Editorial

Requiring driver's ed

The statistics on teenage drivers are not good. Nationally, people under 21 years of age account for 7 percent of the drivers on the road but 14 percent of the accidents. In Missouri, teens compose 10 percent of the drivers but are involved in 32 percent of the accidents.

Legislation proposed by state Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, would require that anyone under age 18 pass a driver's education course before getting a driver's license. But Davis says the real intent of her bill is to encourage teens to wait until they are 18 before getting their license.

The cost of Davis' proposal would be monumental. Most schools have abandoned driver's education to cut the considerable costs of insurance and because their most recent focus has been on improving achievement in basic courses. A driver's ed course taught at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center is one of the few available in Southeast Missouri.

In addition, only Central Missouri State University certifies driver's education teachers in Missouri.

If Davis wants to restrict driving to people 18 and older, why do it in a backhanded way? Davis' bill has a financial-impact statement that says requiring driver's ed for under-18 would-be drivers would add no cost to the state. But there are obvious costs to a school district already short of funds.

Learning to drive is currently considered less important to our children's future than learning about math and science. The statistics say it isn't.

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