should you have to be 16 to get your license

I think you should be able to get your license if you can pass the test without cheating and you can reach the petals and know all the laws of the roads

Let me begin by thanking cjbulldogs2013 for instigating this debate. I will be affirming the resolution that people should be at least 16 before they are allowed to get their license.

Contention 1: Sixteen is a very reasonable age for being able to acquire driving privileges.

By the age of 16 most people have almost fully matured, in a biological sense, and they also posses most of the mental capacities associated with a fully developed mind. Unlike a 10 or 12 year old a 16 year old is, on average, better able to evaluate the dangers and responsibilities associated with driving a car. Consequentially, even though a 12 year old may be just a tall and capable of driving a car as someone who is 16 they are, on average, less capable of fully understanding the dangers and responsibilities associated with driving. Moreover, allowing younger children to drive cars would represent a public safety threat.

Contention 2: By reserving drivers licenses for 16 year olds we help ensure the safety of other people on the road.

It's not exactly a secret that younger drivers are more likely to get into car accidents than older drivers. I have little doubt that many 11, 12, and 13 year olds could pass a driving test and I also have little doubt that they would be disproportionately more likely to get into fatal car crashes than older more experienced drivers. In fact, "16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers." [1] Moreover, according to the California DMV, "The traffic accident rates for 16- to 19-year old drivers are higher than those for any other age group." [2] It is therefore dangerous and irresponsible for us to allow even younger drivers on the road because doing so would almost certainly increase the rate of lethal car accidents. In order for us to maintain road safety it is an imperative that we maintain the age at which one can acquire a license to 16.

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Conclusion
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When all things are considered the age for acquiring a drivers license should remain at 16. This helps ensure the safety of teenagers and the other drivers they come in contact with. And younger drivers are statistically more likely to get in fatal accidents and endanger other people on the road. (Resolution affirmed)

Sources:

[1] http://www.rmiia.org...
[2] http://www.dmv.ca.gov...

well what if you were smarter than most kids and could pass the test at age 14 and could reach the pedals and still see over the dashboard then you would have to wait to get your license for 2 more years and that should not be aloud because what if you had found out that your parents were in an accident and you had to go see them and you wouldn't get into trouble if you were under age because you had passed the drivers license test

Let me begin by thanking cjbulldogs2013 for starting this debate.

--> "well what if you were smarter than most kids and could pass the test at age 14 and could reach the pedals and still see over the dashboard"

I agree with you that 13, 14, and 15 year olds could pass driving tests and see over the dashboard. However, I've already demonstrated that 13, 14, and 15 year olds are disproportionately more likely to get in fatal car crashes than older drivers. If we allow younger kids to get a license they will almost certainly be an even greater danger to everyone else on the road than normal 16 year olds. Consequentially, allowing drivers even younger than 16 would represent a public safety threat.

--> "what if you had found out that your parents were in an accident and you had to go see them and you wouldn't get into trouble if you were under age because you had passed the drivers license test"

If a 14 year old wants to visit his parents he can get someone else to drive him there or he can walk. Moreover, people don't have a legal right to drive. Driving a car is a privilege that one acquires at a certain age once one have met certain requirements. And as I have demonstrated earlier age limits are not discriminatory, because age correlates with cognitive development.

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Conclusion
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My opponent has failed to address either of my two arguments and has failed to present any compelling argument himself. Therefore the outcome of this debate should be clear. (Vote Pro)