(CBS Detroit) – “It costs about $800 per child to get through the first leg and the second leg,” said Angela Moody, a mother in the Heartland state. She shares the amount her four children paid to get their driving licenses.
“It's more expensive than many of us. It's no longer a given. It's a promise,” she told CBS News Detroit.
The Michigan Secretary of State and the Michigan Education Association aim to improve accessibility through grants that help public schools offset the costs associated with becoming driving education providers.
Martin O'Neill, co-owner of Elite Driving School in St. Clair Shores, said: “I run a private school and I want everyone to have access to a driving license so this is a good plan. I think so,” he says.
He said the plan to make it accessible to all is great if schools are willing to have certified staff and properly trained instructors to teach students. He says he understands that times have changed since he got his driver's license and the cost of insurance, vehicles and everything else has gone up.
There has also been a decline in overall interest in people under 18 getting behind the wheel, he says.
“My biggest practice lessons are from ages 18 to 25. Why? I think it's because it's prohibitively expensive for some people. Some kids don't want to get their license right now. It's tempting. “This is for older people, and we used to love cars. Kids aren't that interested in cars anymore,” O'Neill says.
