| Direction of drivers' ed questioned |
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| Written by PETER KUEBECK Sentinel Staff Writer | |
| Friday, 25 May 2012 09:32 | |
"With all the emphasis on highway safety, it would seem that the state would choose the most effective mode of instruction, not the most expedient," said Donna Foster, owner of Mid-America Driver Training in Bowling Green. House Bill 487, a mid-term budget and management review bill, amends current law to "require 24 hours of in-person classroom instruction or completion of an approved, equivalent online driver education course offered via the internet by a licensed online driver training enterprise" as well as eight hours with a qualified instructor. The companies offering the online instruction are located out-of-state, in Indiana and California. The bill is expected to be signed by Kasich today. Foster, who was among several driver's training school owners who spoke before the Senate's finance committee against the bill two weeks ago, notes that there are a number of potentially detrimental issues wrapped up with this amendment. "What we're teaching here is lifelong learning," she said, explaining that research shows the best learning comes when students have the opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships with teachers. Taking online driver training would remove this. "This is not going to happen if we go online." Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Virginia and Colorado, she said - which are among 13 states that permit online driver training - show the potential problems. In Virginia, students who took the online class before getting behind the wheel were significantly more likely than their classroom counterparts to be involved in a collision. "The findings were dramatic," said Foster. Similarly, in Colorado, online students lagged far behind their classroom counterparts on driving proficiency tests. "So we're going to have the novice drivers out there on the road, maybe not knowing what they're doing, not understanding the laws." Students, she said, would also miss out on important hands-on lessons and demonstrations available in a classroom setting. "I would say 98 percent of (my students) say no, they would not like an online program." Beyond the safety aspect, the amendment could also have a stark economic impact - it will cost Ohio jobs, Foster said, because fewer instructors will be needed. Mid-America currently employs 12 people, which Foster said she would have to slash to a skeleton crew of three if the amendment passes. And, further, it may not be viable for her to keep the 28-year-old school open at all. "I may have to close my doors." There are currently approximately 400 driver training schools in Ohio. In states where online training has been permitted, half of their schools have closed. This then would create issues for those needing training, as costs will rise, Foster explained. |
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| Last Updated on Friday, 25 May 2012 09:58 |
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Comments
I have a hunch that someone's relative of an elected official or a campaign contributor thought they could ram this one through without someone being "sober at the wheel" in Columbus .
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