Drivers' ed belongs in public schools
Published July 2, 2015
Editorial by Winston-Salem Journal, July 1, 2015.
It’s not just a matter of money, but of public safety.
The proposed Senate budget would still require public school districts to offer drivers education for another year. But The Associated Press reported that, without state financing, the current cost limit of $65 could grow to as much as $400 in some counties. Some schools might not be able to afford to offer lessons.
A Senate idea of having community colleges take over training seems ill-advised. So does an apparently well-meaning amendment proposed by Republican Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County. Citing concerns for the costs put on parents, his amendment would would eliminate drivers ed classes and instead require students to log 25 more hours in the car than is currently required – but with their parents - and to score five percentage points higher on the written test. It would be up to parents – or privately hired teachers - to teach youth how to drive.
While many parents give students their initial driving lessons, many others are either too busy or simply absent. Either way, most parents simply aren’t equipped to teach their children everything they need to know about driving, nor are they likely to have the kind of calm and objective demeanor that we expect from driving teachers. And, unfortunately, we adults also have a lot of bad habits that should not be passed to our children.
As Becklee Niemchak, the mother of a 15-year-old who is currently studying driving, told the AP: “They learn things that I would have never thought to mention or teach.”
Hise told the AP that he knew the knowledge gained in driver's education courses was valuable, but cited the graduated license program, which requires students to build up road experience, as sufficient.
But while the graduated licensing program has been a useful tool and the state has seen a significant drop in teen fatalities, North Carolina’s rate was higher than the national aver-age in 2010. Our teens need more education, not less.
There’s also the unfortunate fact that many parents would be unable to pay for private classes. This proposal could lead to an underclass of students who aren’t able to get their licenses, and thus join the work force.
“If we don't have a high school program, families will have to look elsewhere,” Patrick Florio, an instructor for Jordan's Driving School who teaches driving courses at Raleigh's Athens Drive High School, told the AP. “As a state, we all suffer.”
The House’s proposed budget, as in so many other matters, brings reason to this issue. It
renews last year's $24.6 million commitment to drivers ed for one year, the AP reported, then sets up an annual fund for the program paid for by late vehicle registration fees.
It would be great if that cost could be lowered – but not at the expense of safety or access. Drivers ed programs taught by competent professionals belong in our public high schools.
July 2, 2015 at 11:34 am
Richard L Bunce says:
Traditional government schools should be teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic... which they are failing at now... instead of all this social engineering nonsense. Plenty of private businesses will teach a child to drive if the family cannot. At most government involvement could be a means tested refundable tax credit to help with the cost.
