A state law is restricting the mobility of Kansas teens. Implemented since 2010, it raised the age requirement for an unrestricted license to 17 rather than the previous age of 16.

The state needs to revise this requirement to let 16 year olds behind the wheel again. It would allow teens to be generally more independent and give them a better sense of responsibility.

Since implementation in various states, there have been many studies supporting a driving age of 17. To many, it may seem like a safer, better standard. But in reality, there isn’t much of a difference when the age limit is a year older.

The risk for automobile accident is highest among 16 and 17 year olds, according to a 2010 study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. However, little difference exists between the two. The risk of accidents for a 16-year-old, first-year driver is no greater than that of a 17 year old. Therefore the need for this law is nonexistent.

If anything, this law is making things more difficult — not just for teens who need to get places, but also their parents who have to drive them around.

If this new law were to be repealed, teenagers would be able to get themselves to wherever they need to be without having to rely on a ride from a parent. Also, kids would likely carpool with their friends and neighbors more than adults. This would mean fewer cars on the road and lower gas emissions. It would make getting to school, work and practices much easier for both kids and their parents.

By the time kids turn 16, they have enough things to do and places to go, to the point that they can be out pretty late. Often times, parents will get upset when they have to pick up their sons or daughters at 11 p.m. When teens are allowed to drive themselves home, this burden is taken away.

The downside to this, of course, is that the highest risk of getting in a accident is very late at night or early in the morning. The solution: local authorities would have to better enforce curfew laws upon teens staying out late.

Having a car, even just having the ability to drive, automatically imposes huge responsibility on teens. Having a licence for many kids implies they don’t just have to drive themselves places, but also help their parents with groceries and other household needs, dropping off and picking up younger siblings from school or practices, or even having to be on time to pick up a friend.

Being able to drive means teenagers can be held more accountable for getting places on time and for what they are doing when. They are held responsible for getting themselves where they need to go, and they will have to face the consequences if expectations are not met. Being able to drive is a huge freedom, but even more so, it is a huge responsibility.

Advocates for driving at 17 have their case, but our government needs to revise this decision. They must think about the effects it has on 16-year-olds across the state. Kansas needs to grant teens the freedom and the responsibility of being able to get a drivers licence at 16.