drive is not at all a big deal. Permitting the youth to drive and making them responsible leads the country to the path of development. So, I strongly oppose this statement of increasing the driving age to 21.

– Nakshatra Rao, Class IX, St Xavier’s High School, Borivali (East)

Ask yourself whether you want to prevent accident and save human lives? If yes, then there’s just one thing to do, raise the driving age to 21. Age most matters when it comes to driving. The person should be matured and experienced. And as I have seen in India, the local people, especially teenagers drive very fast and in an indiscipline manner. Also teens do not have the ability to handle worst situation that happens on the road as they are immature. Teenagers do not have any responsibility and are carefree. They are unaware of the needs and problems of other people. It is a true fact that teens are reckless and because of this, the legal age should be 21. In Tokyo and in some European countries approximately 14% crash accidents are because of teenagers who are about 18 to 22 years old.

– Sadaf Parkar, Class VIII, St.Joseph’s High school, New Panvel

Driving is something which most fascinates the adolescents. Now a days, many youngsters below age 18 pull up their sleeves and start driving. The consequences of this freedom are dangerous and pathetic. Every day, there is at least one accident caused due to underage driving.

However, I feel the driving age should not be raised to 21, instead, appropriate measures should be taken to completely eradicate underage driving from the society. There is a category of people who allow their children to drive before reaching the age of 18 years. The need of the hour is to execute severe and strict measures to prohibit such acts from the society. These parents should be given heavy penalties and their license should be revoked.

The citizens are given their right to vote at the age of eighteen years by the Government because it considers them as responsible citizens who will contribute for the betterment of the society. Thus, 18 years is the right age for driving if it is done in disciplined manner.

– Sai Nehete, Class IX, Cambridge school, Kandivali

Reckless driving is most common by people between the ages of 18-20, if we look at the driving age; a person of 18 years is eligible to apply for a driving license, a privilege which young adults do not take quite seriously. I fell that the driving age must be raised to 21 years because then people are more matured and will be able to understand the rules of driving in a better way. Therefore, they can handle a vehicle more seriously and thus avoiding the risk of putting lives in danger. 18 is the age where a person steps out from the teenage years and becomes an adult, but even though it is said that they are adults, their maturity has not grown and thus given, 21 is the year where a person should be allowed to sit behind the wheel.

Basically, if we need to prevent road accidents, rash driving and other such cases, we must increases the driving age for the safety of the people.

– Shalom Douglas Pimenta, Class IX, Ryan International School, Malad(W), ICSE