The school board should overturn its vote because the class gives many students the only formal driving training they may receive. To eliminate the course could place teen-agers, unprepared for the challenges of driving, on the road without basic knowledge of rules or regulations. Teen-agers often take drivers education in order to hone their driving skills. Many parents today do not have the time or patience to teach their children how to drive. Other parents are not fit to teach their children to drive, while others still find that their own children cannot learn from them.
Drivers education offers students an alternative to being taught by their parents.
It tests students on traffic signs, rules and regulations that parents may not know about. Perhaps Malcolm is right in that it should not be free, but drivers education is a legitimate class, just as important as other electives, such as drama, art or weightlifting. Its real-life applications will benefit both student drivers and others on the road. As an added bonus for teen-agers and their parents, students who take the course are often offered a deduction on their insurance, no small savings when such insurance is high for drivers of young ages. Schools throughout the state should offer drivers education because knowing how to properly drive is important to learn, especially at a young age.