Every year in the United States (Gregory) more than 5,000 teenagers die while driving. In my opinion this is due to three different, but equally important factors. The first factor is that teenagers' minds are yet to be fully developed, which leads them to make irresponsible and sometimes reckless decisions. The second factor is that the driving experience has evolved since the original driving age was established in the early 20th century. The third and final thing to take into consideration is that driving is the lowest minimum age of any adult-restricted activity in the United States. However, it can be one of the most harmful, not only for the driver but also for the surrounding environment. Taking all three of these factors into account, I believe that the minimum driving age should be increased to 18 to decrease the accident rate among teenagers. According to Anne Fleming, spokeswoman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, "Immaturity and inexperience both contribute to accidents. It's difficult to disentangle the two... Raising the age from 16 to 17 saves lives in traffic accidents . Raising it to 18 saves even more lives" (ProQuest). The human brain is believed to be nearly 95% developed by the age of six. Neural connections become incredibly fast during the first few years of a child's life. However, this does not take into account a second period of brain maturation that lasts until age 21. The second growth of the brain concerns important skills such as decision making and risk assessment (Triplett). These two skills are essential for driving a motor vehicle. 16-year-old adolescents are three times more likely to be involved in an accident than 19-year-old adolescents (Triplett). Experts believe that the paper center was created in the 1920s. Finally, compare this law to others that we Americans abide by every day. All three of these points lead me to believe that we should raise the driving age to 18 to decrease accident rates and save lives. Works Cited Ford, Adam and Newton, Heather. “Point: The minimum driving age should be raised.” Points of view: minimum age for driving (2013): 2. Points of view reference centre. Network. October 19, 2013.Gregory, Ted. “Should 16-year-olds drive?” Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. 09 September 2008.Web. October 19, 2013.ProQuest Staff. “At issue: Teens and driving.” ProQuest LLC. 2013: page n. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. 20 October 2013."Teenagers driving." Online collection of opposing points of view. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Network. October 20, 2013. Triplett, William. "Guide for teenagers". CQ Researcher January 7, 2005: 1-24. Network. October 20. 2013.