Bring Drivers Ed Back to School

We
know that drivers ed classes can change the way that people
drive. We know that those people that take these classes are safer
on the road. We know that young people and new drivers are more
dangerous because of their inexperience and that drivers ed
provides them with experiences – with a professional – that will
make the hazard of their mere existence on the road lessen. If we
know all of these things, why do we make drivers ed so
inaccessible for so many people?

Driver’s
education classes used to be part of the curriculum for schools, but
as we look to our schools today, we have seen that these classes have
been placed on the trash heap of school budget cuts. Though most
young people will eventually obtain a license and few will become
physicists, schools continue to support physics in their course
offerings, but have decided that drivers ed was too
expensive to support. The irony of this is exhausting. By cutting
access to these classes, it is no wonder that there are more
accidents involving young drivers today.

Not
only has access been reduced, but the consequence to cutting programs
pushes the ability to take them even further from teens. Driver’s
education has been privatized rather than subsidized by schools.
This means not only do you have to have the ability to find a
program, but you have to have the money to pay for it. How is this
making the roads safer for everyone? It would seem in society’s
best interest to support these programs, during school hours, because
it will fill the roads with young drivers who have been well
instructed on not just the rules of the road, but defensive driving.

Fortunately
for me, my parents prioritized my education. They realized that it
was as important for me to drive well as it was for me to have basic
math skills. They invested their time in transporting me to class
and their money to make sure that I am a more qualified driver.
Perhaps in part this helped them sleep better at night while I was
out. I have seen first hand the results of the gift. My peers do
not drive like I do. They are not aware of the dangers on the road
and how to avoid them. Driving every day and parking daily at my
high school, I see the difference between how I merge into and out of
lanes. I can clearly compare my confidence level with those of my
friends, who were not as lucky as I was.

Investment
in anti drinking and driving programs is great, but it would be equal
great if we saw the same need to invest in better drivers that
wouldn’t make that choice to begin with. Drivers ed
programs should be mandated at schools. They have value for the
society as a whole and the return on the investment can be felt by
every person behind the wheel.