Driver’s Education Participants Continue to Decline
By Liz Wicks
Over the years, taking Driver’s Education has become a sort of coming of age ritual for teens all over the country. With their fifteenth birthday comes excitement at the thought of being able to drive soon. After all, driving is on many teenagers’ minds and one step closer to freedom and independence.
Over the past decade, however, the number of teens taking driver’s ed has significantly decreased, leading to fewer teens behind the wheel or driving at all. A survey conducted by AAA in 2013 indicated that only 54 percent of teens are licensed before they turn 18.
This raises a simple question: why have teens stopped taking driver’s ed?
Between 2006–2010, most states turned driver’s ed over from the school board to the state, which made the decision to take the class out of schools. Not having a class offered in school has made taking the class and getting a license more difficult.
A few classes are offered locally in South Kingstown at various places, such as the Peace Dale Guild, the Kingston Library or the high school after hours. However, after school sports and other activities force many local students to take classes outside of South Kingstown, and driving from thirty minutes up to an hour for a class is not uncommon.
SKHS senior, Ella Zalewsky, recently recalled her efforts in obtaining her license. “My mom would drive me after work. It was a total waste of time. You’ve already had six hours of school and you are just so tired.
“It didn’t stick in your head like a normal class.”
Zalewsky and various SKHS teachers agree that it would be a lot more helpful if the driver’s ed classes were offered in school.
Mrs. Colao, an SKHS teacher added that an in-school class would make it easier for students to remember everything instead of trying to fit everything in their heads in a matter of three to four hours for several weeks after school.
Other teens throughout the state and country have forgone driver’s education altogether, opting instead to wait until they turn eighteen when a driver’s education class is not required.
Mrs. Bjorness-Sodhi, another SKHS teacher and parent, said, “my two daughters didn’t take it until they were eighteen. But if it were [offered] here, I think they would have driven sooner.”
Bypassing driver’s education increases the risk of accidents though. As a 2015 study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln showed that those who have not gone through Driver’s Education hold a higher chance of having a traffic incident. In fact, according to the study, drivers who have not taken driver’s ed are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 16 percent more likely to have an accident, and 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.
According to AAA, driver’s education lessens the number of traffic tickets received by almost 40 percent and decreases teen crash rates by 4.3 percent.
Another reason why many teens choose not to take driver’s ed is the cost. The minimum price for a class in Rhode Island is $130, which some families cannot afford. One of the reasons drivers education classes were dropped from high schools throughout the country was its expense.
Some argue that funding for non-academic programs could be redirected for issues such as learning to drive, as it directly affects the future of every student that plans on driving.
When it comes down to safety over extracurriculars, Bjorness-Sodhi said, “I think we should consider all students.”
