Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson yesterday joined educators at Kearsley High School in Flint, one of 38 Michigan schools that provide driver’s education, to call for improved access to driver’s education for high school students across the state and support for public schools looking to provide driver’s training.
Benson and Michigan Education Association President Chandra Madafferi announced they are working to remove barriers to driver’s education through two voluntary grant programs:
A need-based grant to cover the costs of Graduated Driver License (GDL) Segments 1 & 2 and road testing.
A voluntary grant program for public schools, particularly those in underserved geographic areas, to offset expenses associated with becoming a driver’s education provider, including vehicle purchases and hiring instructors.
“Twenty years ago, the state of Michigan shifted the cost burden for driver’s education directly onto teens and their families,” Benson said. “Most private providers deliver quality instruction, but with the first segment of driver’s ed costing as much as $650, many families simply can’t afford it.
“As a result, fewer teens are getting trained and licensed – especially those who are Black, Hispanic, or from low-income families. This year, we will work with educators and partners in state government to help more families afford driver’s education and connect public schools with resources to offer programs for high school students.”
In 2004, the State of Michigan eliminated the Driver Education Fund, putting an end to most school-based driver’s education programs. An analysis of Department of State records shows that in 2000, 66% of eligible Michigan teens had driver’s licenses. By 2021, that number had dropped to 56%.
The move to private instruction has contributed to racial and income inequities.
A 2012 nationwide study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, reported that only 29 percent of Hispanic teens and 37 percent of non-Hispanic Black teens had their driver’s licenses by the age of 18, compared to 67 percent of non-Hispanic white teens.
The same study found that only one in four teens in households with total incomes under $20,000 a year had their driver’s licenses before their 18th birthday. But where household
income exceeded $100,000, 79 percent of teens were licensed by the time they turned 18.
The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) currently oversees 281 active driver’s education providers, 38 of which are educational institutions.
In 2023, just two of the school-based sites had a complaint or potential violation MDOS had to investigate, compared to 30 private driving schools that had violations.
Benson and Michigan Education Association President Chandra Madafferi announced they are working to remove barriers to driver’s education through two voluntary grant programs:
A need-based grant to cover the costs of Graduated Driver License (GDL) Segments 1 & 2 and road testing.
A voluntary grant program for public schools, particularly those in underserved geographic areas, to offset expenses associated with becoming a driver’s education provider, including vehicle purchases and hiring instructors.
“Twenty years ago, the state of Michigan shifted the cost burden for driver’s education directly onto teens and their families,” Benson said. “Most private providers deliver quality instruction, but with the first segment of driver’s ed costing as much as $650, many families simply can’t afford it.
“As a result, fewer teens are getting trained and licensed – especially those who are Black, Hispanic, or from low-income families. This year, we will work with educators and partners in state government to help more families afford driver’s education and connect public schools with resources to offer programs for high school students.”
In 2004, the State of Michigan eliminated the Driver Education Fund, putting an end to most school-based driver’s education programs. An analysis of Department of State records shows that in 2000, 66% of eligible Michigan teens had driver’s licenses. By 2021, that number had dropped to 56%.
The move to private instruction has contributed to racial and income inequities.
A 2012 nationwide study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, reported that only 29 percent of Hispanic teens and 37 percent of non-Hispanic Black teens had their driver’s licenses by the age of 18, compared to 67 percent of non-Hispanic white teens.
The same study found that only one in four teens in households with total incomes under $20,000 a year had their driver’s licenses before their 18th birthday. But where household
income exceeded $100,000, 79 percent of teens were licensed by the time they turned 18.
The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) currently oversees 281 active driver’s education providers, 38 of which are educational institutions.
In 2023, just two of the school-based sites had a complaint or potential violation MDOS had to investigate, compared to 30 private driving schools that had violations.
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