Are 16-year-olds mature enough to drive?

Many auto safety and neurology experts contend that 16-year-old children are not mature enough to drive safely, as reported in USA Today. The part of the brain that calculates risks and controls impulses is less mature at 16 than it is even a few years later, affecting driving safety.

On average, car crashes involving 16-year-old drivers kill two people per day in the United States, USA Today reports. Some states have begun to impose age-based restrictions in response to studies that show 16-year-olds get into more accidents than older teenagers. Such measures include banning 16-year-olds from driving at night and limiting the number of passengers they can carry.