Pay for driver's ed
Published July 9, 2015
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, July 9, 2015.
When their children approach driving age is a fearful time for many parents. Can it be true that the kid who has barely emerged from awkward adolescence may be licensed to pilot a high-powered motor vehicle through heavy traffic on city streets or at high speeds on interstate highways? It’s madness!
Prudent parents postpone the purchase of a new car in anticipation of harsh treatment by inexperienced drivers. Little is more disheartening than taking a vehicle to the body shop before it’s lost the new-car smell. They save extra money to cover the steep increase in insurance costs. They make sure to take their blood-pressure medication regularly.
Parents do have an ally in their concern for driver safety: the state. Or, they did have. Now, the state’s position is uncertain.
Several years ago, the state implemented a graduated licensing process for kids as young as 15. They could receive a limited learner’s permit by completing a driver’s ed course and passing a written test. That would enable them to drive with adult supervision for a year. At that point, they could gain a limited provisional license by passing a road test. Restrictions would apply, but successful driving for six more months would qualify the youngster for a full provisional license.
These steps have helped make sure that teenagers really are ready to be responsible, knowledgeable, safe drivers by the time they’re set loose on the streets and highways.
Unfortunately, this is all in jeopardy. The reason: Funds to pay for driver’s education classes through the public schools have run out. Some of that money might be restored when the state House and Senate enact a new budget; or perhaps none of it will.
For now, driver training has stopped in many North Carolina counties, including Guilford.
The legislature is considering a number of proposals, none of which is as good as the status quo. While the state was covering the cost of driver’s ed classes in the past, it now may pass the funding responsibility to local school systems or let them charge students for the cost — generally around $250.
Schools don’t have the money, and neither do many families. Youngsters from low-income households might have to wait until age 18 to get their licenses, without driver’s training. There’s even a proposal in the legislature to do away with the driver’s ed requirement, putting more responsibility on the parents to provide the training.
That’s a terrifying prospect to many parents. It should be terrifying to the public at large, because many adults are poor drivers. For some teenagers, the only hope for learning how to drive safely is a professional driver’s ed course.
The state can save money in the short run if it cuts funding for driver’s ed. It isn’t hard to imagine how costs would rise over the long term as accidents soar. For the good of all, driver’s ed should be fully funded by Raleigh and required for everyone entering the graduated licensing process.
The state doesn’t ask parents to teach reading and math, for good reason. Driving is also important and potentially more dangerous.
July 9, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Richard L Bunce says:
Actually many parents are capable of teaching their children reading and math and how to drive... and based on home school scores do it better than traditional government schools. Drivers Ed is not a minimum essential service of government. At most it should be a means tested refundable tax credit for parents to help pay for private drivers education for those that think they are not up to the task. Uber will likely have a cost effective solution before long.
July 13, 2015 at 11:10 pm
Scott Beck says:
This is insanity. I have taught more people to drive than anybody in the state in the 21st century. (2500) Its remarkable what 90% of my kids can accomplish in 6 hours of driving. I am not high pressure and they usually get about 150 miles each. The reason I am not high pressure, decades of experience, a masters degree in driver ed, and a brake on my side. Parents don't have this, not to mention, many will never teach their kid to drive, I know this based on the condition that many kids start at. They often comment, my Mom would not take me out to a parking lot. For the first half of life this is the number 1 thing people die from, auto accidents, and whats the cost??? About 1 month of health insurance. Over 13 years in the system at 9000 a year, we spend nearly $120000 on the kid and yet we forego $250 for quite simply, everyones safety, because they might crash into you or me. You might say, well you are biased, this is your job. Well not so much, my system is still running driver ed through this summer and Im set to retire as I will have over 29 years in at that point. What Im saying is we are years into economic recovery and we cant even afford this???? Its been taught in my system since 1938 and my Mom took it there in 1951 and me in 1977. Whats gotten so wrong with the world that we can even afford items like this??? A world gone mad.
July 14, 2015 at 2:14 pm
Richard L Bunce says:
What is insanity is once again a Traditional Government School apologist can imagine that only a Traditional Government School can do something... when the assessments continually show they cannot.
Traditional Government Schools do not do most things for most people... and that is a good thing.
