Some people think that the best way to increase road safety is to increase the minimum legal age for driving cars or riding motorbikes. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Writing Sample 8 – Increase the minimum legal age for driving cars or riding motorbikes

As more and more people can now afford cars and motorbikes, the growing number of traffic accidents are becoming one of the most pressing problems for countries around the world. To resolve this problem, some people have proposed that the minimum legal age for using motorized vehicles ought to be raised. However, the question of whether this is the optimal method to improve our current traffic situation is one that cannot be answered easily.
A higher age limit for drivers and riders of vehicles does indeed address one of the leading causes of traffic accidents: mistakes in driving resulting from the inexperience of young drivers. Young people, who often lack caution and patience, tend to have more trouble with controlling their vehicles than older and more matured people. In traffic situations where a high level of concentration and responsibility is required, these characteristics of young drivers can easily lead to serious accidents. By changing the age requirement for car driving and motorbike riding, we could reduce the number of young and often inexperienced people on the road, and therefore lower the death toll associated with traffic accidents.

However, there are still important aspects of traffic problems that cannot be targeted with only the given approach. Drunk driving, for example, is usually associated with a high percentage of traffic accidents, but it is something that can happen to both old and young people. Similarly, traffic accidents that are caused by factors such as bad weather or badly built roads and bridges can still harm drivers and bikers regardless of their age and experience. In short, it appears that raising the age of driving and riding alone is insufficient to improve road safety.

In conclusion, while I agree that by raising the minimum age of driving and riding we can reduce the number traffic accidents caused by young people, I am still skeptical of the idea that this alone is the best solution. A more suitable approach, in my opinion, would be a combination of multiple changes in different aspects of traffic that can address all the causes of traffic accidents.