Dear friends -- If NH parents want to have the option any time in the next couple of years to
provide effective driver safety training for their children, instead of being required to use
school-based programs, they will need to take some action today and in the next few days.
A hearing was held yesterday before the NH House Transportation Committee. Weather kept
many parents away, but there were still quite a few there. There were also many driver ed
instructors who testified that they were the professionals, they have special cars, they love kids,
they spend much of their time undoing what parents have done, and kids don't want to learn from
their parents.
The Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles testified that our proposal would mean an end
to driver education in NH and would seriously compromise NH highway safety.
The chief arguments seem to be such as these:
Now catch your breath, and think positive here. Could you please call at least one, maybe
two, of the representatives on the
House Transportation Committee
to express your support for the parent taught driver
ed option. You are calling them at home -- it's the only good way of reaching them. They are
typically in Concord Tuesday-Thursday, so on those days you'd have to call after the dinner hour.
Friday/Saturday and Monday during the day are also good times to reach them.
Above are some links
to information about parent-taught drivers' education programs.
If you just can't call, would you send a postcard to a few of the reps near you. Ideally they
would hear from their own constituents, so if you know parents who live in their districts, could
you ask them to do the same?
Close to half of new teen drivers are involved in an accident in their first year of driving -- whether
or not they take school-based driver ed. It is really is our turn to do something different.
I spoke with Transportation Committee member, Michael Scanlon on
2/24 about the amendment to HB689 (parent taught driver education).
Because there were such heavy hitters against it he doesn't think it
will come to anything. He is not in support (surprise) but we had a
long conversation. He is concerned about safety and is in agreement
that the current system is not producing safe drivers (he has a
teenager learning to drive now) but is reluctant to give this control
over to parents for the reasons that were previously brought up at the
hearing (what about parents who take advantage of this option for
financial gain and don't follow through with the program, some parents
would do an awful job, etc). He also commented on the recent change in
the law that mandated that new licensees drive with a parent for 3
months before driving alone ( I may have the specifics off but that is
the jist) - parents showed up in droves to complain that they did not
have the time for this!!!! Now this is not necessary. Obviously the
same people who want parent taught driver ed are not the same people
who complained to not have time to drive with their newly licensed
teens, however he has problems supporting this amendment when there
is such a contradiction.
As these things go I am ignorant (let's say learning instead) the
process. He said he would be willing to look for support to "study"
the problem just so the idea wouldn't be canned altogether. As I said
I don't know if this is good or just an escape (pardon any pessimism
that errupts there). He had the idea of something in between that
would "weed out" the taking advantage parent - like having the parent
interested in a parent taught program take an 8 hour refresher course
and test to prove they were up to the task. Well, I don't have to take
a math test to teach my children math so.... is this different?
Anyway sorry this is longwinded but just in case you thought study was
a good idea others could look into that option with Michael Scanlon's
support.