In a couple of weeks my 15-year-old son, Robert, will begin a mandatory driver's education course - required by the State of Idaho in order for him to obtain a driver's license. Apparently, the government has decided that we, as parents, are not capable of teaching our children how to drive...FOR FREE!
The law here in Idaho for children under the age of 17 states that they must complete an approved driver's training program and then a six-month "supervised instruction period (SIP)" consisting of 50 hours of supervised driving time, ten hours of which must be at night and it must be violation-free or you have to begin the SIP again.
When I first arrived in Idaho I wanted to get Robert's Alaska driver's permit transferred over to Idaho. He had already experienced much driver training with me in the passenger seat since he turned 14. I naively assumed that it would be easy to just call and explain to the nice people at the Idaho Department of Transportation that he was a great driver already and he just needs a little more experience before obtaining his driver's license. WRONG!! I had a very tense exchange with the lady in charge of driver's education for the State of Idaho and, in the end, she decided that she would "allow" his driving time in Alaska to count for his supervised driving time here in Idaho. Oh! Thank you SO much Madame Government for "giving" my child the RIGHT to drive. Yes, I said it! RIGHT to drive NOT privilege. We have a right to travel freely within our country without licensing. We actually give up that right when we knowingly enter into an agreement via licensing/registration with our states - that's when it becomes a privilege. Disagree? Well, here's some interesting information with case law for your reading pleasure (http://www.apfn.org/apfn/travel.htm). So why are we even going through with a license (you may ask)? Well, until I win the lottery and have the money to fight a government with a seemingly bottomless bank account, I will have to continue to be a slave to the system...and so will my children.
The most frustrating part of this whole process is the enormous cost of the driver's education course. Typically, a private company will charge $350-$375 for the seven-week course. The Department of Transportation assured me that the local public school offers discounted classes for around $200 but they give priority to older students and, upon further investigation, the classes weren't offered anywhere within driving distance for us. I've also been told there are online classes (for a fee) but have not looked into that route.
My question is this: if a state is going to make driver's education courses mandatory in order to obtain a license, why aren't they offered for free or, at the very least, a very minimal rate? It is not easy for anyone, let alone the poor, to come up with almost $400 per child for driver's ed. Across the nation there are only 11 states that do not require some type of driver's training before obtaining a driver's license.
I was contemplating how unfair this rule is so I decided to call my local State Farm agent to ask them if they have statistics to prove that driver's ed improves teen driving performance and decreases risk of accident. The lady I spoke with was unaware of any statistics but said it definitely does help. She was very young and disclosed that a few years ago (when she was 18) she had finally gotten her driver's license because they didn't have the money to pay for the driver's ed school. This made me realize that any statistics they have would be skewed. Do you know why? Kids around here just don't drive! I see older children still being driven by their parents!! It's weird for me to see this - having been driving since I was 14 years old. My parents spent A LOT of time teaching me to drive on icy, dark Alaskan roads.
Naturally, since there are fewer teen drivers the statistics for teen accidents are lower in areas that require an expensive driver's ed course. The following blog post has very interesting and valid points about driver's training: (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/14/teen-driving-schools-safety/)
I found this part especially poignant: "Parents need to [learn] (sic) how to find a good school, know what skills their child will and won't learn in driver's ed, and make up the difference on their own." It states that, depending on the school you choose, parents will have to make up for a large portion of their child's driving education. Basically you pay a huge sum of money and then STILL have to do most of the hands-on teaching. After all, immersion-style is usually the most effective way of learning in the long run.
Alaskans, I tell you all this because I have no doubt that, fearing for your security over your freedom, some well-meaning legislator will introduce a bill that will make teen driver's education training a mandatory step prior to obtaining their driver's license. I know there are some of my friends who will think it's a great idea. I stand firm in my conviction that driver's training should be left as an optional course that anyone can take. Most Alaskan insurance companies will give you a nice little discount for having had the training and good for you! But there are still some parents who take the time to teach and train their children about the responsibility of driving a vehicle. Those parents should not be monetarily punished by having to abide by a law that sounds good on the surface, but is yet another example of government overreach.
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