Do Some Teens Have a Driving Need to Get a License?

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Perhaps my story will demonstrate that the minimum driving age should not be raised -- at least not without exceptions for those who are deserving of the privilege of driving.

I am 17 and the fourth child of seven. I am a high school student, but I am also taking classes at Northern Virginia Community College. I am also a junior firefighter with the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department, where junior firefighters are those under age 18.

I started at NVCC and joined the SVFD at age 16. I would not have been able to do those activities without a driver's license, as my parents are busy with the rest of the family. Many reasons, including long distances, variable locations, a busy day schedule, etc., preclude other types of transportation.

My parents allowed me to get a driver's license specifically to go to NVCC, run errands and ferry enthusiastic children around. I drive a 1989 Chevy Cavalier with 177,000 miles on it.

A teen who realizes the privileges of driving and who acknowledges and lives up to the responsibilities that come with driving -- whether those responsibilities are to family, to other drivers or to the community as a whole -- is a valuable driver.

Is there a problem with the way some teens approach driving? Yes. Are there many factors leading to that problem? Yes. Will raising the minimum driving age solve the problem? Not entirely, and it will do some harm as well.

Mark Smedberg

Sterling

You sound like a levelheaded person, Mark, but you didn't tell me anything about your driver training. I believe teens should focus on that training and not let outside activities dictate when they will get a license. If that training lasts until age 18, so much the better.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Regarding teenage driving tragedies, I have noticed that in a few cases, the teenager's parents have been out of town at the time of the accident. While the parents are away, the teenager gets behind the wheel of a family car that they may not be used to driving.

Why can't parents have their children stay with a friend's family when the parents go away? To leave children of any age at home by themselves for any prolonged period seems to be asking for trouble, whether they help themselves to a car they can't drive, skip school or have a party with underage drinking or drug use.

Suzanne Connell