Safety and knowledge are the two biggest things young drivers need to learn before they get on the roads. Drivers Education classes are the perfect stomping ground for up and coming drivers, to learn the ins and outs of the car.
Up until two years ago, the Drivers Education class at Liberty along with others in the state were allowed to give students in the course real-world experience behind the wheel, showing them the ins and outs of cars. This included skills such as locating all safety features and buttons, proper technique when driving, and a lot more. Due to budget cuts, this learning strategy was taken away and for the past two years all the learning these students received was in class learning, which took away the real-world experience.
However, Missouri House Bill 2195 would reverse this, giving high school Drivers Education students the opportunity to learn behind the wheel during class time. Drivers Education teacher Gregory Franklin is in strong support of this bill.
“If House Bill 2195 is passed, driver education will include time behind the wheel with a certified instructor,” Franklin said. “This practical experience helps new drivers gain muscle memory, road awareness, and decision-making skills.”
While the Drivers Education course currently helps get new drivers ready for the road, it doesn’t 100% prepare them because their just learning in a classroom, students and teachers both agree that this bill will help prepare new drivers for the roads.
Ella King (9) is an up and coming driver and is in the Drivers Education class. King, along with others in the class, highly support this bill as it would make it less nerve racking whenever they finally get their license.
“It’ll help us feel more confident whenever we go out into the real world because I just have to guess that I’m doing the right thing but if I can learn it in school, then I’d would be more sure of myself,” King said.
While Liberty is mainly focused on the real-world experience this bill gives, there are a lot more “gifts” that this bill states. If it is passed, public schools as well as private schools with grades 9-12 will adopt the Missouri Integrated Safe Driving Program which gives students certified instruction on the safe operation of cars, the laws of the road, as well as real-world driving lessons approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This bill will also require public and private schools grades 9-12 to offer a Drivers Education course to the students that they must complete before graduating.
“I think that’ll help schools prepare their students better to be in the real world and I think it’ll make the roads safer,” King said.
“As educators, I equate this to going to college for a teaching degree but not being able to student teach. That is a scary thought,” Franklin said. “Reading a manual or watching videos can only do so much.”
If Missouri House Bill 2195 is passed, a similar version would have to be approved in the Senate before it goes to the governor’s desk. It would have to be approved by August 2026 in time for the 2026-27 school year. Bill 2185 will ultimately help students around the state make sure they know everything there is to know about being safe on the road and knowing everything about how to keep you and other people safe while on the road.
