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Show TEENAGE DRIVING PROGRAM Much emphasis has been Riven lately to the need for driver training courses in the high schools of the state as a means of promoting safety on the highways. Admittedly this is an expensive educational program, because it involves in-volves heavy instructional cost and the, -need for automobiles automo-biles for use in the program. However, it is our contention that instruction that is more important can be provided at small cost, and that perhaps too much emphasis is being placed on instruction of the actual mechanics of driving. This type of training - is naturally expensive because the instructor can handle only four or five students at a time, and if the program is to be expanded to a point where all students receive the , instruction it would require a large number of teachers, to say nothing of the expenseOf providing automobiles for instructional purposes. Few students need much actual driving instruction; although it is important that the driver know how to handle han-dle a car, most youngsters acquire this knowledge quickly and easily, and in most cases are very capable drivers before be-fore they enter the classes. What they do need, and need badly, is indoctrination of the proper attitude as drivers, and there is no reason why this should be expensive training. It may be difficult to impress the students of their responsibility as drivers, but it need not be an expensive process. The teacher could handle large groups in this type of training. Watch the teen-age drivers on the streets and high- . ways,, and y,ou will soon be convinced that they handle automobiles au-tomobiles well, and in fact are very "capable" drivers. But too few of them are "responsible" drivers. Too many of them are careless, even reckless drivers. They are fearless fear-less and almost invariably drive at excessive speeds for the conditions prevailing. They show little respect and consideration consid-eration for other drivers, and above all, take too many chances. If the proper attitude along these lines could be instilled in-stilled into these young drivers, much would be accomplished accomp-lished in the line of safety. |