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Driver education is designed to teach novice drivers the basic information and skills for lifelong safe driving habits. It is taught by professionals who are trained to provide the academic and in-car activities.
In Kansas, driving is a privilege, not a right. Thus for the safety of all drivers, a state-certified driver education program should be required for everyone obtaining a driver's license under the age of 18.
This is a logical approach based on the following facts: In a national study, drivers who are 16, 17, 18 and 19 that have taken a driver education course plus 50 hours of practice are proven to be safer than those teens who do not take a professional driving course but do practice driving for 100 hours. The professionally taught teens show as much as a 21 percent reduction in car crashes, a 53 percent lower rate of license suspensions and a 57 percent lower rate of traffic violations (convictions).
Based on the facts, the Kansas Legislature should pass a law requiring all inexperienced teenage drivers to take and pass a certified driver education course taught by professional instructors. For all of those young drivers, as well as the rest of us sharing the Kansas roadway with them, this is the responsible approach if safety is the paramount issue.
Driver education is designed to teach novice drivers the basic information and skills for lifelong safe driving habits. It is taught by professionals who are trained to provide the academic and in-car activities.
In Kansas, driving is a privilege, not a right. Thus for the safety of all drivers, a state-certified driver education program should be required for everyone obtaining a driver's license under the age of 18.
This is a logical approach based on the following facts: In a national study, drivers who are 16, 17, 18 and 19 that have taken a driver education course plus 50 hours of practice are proven to be safer than those teens who do not take a professional driving course but do practice driving for 100 hours. The professionally taught teens show as much as a 21 percent reduction in car crashes, a 53 percent lower rate of license suspensions and a 57 percent lower rate of traffic violations (convictions).
Based on the facts, the Kansas Legislature should pass a law requiring all inexperienced teenage drivers to take and pass a certified driver education course taught by professional instructors. For all of those young drivers, as well as the rest of us sharing the Kansas roadway with them, this is the responsible approach if safety is the paramount issue.
