Don't mandate driving course

Incentives to take safe-driving course are a better approach than mandating it.

We understand the desire of the Fort Mill school district to find ways to improve the driving skills of students. Nonetheless, we think the district should offer incentives to students to take a safe-driving course instead of making the course mandatory for all students eligible for a driver's license.

The recent deaths of two Nation Ford High School students in auto accidents have heightened concerns among parents and school officials alike. Parents from both district high schools attended a meeting last week where the Fort Mill Police Department's school resource officers explained the Alive at 25 program the department offers.

School officials have promoted the program, a four-hour class that teaches defensive driving and safe-driving behaviors, as a voluntary class. But now, school board member Pat White is resurrecting a plea to the rest of the board to make the course mandatory.

“In light of what has happened, it is time to take a stand,” White said last week. Discussion of making the program mandatory now has been added to the Nov. 9 school board meeting agenda.

Alive at 25 undoubtedly would benefit any prospective young driver. It teaches fundamental lessons about seat belt use, distractions of cell phones and text messaging, the dangers of drinking and driving, how to cope with bad weather and the hazards of speeding. Of the 19,000 people ages 15 to 24 who have taken the course over the past two years, only five have died in car accidents.

That, of course, is five too many, but the statistics nonetheless are impressive.

While some advocates are ready to jump to make the course mandatory, that proposal has some drawbacks. For one thing, the fee for the course is $35 to cover the cost of instructors and materials.

Some families might balk at being required by the district to pay for the course. And some students who are not interested in learning to drive as soon as they are eligible might not want to take the course.

In addition, Alive at 25 is taught on Saturday, and there is some question as to whether the district can legitimately require students to take courses on a non-school day.

A better option, we think, would be to require taking the Alive at 25 course as a prerequisite for getting a parking permit on school grounds. The district charges $30 for a parking permit, so dropping that fee would cover most of the cost of the Alive at 25 course. The district would lose the revenues it receives from selling parking permits, but the loss would not be too substantial.

This system would be entirely voluntary. Students could decide whether having a parking permit is important enough to take the Alive at 25 course.

Using parking fees as an incentive also would prevent conflicts over requiring students to take a course they have to pay for that is not part of the school curriculum and which is held on Saturday. We think it's a better idea.