Editorial: Driver’s license plan worth considering, questioning

Alabama gubernatorial hopeful U.S. Rep. Artur Davis has a plan worth considering, but it also raises questions.

Tuesday, Davis, a Democrat, announced an idea that would require students to stay in school until they are 18 or lose their driver’s license.

The proposal is intended to inspire kids to keep plugging along to earn a high school diploma, reducing the state’s dropout rate.

In May, the Legislature voted to raise the school dropout age to 17.

“A shameful high 40 percent of Alabama students drop out even before completing high school — far worse than the national average, which at 30 percent is bad enough,” said Davis, who is running against Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks.

He’s right.

That is a shame and any proposal to reduce this rate should be considered.

It’s also a shame that young people sometimes do not have the desire work toward a high school diploma, something many should perceive as a personal achievement.

But there are circumstances that Davis should bear in mind. Sometimes teenagers drop out in order to work and help provide for low-income families.

Staying in math class is the best choice in the long run, but weekly paychecks help put food on the table.

Under Davis’ plan, teenagers who drop out of school for non-medical reasons would lose their licenses.

This does not mean the same kids will not get behind the wheel of an automobile and drive anyway.

If a teenager is not responsible enough to stay in school simply because he chooses self-indulgence over completing his education, who is to say that same person will be responsible enough to abide by the law and go without wheels until he is 18?

Receiving a driver’s license is a great achievement for young people. It’s something they dream of for years. Driver’s licenses are rites of passage, a passage from youth to adulthood.

The threat of having this legal, plastic ticket to drive taken from you can certainly inspire one to do what it takes to make sure this does not happen.

Further discussions on this interesting proposal should be made before a concrete decision is made into law.

Kudos to Davis for exploring options to improve the dropout rate.