Pennsylvania’s maximum speed limit is 65 miles per hour. The road speed limit is often set with the intention to improve road traffic safety and reduce the number of road traffic casualties from traffic collisions.

These limits are predicated by mathematical calculations, which serve as groundwork to ensure maximum safety.
What then is the groundwork for age limits? They may coincide with the notion of protection and maturity, which is sometimes fitting and sometimes not.

To me, age is just a number, but age restrictions are a hindrance only to those who are, well of course, not of age. Age constraints include anything and everything from drinking, voting, driving, R-rated movies, gambling and renting a car.

Several scientific studies have shown that the brain stops fully developing between the ages of 20-25, although it is constantly remodeling itself and continually changing.

These findings unravel some of the mysteries of adolescence and demonstrate that adolescents have significant neurological deficiencies that result in stark limitations of judgment.

I am a firm believer that if you are of the age to fight and sacrifice your life in honor of your country then you should be able to entertain the luxury of “wetting your whistle.” Instead of lowering the drinking age, the age for joining the military should be raised.

I don’t think that we should be sending out 18-year-olds straight from the classroom to the battlefield. I would
propose to raise the military enlistment age to 21.

The drinking, gambling and driving ages, though, should remain the same. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is a nerve-wracking experience already, and there should be a significant amount of time between becoming a cautious and safe driver until your judgment is impaired by alcoholic beverages. Gambling web sites, poker parties and the lure of Las Vegas is enough to drain your bank account just considering those actions.

I learned the value of a dollar once I became employed, and it is a valuable lesson. As a college student, debt is a very imminent threat, and it is an issue that has major implications.

It always struck me as bizarre that college students have money to purchase alcohol but complain about buying books.

You should be able to acquire a job before 16, not that I am advocating for sweatshops and am against child labor laws.

However, if you are looking for some extra cash in your pocket since your allowance does not suffice — that is if you even receive one — then I find it to be socially acceptable to be employed before the age of 16.

Clearly, there is no magical or mathematical formula for setting age limits as there is to keep us safe on the roads.

Yet I believe certain age limits should be reconsidered and given due attention to consider external factors. After all, age is just a number.