Compulsory Driving Education Motor vehicle accidents cause more than 7% of teen deaths each year. While this is true, according to Janet Adams, “Over the past decade, the rate of teen graduation from driver's education courses has plummeted from 100% to about 50%. In the same period, accidents involving children aged between 16 and 19 increased by 55%”. Do these statistics reflect the removal of driver education from most school systems in Oklahoma? Oklahoma City is one of the few districts with a driver's education program offered during the school year. The fee for these courses is $200 for in-district students and $250 for those who live outside the district. Additionally, riding sessions offered in the fall are held in the evenings and Saturdays, but no school credit is awarded. While summer courses are offered, they are limited to 30 students each and sessions fill up quickly. Last year only 139 out of 458 students attended the summer course. In summary, teen safety is compromised when driver training is not available. Therefore, driving education should be mandatory and offered at low cost to high school students during the school year. (Lester, Jeff) This caused the death of free education for all high school students. At that time, $2.4 million was produced per year to fund driver education (“Driver Courses and Failures”). According to Janet Adams, writer for the Daily Oklahoman: “Schools continue to receive the money but are no longer required to use it for driving instruction. School districts are able to divert the money to other areas of their choosing. T...... middle of paper ......or beginner drivers” (qtd. in Adams). Therefore, the lack of organized and informative driver training affects the safety of the new driver and all others who drive on roads and highways or cross the road. With this in mind, the next time a person gets into a car and puts on their seat belt, they might arm themselves to encounter an inexperienced driver who has learned to drive by reading the driver's manual long enough to pass a test. Works Cited Adams, Janet . “Driver Courses and Failures.” Daily Oklahoman March 17, 2000: B2-3.Lester, Jeff. “Driver's Ed at a critical stage.” Driving February 17, 1998: 16-36.Newton, Josh. Help teenagers learn. New York: McGraw, 1999. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Road Safety Facts 1998: YoungDrivers. January 5, 2000. TSA November 9, 2000www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/pdf/young98.pdf