KNOXVILLE (WVLT) - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety wants states to raise the minimum age to get a drivers license by at least one year.

In the United States, more than 5,000 teenagers are killed each year in motor vehicle accidents. The National Highway Safety Administration says 16 year olds are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers aged 30 to 59.

According to driver-advocacy group AAA, the NHSA statistics are accurate, but there is one thing to keep in mind.

“No matter when you start driving, you're doing something new and you are going to make mistakes,” said Don Lindsey of AAA. "It's one of those things we have to look long and hard at. We need to look at graduated driving licenses and then go from there."

Tennessee has issued graduated licenses to all drivers under the age of 18 since 2001. Under the law, teens can only have one other passenger in their vehicle, and are not allowed to drive between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM.

"Sometimes I do lose concentration on the road if I have a friend in the car,” said Katherine Williams, who has been driving since she was 16.

Not all states set the minimum age to get a drivers license at 16. Several states require you to be at least 16 years and either 3 or 6 months old. New Jersey has the highest minimum age at 17 years old while South Dakota has the lowest, allowing anyone who is 14 years and three months old to receive a license.

Currently, Tennessee allows drivers to get a learners permit at the age of 15. To earn a graduated drivers license, you must have held your learners permit for six months, be at least 16 years old, and complete a log proving you have practiced driving for at least 50 hours.

"I'd be pretty mad if it changed,” said Emily Williams, Katherine’s younger sister who is still a year away from getting her learners permit. “I'm excited about driving so I would be pretty upset."

Though there is no pending legislation to raise the legal driving age, some parents are already taking an interest. Susan Young has four kids, and she has already decided that they will not be allowed to get a license until they have turned 17.

"It'll help give us more time to go over the rules of the road,” she said. “We will be able to help them focus on what to do when they get behind the wheel."