Jaley's Debate Speech

Here is Jaley's debate speech I mentioned yesterday.  She worked so hard on it ... and wrote it by herself - with no help from us!

Her teacher commented on how great her opening was. 

Topic:  Raise the legal driving age to 18.  (Tough topic when you are debating against kids who are nearing the age of getting their permit).  Jaley's group had to support raising the age to 18.

On an early Saturday morning on the day of November 1st, 2006, one of my Mom's best friends from High School's teenage son was killed in a tragic car accident. Kyle A....s was riding with his best friend, who had recently received his license. The crash appeared to have shown that the car had flipped over a few times and ran into a utility pole. Both were found dead inside (“Kyle P. A. Obituary”). Driving has been around for many decades, and we need to do everything we can to protect new teen drivers. To save more lives, the driving age should be raised to 18. At younger teen ages, the brain has not developed to a mature enough stage in their life. It would not only help the well-being of today’s teens, but the society as a whole for the future.


Changing the driving age to 18 would help society as a whole. Cars create pollution, which then changes the climate, and if the amount of cars on the road were reduced, then the environment would become less polluted. Teen car use regards more than 2% of overall cars on the road. If these cars weren’t there, then it would take away from traffic and overcrowding, a major liability in our society today (“Driving age, Raise to 18” Endersby). While it would help our society, it would also help teens all over the nation.

The welfare of this generation of teens needs to be as risk-free and healthy as they can be. Driving creates unhealthy habits. Not having access to a car promotes the uses of biking, walking, and other forms of exercise. If that is not ever available, carpooling is always an option. The safety of our teens is accountable for their futures. “The longer you make kids wait, and the more time you devote to their instruction, the safer they are going to be.” Says Lon Anderson (“Teen Driving”). This is true, because the more time to wait, the more time they will have to learn. This will also allow teens to concentrate more on their academics to receive respectable grades. They will become more mature, responsible teens to prepare for the future

At the age of 16, the brain is still developing. Many do not put this into consideration when they start to drive. 16 year olds have higher crash rates than any other driver (“Teen Driving Statistics”). This is because the frontal lobes in the brain have not developed. This is the area of the brain that allows a person to think rationally and problem solve (“The Teenage Brain”). 18 is considered to be adulthood, and driving should be another privilege to adulthood; such as voting, drinking and more (“Pros and Cons” Croley). A car is a treacherous weapon in the wrong hands.

Some may say that kids are at the age when they are in need of a driver’s license to go to work, school, or other activities. This may be true, but teens can easily find a carpool, ride their bikes, and sometimes get a ride from their parents. Because of the economy, employers do not always want to hire teens under the age of 18 (M, Julia. Personal interview). Therefore, it is possible to get around without a license.

In a highly acclaimed movie, Spider man said, “With great power comes great responsibility” (Spiderman 2002). Do the responsible thing and join the efforts to raise the legal driving age of America to protect the youth while they are young today as the future leaders of America. The age to get a license should be raised to the responsible age of 18. Don’t end up like Kyle, leaving your family and friends behind without any notice and no goodbyes. Protect the well being of our teens, allow more time for their minds to develop, and help the society become a safer, cleaner place.