Read the sample student paragraph that addresses a counterclaim and rebuttal on increasing the legal age of driving to eighteen. With car crashes being the leading cause of death among teenagers, many are in favor of raising the legal driving age to eighteen. However, those who cite these statistics are overlooking other important facts. For instance, men are seventy-seven percent more likely to be involved in an accident than women. Does this mean that we should ban men from driving? Other statistics show that one is more likely to be involved in an accident in Newark, New Jersey, than anywhere else in the nation. Does this mean that we should ban people in Newark from driving? Is it fair to simply look at crash statistics and apply them to an entire group of people without considering all of the factors involved? There are many factors other than age involved in causing an accident, and these factors are the ones that actually need to be addressed.

What makes this rebuttal effective?

It proves that age has nothing to with causing accidents.
It lists the biggest factors involved in causing accidents.
It suggests that gender is the issue as opposed to age.
It provides strong reasons to weaken the counterclaim.