In America, “Land of the Free”, we sometimes realize we have less ‘freedoms’ than we believe we do. Sometimes, it’s just the age at which we are allowed the freedom that bother us. A few of these issues, drinking age, driving age, and marriage age, will be covered, as well as compared to their German counterparts. After the comparisons between age limits is discussed, a few suggested benefits are listed.
At the age of 18, an American citizen can receive their driver’s license (without needing to go through driver's education classes). At that point, they can borrow their parent’s car or own their own, and get to places without having to ask for a ride. This provides a phenomenal amount of freedom for the youth of America. However, German youth are allowed this freedom a year earlier, at the age of 17. This mere year difference allows for a lot of experience to be gained.
Another primary difference between laws in Germany and laws in the United States when it comes to managing the youth would be drinking age. In America, the legal age for drinking is 21. In Germany, drinking is permitted if one is 14 and their parents are present and allow it; by 18 a German citizen is considered an adult and allowed freedoms such as drinking without parental supervision. This contrasts with the driving age laws in both countries, as stated above. The ability to drink before driving helps a person know their limit when consuming alcohol. If one knows how to drink before they learn how to drive, they won’t be tempted to think “I know how to drive” and get into a car accident. The number of drunk driving accidents in Germany in 2007 was only 399, in comparison to America’s 12,998 fatalities.
One final difference would be the age of marriage. To begin, the age of marriage in Michigan is 16 with parental consent, 18 without. In Germany, the age of marriage is 16, as long as one of the two parties is 18 years old. In my opinion, the last part of that German law is really strange. If an individual under 18 is not considered an adult, why are they allowed to make a decision that will last a large portion of their life? One would believe this would lead to higher divorce rates, yet Germany beats America with less divorces, having a rate of 2.3, where America holds a 3.6.
In conclusion, despite small yet vast differences in laws, the same basic concept rests behind the idea of growing up. Adults still have more responsibilities and privileges than the youth. These privileges require the maturity that growing up provides. All things considered, Germany’s youth may only be slightly better off, considering they won’t be tempted to drink irresponsibly, and will drive more carefully.
Sources:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Marriage_and_divorce_statistics
On your blog you said that Americans can receive their drivers license at the age of 18, but it really is age 16..probably just a typo but I still thought I would point it out. :)
ReplyDeleteI was actually meaning to say "without driver's ed or driving instruction the age is 18". Thanks for pointing that out! I will fix that.
DeleteNow you talked about Americans having less freedoms than we think, but do you think that the rights of the individual sometime have to be sacrificed for the good of the many? Such as having a minimum drinking age?
ReplyDelete