Economic Implications

The primary industries affected by increasing driving age to 18 are automotive manufacturers, auto insurance, gas and driving education companies. This basically covers largest firms within auto industry.

The automotive manufacturers would only see a delay in purchases by a factor of three years and only for first three years that driving age was raised to 18. Most 18 year olds would receive their driver’s licenses during summer after graduating from high school.

The auto insurance companies would hopefully gain revenues by not having to pay out insurance claims due to car accidents created by 15 – 18 old teens. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates approximately 300,000 motor vehicle crashes resulting in injuries for this age group per year, which is above figures for fatalities mentioned earlier in this article. Therefore, auto insurance industry would have a gain from raising age limit and not having to pay out 900,000 claims from car accidents over a three year period from age 15 to 18.

Gasoline companies would see a reduction in their revenues with reduction of gasoline usage. Whether 15 – 18 year old drivers generate a significant impact upon revenues of gasoline companies is unsubstantiated as of this writing. However, it would be safe to surmise some level of reduction would be apparent. The reduction of emissions would indeed benefit our planet.

Driving schools would see most significant impact. Short term they would lose business for first 3 years. Those three years could be used, however, to help provide them support by both State and Federal governments. The amount of financial effort that has been put forth after 9/11 against terrorist continues to question if only a fraction could be used in this effort to help save our teenagers. During these three years, assisting them to prepare courses should be considered. Long term driving schools would actually fair better as they would have more hours per student to charge.

Affects upon Family

For parents with new teen drivers with permit licenses going through a state Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, there will be no affect in initial implementation of changing driving age to 18. Parents with teens that have their operators license and who have allowed their teens to drive on their own will most likely find themselves having to continue to “chauffeur” their 16 – 18 year old teens to their various activities. While precious time would be encumbered, you can get comfort from fact that your teen is still alive, your car is not damaged from an auto accident and your insurance has not doubled because of a teen driver on policy.

What if we do not change driving age?

I have a philosophy that difference between utopia and reality is a choice. A choice by an individual or a group to make a change or move in a different direction. The statistics about teen driving require a change. If changing driving age to 18 is too big of a leap today, then we can take smaller steps to help teens have better education and understand how to drive a car instead of blindly using a deadly weapon.

We need to review what driving schools are asked to teach students. The requirements need to include not only traffic safety, but car driving training under differing conditions. The number of hours required behind wheel should equal number of hours required for course, which is currently around 30 hours. Parents would spend more money to achieve this, but additional cost is insignificant compared to lives of their loved ones.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) should be a requirement nationwide and include a probationary period for all new drivers to last through age 18. Traffic violations during probationary period should require re-taking driver education course -not with adults that are in a defensive driving course, but with other teens. Asking teen to re-take driver education through same school they received their initial education would be a consideration. Tracking teens that re-take driver education and driving schools they attend would also help understand if there is a driving school that may not be properly educating teens.

Driving school vehicles are always well marked while students are driving on main roads. Unfortunately, that requirement does not extend to family vehicle for new drivers in a GDL program. All family vehicles with a new teen driver should be required to have at least one label on back of car while teen is driving and through age 18.

Bumper stickers are not always practical when a teen is occasionally driving car and stick-on vinyl to window does not address night-time driving issues. The technology exists today to use car magnets that are thick, reflective for night and are durable. These types of car magnets can be found at Auto Safety Magnets. http://www.autosafetymagnets.com Identifying these almost 2 million vehicles on road should be a requirement on a national level.

In Conclusion

We hope above information was helpful to address problems, need, and identify options if driving age remained status quo or if it were raised. We hope information was comprehensive to show economic implications and hindrances to raising driving age. With these alarming statistics why have state and federal governments, as well as, automotive industry jumped to rescue? Have financial issues during hard economic times been put ahead of our youth? We have to "cowboy-up" to a resolution about this national problem.

The wonderful thing about summer camp is fact that it gives kids a taste of independence--some for first time. Although this can be frightening at first, such independence challenges kids to grow as individuals. Without aid of mom or dad, camp kids are given an opportunity to make decisions for themselves. They are also exposed to freedoms of summer camp which improves their social relationship skills.

Living, learning, playing, eating, and sleeping with other kids their own age gives them a chance to improve their communication and negotiation skills. From late night fireside chats to squabbles over breakfast cereal, children are repeatedly challenged to look beyond themselves and improve their social skills.

Price? For a lifetime of memories you can expect to pay between $20 and $100 a day at a residential summer camp, not including transportation to and from locale.

After talking to your child about transition from home to camp, you might also want to make sure that YOU are ready for separation. Some parents often have a more difficult time with summer camp than do children.

Best wishes for a safe and exciting and a memorable and rewarding camping experience!