Anthony Gonzalez

Management Orientation

December 1, 2010

Sampler Paper

Driving Age, Adulthood, and Maturity

Driving age has been a time-old debate. Some people think that the driving age

should be raised because teenagers are not mature enough to handle the responsibilities

from behind the wheel. Others think that the driving age should stay the same or be

lowered because they say that age does not necessarily affect how one drives. Many

people argue that the driving age should be raised to 21. I believe that it is not realistic to

make the driving age 21.

Many people say that adults should be defined at either age 18 or 21, because

those ages are when one receives certain rights. At age 18, citizens are allowed to vote,

buy lottery tickets, marry, and obtain few other rights. At age 21, you may drink, gamble,

and purchase firearms. It is said that voting, drinking, and driving (and the other rights)

should all be set at a certain age so then once one reaches that age, he or she can be

defined as an adult without controversy.

However, there are no real reasons for defining the relation to age and being an

adult, and many people make it seem like it is a very concerning issue. Those rights are

set at those ages because that is what the general population has agreed on for the relation

to maturity and age. They are not necessarily the determining factor for being an adult.