The “good old” middle school days when moms had to drive their kids and their “boyfriends” or “girlfriends” to the movies and pick everyone up after the movie was over are quickly becoming “good old” high school memories. With more and more teens waiting until they’re 18 or older to get their driver licenses, mom carting her kids around is becoming the norm for some high school students.
According to the Washington Post, the number of teen drivers on the road has decreased by 23% since the 2001. When 618 non-driving University of Michigan students were asked why they have yet to get a license, 32% stated that owning and maintaining a vehicle is just too expensive.
This statistic brings up a major point; one of the top reasons for the decrease in student drivers is that the cost of obtaining and maintaining driving privileges has gone up immensely over the past couple of years.
“Driver education used to be free for students,” driver ed and history teacher Patricia Gray said. “Since 1997, school districts can no longer afford to offer it free because the state does not reimburse them for it. It now costs $297 if you take it through us (Fenton High School), and often much more through private providers. Across the state, costs range from $300 – $600 for the class.”
Maintaining a vehicle is also difficult for teens because often they don’t just have to worry about the price of gas and oil, but also insurance.
“Car insurance was something my family and I considered before I got my license,” senior Madison Kautman said. “My family knew that having to pay for my older sister, who is a relatively new driver, and me, a brand new driver, that the cost of insurance was going to be a lot to handle.”
Monthly insurance costs for new drivers like Kautman can be as high as $400 to $800 a month when purchased through companies like Progressive Insurance or Allstate.
Another reason teens are postponing getting their license also has to do with the driver ed course itself, and the long hours that students are required to spend in the classroom.
“I am so busy after school that I decided to take the class here with Mrs. Gray,” Kautman said. “Mrs. Gray was really helpful and was able to give me the driver ed assignment for each day so I could finish it on my own at home after choir and other activities.”
Though the course load has increased, the class difficulty has not.
“I don’t actually think the process is more difficult than it was, it just takes longer,” Gray said. “Statistics suggest that programs like this significantly reduce teen crashes, as much as 20 – 50%.”
With statistics like this extra time spent in the classroom shouldn’t be seen as a burden but as a blessing, even though 30 hours of studying and preparation is not required all over the world.
“When I got my license I just had to take a written test in the classroom and a road test,” exchange student from Mexico Jessi Parades said. “I got study books to look over before I took the test but didn’t have to attend a class. And I didn’t have to follow any special rules like driving past a certain time or having too many people in the car with me right after getting my license.”
Whether teens are headed to the Secretary of State to get their license the day of their 16th birthday, or waiting until they are college bound, it’s clear that less teens are claiming the road.