With car crashes being the leading cause of death among teenagers, many are in favor of raising the legal driving age to eighteen. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, the rate of crashes, both fatal and nonfatal, for sixteen-year-old drivers is almost ten times the rate as that of drivers aged thirty to fifty-nine, as calculated per mile driven. No one disputes the idea that raising the legal driving age will create issues and difficulties for many; however, these issues pale in comparison with the issue of safety. "The bottom line is that when we look at the research, raising the driving age saves lives," states Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the auto insurance industry. To date, New Jersey is the only state to raise the legal driving age to seventeen, and various studies have shown that the overall rate of teen fatalities linked to automobile accidents has been consistently lower compared to that of nearby states.
A student is researching evidence to support the claim below.
Some people believe that raising the legal driving age to eighteen in the United States would cause a wealth of problems for society, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the potential inconveniences.
Which reason could best be supported by the evidence in this passage?
Raising the driving age would reinforce the idea that driving is a privilege.
Teenagers are not mature enough to drive at the age of sixteen.
The legal driving age should be raised to eighteen for safety reasons.
Eighteen-years-olds are better able to sustain the costs of driving.
1 answer
The reason that could best be supported by the evidence in the passage is:
The legal driving age should be raised to eighteen for safety reasons.
The passage discusses the high rate of crashes among sixteen-year-old drivers and presents evidence that raising the driving age can save lives, as evidenced by data from the National Highway Safety Administration and statements from Adrian Lund regarding the positive impact on safety when the driving age is raised.
