High school dropouts banned from driving: US proposal
Should high school dropouts be banned from getting a driver’s licence?
According to Wards Auto in the US, a number of state governments in America are pushing for the introduction of legislation that would do exactly this.
The officials do not believe that you need a high school level education to be qualified to drive a car. Rather, they believe that introducing the laws would encourage young people to stay in school.
Statistics from the US Department of Education reveal that there are currently around three million people aged between 16 and 24 in the US that are neither enrolled in a school or have earned a high school (or equivalent) diploma.
Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Texas are reportedly the states most in favour of the ‘no dropout drivers’ laws.
While the proposal is well intended, many have criticised it for placing too much emphasis on formal academic education. Some have questioned how many young apprentices would be out of a job if they were required to have a high school certificate in order to drive a car.
Clinical psychologist and parenting expert, John Duffy, suggested the proposal might not have the desired outcome.
“A punishment rarely creates a desired behaviour, and, in the case of forcing a child to remain in school, will not help intrinsically motivate that child either,” Mr Duffy said.
But what do you think? Should a driver’s licence be a reward for staying in school, or is it completely impractical to expect young people to pass subjects like chemistry and physics before they can get their licence? And would these laws work in Australia?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
0
