Driver’s education courses, while expensive and time-consuming, might be worth the sacrifice in order to turn out safer drivers.

According to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Company, 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.

Maine’s officials realize this and it is why anyone under the age of eighteen is required to take Driver’s Ed.

While this is a good precaution, the cost for most classes in the local area is around four hundred dollars. For some teens four hundred dollars is not easy to come by, but the need to drive is still crucial.

“I had to pay for my Driver’s Ed class and it was stressful. I could have learned with my parents,” says fifteen-year-old Michelle Chasse.

Driver’s Ed is a positive way of teaching kids about the risks of drunk driving and the little things most people do not think of. (For instance, most people do not know that backing out of their driveway is illegal.)

It is clear that Driver’s Ed is informational and opens teen’s eyes to things they need to know.

Casiegh Pare, a tenth grade student, agreed, “I learned a lot with it and some of what you learn can’t really be taught by family. You focus more when you’re with someone you don’t know. You want to get it right just because you can’t slack off with someone like you can with family.”

Driver’s Ed might be more accessible to more students if the price were lowered.

Doug Larrabee, who is the Driver’s Ed instructor for Poland, disagrees. “The price should actually be raised. There is a lot that goes into it. Not

only is the price of gas a difficulty, but we have to come up with the money for tests and have the resources to give kids what they need to be better drivers.”

For students who might not have enough money to take the class, some driving schools offer financial aid.

Although expensive, Driver’s Ed might be worth the time because it forces kids to listen and hear the risks.