Just over a week ago, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued a new report urging lawmakers to raise the legal driving age to 18. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 53% of adults nationwide think it's a good idea.

Just over a third (34%) aren't so keen on the suggestion. Surprisingly, younger adults seem to take the same opinion as their elders on this question (See crosstabs).

Women are much more in favor of raising the driving age than men. While just under half of men (49%) like the idea, 67% of women support the concept. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of men think it's a bad idea, along with 31% of women.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that car crashes are the leading cause of death among those between the ages of 15 and 20. Most adults (58%) think the number of those accidents would decrease if the driving age was raised, while 24% disagree.

When asked which age young adults should be allowed to get behind the wheel, 35% said 18 and 5% said 21.

Most adults also favor longer periods of supervised driving for teenagers. Seventy-eight percent (78%) think states should require young drivers to spend more time practicing with a parent or other adult. Just 13% think the current laws are sufficient. Again, women are more likely than men to think the rules need to be changed. While 71% of men say more supervised driving should be required, 86% of women agree.

Young adults are slightly less enthusiastic than their elders about extending supervised driving limits. While over 80% of adults 50 or older and over 70% of those between the ages of 30 and 50 think this is a good idea, 66% of adults age 18-29 agree.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of adults think raising the legal driving age would reduce auto insurance prices for everyone else, while 30% disagree.

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See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.