Persuasive Essay Dan DuretteEng.12Young DriversYoung Drivers programs are an excellent way to not only learn how to drive, but learn how to drive safely. Programs in B.C. such as Drive Wise offer six three hour in-class sessions, and eight one hour in-car sessions. By the end of these lessons students know more keys about safe driving than anyone else on the road. Why isn't everyone in B.C sending their kids to young drivers? The answer is simple for these three reasons; the course is not made mandatory, it is not offered in school, and oh by the way... it costs over a grand!Teenage drivers in B.C accounted for twenty-six percent of car accidents in the province in 2007. How is it possible that over a quarter of all accidents that occurred in B.C two years ago all involved drivers from the ages 17-20? Perhaps they simply don't know how to drive. Only twenty-eight percent of teens take a young drivers course before they reach their 'New Driver' status. The bottom line is that the course is not made mandatory in B.C., and it needs to be. Take Alberta for example, we may criticize them for having such a low minimum driving age. At least a young driver's course is made mandatory for all students before they obtain the right to drive on their own. So how do we ensure that all teens are educated in B.C before they take their road test?The answer seems simple. Both my parents grew up in Saskatchewan. All grade ten students in their school took a mandatory young drivers course. This course was like any other and lasted the same amount of time. A similar course is offered today in most provinces in Canada for free, but not B.C. In our province most parents don't even think twice about NOT sending their kids to young drivers. The biggest reason for this is because it costs over one thousand dollars to do so. Therefore, even though the private programs in B.C do a terrific job of educating young drivers to drive safely, we need to abolish them and implement a course in our schools. This is the only way to ensure that all teens know how to drive safely. Otherwise seventy-five percent of new drivers on the road will have no clue about safe driving practices.In conclusion, if thirty years ago there was a course available for everyone to take free in other provinces, there should be one in B.C also. Yes Drive Wise is an excellent program and teaches very important driving practices. This however is not the key; the key is for everyone to be able to experience this course. Paying one-thousand dollars to learn how do drive safely is theft. Implementing a safe driving course in schools could in return save lives.
