Teen Without A Driver's License example essay topic

When a teenager turns sixteen, a driver's license is the only thought on their mind. A driver's license gives a teen a sense of freedom and a sense of independence. To receive a driver's license, a teen must pass a series of tests including a written test, and a behind the wheel test. Along with these tests, in the state of West Virginia, the teen must also be a student in high school. A 1989 law passed in West Virginia states that high school dropouts younger than the age of 18 are ineligible for driver's license from the state of West Virginia. I disagree with this law because it aids in the prevention of these high school dropouts from becoming a productive member of society and getting a job, it assist in the relief of the over crowding of schools and if a teen qualifies for the drivers license.

Most job applications require a reliable source of transportation. This included public and personal transportation. But sometimes the buses are late, or they don't run on certain days and it leaves a teen without a driver's license with any way to get to work. When a parent works full time and a teen needs a ride to work, it is hard for a parent to try and accommodate that teenager. With high school drop outs having so much free time on their hands, a driver's license is a necessity for transportation.

Current Issues and Enduring Questions by Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau states, "To prevent a person of sixteen from having a driver's license prevents a person from holding certain kinds of jobs and it's unfair", (p. 7) I agree with this statement because it prevents a teen from holding a job in a different city or county. Most adults would state that when a teen is not in school, they are up to "no good" and will join a gang or get into trouble. But not in all cases is that true. With teens not in school, and most parents threatening not to support them anymore, a job becomes more and more appeasing and therefore is required for the enjoyments of life. It is unfair to the teen and also the responsible guardians of this individual, and thus the law should not be enforced and rescinded from state legislature. I agree with Barnet and Bedau when they said, "What is needed is not legal pressure to keep teenagers in school, but schools that hold the interest of teenagers", (p, 7).

Students, who do not want to be in school, don't have to be. I understand that it is required to remain in school until the age of sixteen, but after the age of sixteen, they are free to make their own decisions. Barnet and Bedau faced that issue when they state, "A sixteen year old usually is not mature enough to make a decision of this importance", (p. 7). If a student isn't mature enough to make the decision to drop out of school, how are the going to make the mature decisions when driving. States give teenager's driver's license at the age of sixteen because they believe that teens are old enough to make mature decisions.

With the students who don't want to be in school, it leaves more comfortable class rooms where teachers can concentrate on the students who want to learn and be successful in school. "A law of this sort deceives adults into thinking that they have really done something constructive for teenage education, but it may work against improving the schools. If we are really serious about education youngsters, we have to examine the curriculum and the quality of our teachers", (p. 7) states Barnet and Bedau. As a teenager that just graduated high school, I had thoughts about dropping out of school, not because of the surroundings or the bad experiences, but because of the public school system. It is so horrible now due to the over crowding of schools and not enough teachers for comfortable classroom environments that it made high school a challenge to those who needed the one on one interaction with the teacher.

With the teenagers who don't want to be at school, it gives those students a chance to get ahead in school. A driver's license is a privilege, not a right. As previously stated, there are certain tests that a teen must pass to receive their driver's license. The first step is a provisional permit which requires the passing of a written test.

After passing that test, another six months of behind the wheel driving with a guardian over the age of 25, is required. After that long period of time, when it is time to receive your official state driver's license, a behind the wheel test is required, and when passed, you " re a new driver. After becoming a new driver, there are certain restrictions on your license including not driving with passengers under the age of 25 for the first six months that you have your license. You also cannot drive between the hours of 12 midnight and 5 a.m. for the first year that you have your license.

After you have passed all these restrictions and tests, you are a qualified driver and therefore are eligible to drive. I believe that after passing all of those requirements, a teen has earned the right and privilege to drive, and therefore should be allowed to, regardless if they are currently enrolled in a high school. Barnet and Bedau addressed this issue by stating, "We earn a driver's license by demonstrating certain skills. The state has no right to take away such a license unless we have demonstrated that we are unsafe drivers", (p. 7). I agree with this statement. If a student decides to drop out of school, it does not automatically qualify them as an unsafe driver, and therefore are ineligible for a driver's license.

With a new driver, comes the inexperience of being on the road. With a dropout on the road so many hours of the day, the experience becomes greater and greater, therefore, making the dropout a little bit safer than the student who drives less than 10 hours a week. Adults complain that students are reckless drivers and have no sense of personal property, but when a teenager owns their own car and drive it on a regular basis, have more of a sense of personal property and what happens to it when you loose it or wreck it. With the students who don't want to be in school, it provides for a better economy with students filling jobs, it provides for more comfortable learning environment for those students who want to remain in school and also it gives the student a sense of responsibility, having to provide for themselves and the maintenance of their personal property.

These facts just prove that the 1989 West Virginia law is unlawful and should be rescinded and repealed. This law does nothing for the state except bully the students into remaining in school against the will. Students who do not want to remain in school should be given the right to drop out and start a new future. School is not for every student, much less every sixteen year old who only stays in school just because they enjoy that freedom that a driver's license gives them.

If a teen qualifies for a driver's license by passing all of the required tests and restrictions then they should have the privilege of driving.