Privatization of Driver’s Education

Gracie Brett

High school is an enthralling time full of life milestones. One of the most important milestones is getting a driver’s license. Before I began my freshman year of high school, I had a vision of driving myself wherever my heart desired. I also imagined myself learning how to drive in school, just like my parents did when they were teenagers.

Driver’s Education used to be a course widely offered in high schools, even a required class. My parents both took driving classes at their schools, at no cost. That is no longer the case.

It cost me a whopping $395 to get my driver’s license. Now, I live in a middle class family, where that is difficult to swing, but not impossible. This shocking price tag made me rethink how accessible getting a license actually is.

Imagine you are a family of 3 in Maryland, and you make $20,090 a year. This means you live at the poverty line. Now, this gives you about $387 a week. That’s less than taking Driver’s Ed. Obviously, if you are a teenager living in poverty, your family cannot afford this. This is why privatizing Driver’s Ed is dangerous and classist. Why do only the wealthy deserve the ability to drive? Driving is a valuable skill that can help one get a job, help out the family, and it opens a world of opportunities. These opportunities shouldn’t be circumscribed to just those who can afford it, frankly, the kids in poverty need these skills the most. And the cycle continues. If you don’t have $400 to fork over now, that may prevent you from obtaining a specific job or education that would help propel you out of poverty. Then, you’ll never have the money for it. At that point, you can’t even dream of ever owning your own car.

Some states even go a step further. In California, each teenager must have their own car. Only 14% of 16-year-old Californians drive because of these strict laws. So, if your family cannot afford to buy every teenager in your family their own individual car, then too bad. Auto-related special interests have their fingerprints all over this one. If I lived in California, looks like I wouldn’t be driving.

There is still hope. Some states do offer the opportunity to all of their students to get a quality, no cost driving education in schools. Every public school student is on a level playing field. My cousin in New Jersey is getting her license for free this spring, and she’s only a sophomore.

We pride ourselves in the American Dream. We say if an individual works hard enough, they can accomplish anything. So can we cut with the special-interests-protecting-trying-to-get-your-money-and-in-the-meanwhile-suppressing-the-poor nonsense, and bring back public Driver’s Education in Maryland, and across the country? Now that truly reflects the American Dream.