In Utah driving is a pretty big deal, especially with teens. Teens as young as 14 have been driving on public roads here in salt lake and as far as I know, none have been caught. Here in Utah you have to be at least 16 to get your driver’s licence and to drive alone, despite this rule, teens have been driving at 15 with their permit. If your 15 and you have a permit you must be driving with someone older than you that also has a license. This makes driving alone with a permit, illegal. “I have a few friends who are only 14 or 15 who drive me and my other friends wherever we need to go,” says a student. Driving with underage drivers can be just as bad as being one.

Underage drivers don’t have insurance on themselves or their cars. This means if they got in a bad crash while you were in the car and you ended up in the hospital, your family would have to fully cover the bills. This makes little to no consequences for the driver. The parents of the driver also get in more trouble than the actual driver. Parents of illegal drivers could face jail time, loss of their license, and a large fine. Now, teens tend to look past all of this and still want the age lowered.

There have been many cases where parents allow their children as young as 12 to drive on public roads, yes they were in the car but does that really decrease any risk? Driving too young has almost always been a problem. But can we blame them? Being able to take yourself to and from school without bothering parents, grandparents, or siblings, is a lot more helpful. You can send your kid to drive to the grocery store that’s only 3 minutes away and pick up everything for you right? No amount of driving time should make up for allowing your child to drive when they’re not of age. So many things can happen out on the roads in such a short amount of time and the seriousness of this problem should be spread. Stay safe out on the roads.