This Problem Begs For A Free Market Solution

I firmly believe he was trying to do the right thing when State Senator Preston Smith introduced
Joshua's Law back in 2005. Far too many Georgia teens have died on our roadways… many times
due to inadequate driving instruction, and this legislation was a valiant attempt at addressing the
problem.

However, in my January 29, 2005 column I stated that Preston's bill was the wrong approach. It seems
that recent developments have justified my concerns.

Under Joshua's Law a five percent surcharge was added to all traffic fines statewide in order to raise
seed money to be used to help implement a statewide driver education program in Georgia's high
schools. So far the surcharge has resulted in $12 million being raised.

According to information in a press release Senator Smith sent out this week, other than $400,000
used to build a web site and produce brochures most of the funds raised to date have never been
utilized for driver training and the money has disappeared back into the general fund. This underscores
my concerns with Joshua's Law.

First, the legislation only required Georgia teens to complete a state mandated driver-training course if
they wanted a license at age sixteen. Wait until seventeen and there were no requirements.

Second, school system administrators are already bogged down trying to meet the requirements of
the various reform plans and do not need another program to manage, even if scheduled after regular
school hours. And as with any state mandated proposal, there will always be hidden costs that won't
be covered by the state. Here in Bartow County, the county school system's property tax levy is
almost at the maximum millage as allowed by state law. We can't afford anything else.

Smith's bill failed the most basic test of conservative principles… government, inefficient by nature,
should almost never operate a program or supply a service that can be handled as well or better by the
private sector. Joshua's Law is clearly one of those programs.

Now, in an attempt to fix the original Joshua's Law, Smith has introduced legislation to abolish the
Driver's Education Commission and instead send the ticket surcharge funds directly to the Georgia
Department of Education so they can implement driver training in Georgia public schools.

Of course, like any government program, this approach will require many tens of millions if not
hundreds of millions of state and local tax dollars in order to furnish schools with the necessary
equipment and instructors.

Smith's changes also gut the requirement that teens take an approved drivers training course. Say
what? You read it correctly. Until a driver's ed course is placed in the public schools, teens will now be
able to once again take to our roadways with no training!

Smith makes the statement that he doesn't believe in unfunded mandates and that is why he is
stipulating that the program be funded by the state. In other words, let's raise fees and taxes and put
additional strain on the state budget. However, the state doesn't pay for our car insurance and it is
mandated that we have it. Does Smith want the state to start covering that as well?

So what's the solution? It's very simple… make driver training mandatory and allow private companies
to own and operate state certified driver education centers. Instead of using tax dollars, taxpaying
businesses would use their own capital to open these centers across the state and provide jobs for
driving instructors.

So who pays? Driving is a privilege, not a right. This may sound cold, but if you can afford a car and
insurance, then you can afford a one-time fee of about $150 to $250 to pay for your own driver's
training. Plus most auto insurance companies offer substantial discounts for teen drivers who
complete a driver's education course, helping to negate the cost.

Preston Smith is a good guy and I know his heart is in the right place. If our goal is to insure that all
Georgia teens receive training before they take to our roadways, then let's completely rewrite Joshua's
Law now before we lose more of our children. We can't wait another 3 to 5 years.

March 25, 2007